The “announcer jinx” is a phenomenon that all sportscasters will find out about one way or another. The myth of predicting something’s going to happen, and then it not, is feverish most of all when perfect games and no-hitters are going on in baseball. But the NFL is also no stranger to announcer jinxes. The NFL on Fox’s Adam Amin is out in Arizona to call the game between the Cardinals and the New York Giants.
Early on, the Cardinals were in a position to kick a field goal. Longtime kicker Matt Prater stepped up to make the kick. Before that, Amin, the play-by-play man, pointed out an interesting fact. No kicker has made more 50+ yard field goals in NFL history than Prater.
So, naturally, after Prater stepped up to kick from 55… he missed it! He made 72 straight kicks from 50+ yard field goals in his NFL career, Amin boasted. But it wasn’t to be after Amin pointed out that fact.
Adam Amin: "So Matt Prater… who has hit more 50-yard field goals than anybody in NFL history…"
Naturally… Prater missed. So was it the dreaded announcer jinx that did Amin in? pic.twitter.com/lNqBSH0ryO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 17, 2023
Moments later, the game was in Arizona’s favor again. The Cardinals had the ball and were driving down the field. But they faced a difficult 3rd and 7. In Week 1 against the Washington Commanders, Amin reminded, Arizona was “dreadful” on 3rd down and 7+ yards. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs stepped up and then calmly delivered a pass to rookie Michael Wilson, who completed the catch to convert the long third down!
If he did, he quickly undid it!
Amin noted the Cardinals were "dreadful" last week on 3rd & 7+.
Joshua Dobbs threw a strike on 3rd and long to convert!pic.twitter.com/NeTJCqtR8S
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 17, 2023
So in one fell swoop, Amin went from jinxing himself to reversing the jinx moments later. That’s a lot of ‘pressure’ to not have to sit with any longer. It could be worse for Amin. He, like Jim Nantz, could have refuted the notion before having the worst possible outcome occur to him. Or, he could be New York’s own Jack Flaherty, who committed quite the ‘jinx’ earlier this MLB season.
But good on Amin for canceling it out before anything else could slip out.
