Al Michaels turns 80 on Nov. 12, an age at which even the most dedicated workers have already said, “Enough is enough.” And that’s especially true in sports broadcasting, where the travel schedule alone can be challenging for people even half that age.
Now the play-by-play announcer for Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football, Michaels’ contract expires after this season. It’s fair to wonder: Is this the final stretch for the legendary broadcaster?
Michaels talked with The New York Post this week about his future plans.
“The reality is, I’ve trained myself to live in the present. I have for a long period of time. I don’t like to go into the past. People love to hear stories about the old days — I’m bored with it,” Michaels told The Post.
“Down the line, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nobody does. Right now I feel great. I’m looking forward to the start of the season. I’ve made no decision in terms of what will happen in the future.”
Michaels’ place in sports broadcasting history is already secure and he’s got nothing left to prove. He’s endured some criticism the past couple of years from sports media and fans saying he’s appeared to be going through the motions at times. Kirk Herbstreit, color analyst on TNF, has defended his partner’s dedication, but questions persisted.
And there were questions about Michaels’ last year when NBC unexpectedly left him off of its roster of announcers for its NFL playoff games. The move caught the veteran broadcaster by surprise.
That’s similar to the situation Michaels found himself in a few years ago, when Mike Tirico replaced him in the Sunday Night Football booth, a play-by-play role Michaels held from 2006-2021. Michaels had wanted to continue.
So whether Michaels continues with Thursday Night Football beyond this season may be beyond his control. But he told The Post he’ll also have to see how this season goes as to whether he wants to continue. Michaels definitely seems enthused about this year’s TNF schedule, pointing out the NFL gave Amazon Prime a much better slate of games.
When Michaels confirmed last year he would return to TNF for 2024, he said, “I still love this job. I still get a charge out of going into a stadium and watching the best in the world do what they do.”
Will Michaels still have that same enthusiasm as this season grinds on? Does he have one more — or several more — seasons in him?
“I suspect that some time during the year I’ll have a better feeling of what it’s like,” Michaels said. “But my feeling is, if I can live up to the standard I expect from myself, then I’ll want to continue. If I can’t, then I’ll have to think about it another way. I don’t want to go out, as Howard Cosell used to say, ‘a shadow of your former self.’”
