Terry Bradshaw has inevitably become a focal point of the Fox pregame and postgame show almost every NFL Sunday.
It’s a similar conversation to the one being had around Lee Corso.
And it’s one that ring announcer Bruce Buffer has had enough of.
The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback will be 77 by the start of the 2025 NFL season. His age-76 season had its fleeting moments, including forgetting that Rob Gronkowski was part of Fox NFL Sunday and stumbling through highlights on multiple occasions.
In his first season since being sidelined by the NFL on CBS, it even led Boomer Esiason to ask if this is how it’s always been for Bradshaw.
Aside from Bradshaw, Fox NFL Sunday has had its share of controversies, even if this one, in particular, was sparked by bad-faith actors. Michael Strahan was criticized for not placing his hand over his heart while the national anthem was being played, and the network was live from a Naval Base in San Diego.
So, between Bradshaw’s missteps and Strahan’s unwarranted criticism, there’s been plenty of criticism to go around.
Whether deserved or not, Buffer framed it as a referendum on a new generation of fans who prefer to nitpick rather than show respect for those who came before them.
“We live in an ADD society. The average attention span is about 20 seconds. So, my answer to that might go over people’s heads because it’ll be longer than 20 seconds,” he says, per The Mirror. “So with everything that’s going on with the world of social media, the AI, people making things up, people putting videos up that aren’t true, that are manufactured, it’s almost like, what do you believe these days?
“So I look to the stable, qualified, proven networks, proven shows where what you’re seeing is what you’re getting. You’re seeing the truth, and that’s where I get my news from.”
The 67-year-old Buffer described the aforementioned Fox NFL Sunday duo as “the best” before continuing to lament the changing world around them.
“The new world does not come from the world that I come from, I’m sorry to say. It is not as tough as when we grew up,” Buffer added. “It’s different with all respect to what they go through. We get back to the fact that people are looking to get famous and rich with no talent, doing things that are out of the ordinary, but society’s taking a different turn. We’re living in a different space.
“So, God bless the Bradshaws and God bless the Michael Strahans of this world for keeping up what truly is to me, the way things should be done; straightforward, honest and narrow.”
Suffice it to say, Buffer understands that NFL studio analysts like Bradshaw and Strahan represent a generational shift in itself. The two, former players with one 23 years senior, are no strangers to criticism from what Buffer describes as a new generation of critics looking for quick fixes.
“It’s not like paying your dues and building yourself and becoming this because of true talent, which they’ve both done,” he added. “Whether it’s playing in the sports they played and going into the commentating role and being as great as what they do.
“We’re talking about years of experience, years of reps, years of hard work. Today’s society, I get back to it and I don’t mean to disrespect it. Okay. Because as long as you’re a good person and you’re not hurting anybody, do what you got to do. But if you’re out to hurt somebody, you’re not going to get my respect.”
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.