One ESPN announcer recently displayed the challenge of attempting to choose between the terms kick or punt on the fly.
Southeastern Louisiana University and Samford faced off in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs Saturday afternoon with play-by-play voice Michael Reghi and analyst Forrest Conoly on the call for the ESPN+ college football broadcast.
Trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, SE Louisiana punted the ball to Samford, prompting an epic slip of the tongue. As the broadcaster struggled to decisively choose between referring to the play as a kick or punt, the call resulted in an awkward mishap thanks to an unfortunate mashup.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) December 4, 2022
Considering Reghi was on the call for ESPN+ and the above video clipped by the @nocontextcfb Twitter feed is from the ESPN+ broadcast, it would appear that he was the voice behind the malapropism. Surely, the blunder was not intentional. But the clarity of the vulgar word also made the gaffe impossible to ignore.
Broadcasters have long learned to take extra care when saying things such as “bulging disc.” Recently, WFAN’s Jerry Recco warned of the potential mishap that can occur when saying “Connecticut Sun.” But maybe now broadcasters will also recognize the importance of deciding whether to use the term kick or punt long before speaking into a hot mic.
[ESPN+, via No Context College Football on Twitter]
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com