Now, here’s a guy that doesn’t check social media…
Even though Cris Collinsworth is one of the most beloved announcers in the NFL and is a content machine for us at Awful Announcing on Sunday nights — both good and bad — he doesn’t want to see how he’s being perceived. That’s why when it comes to social media, he’s decidedly hands-off.
During a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, the 65-year-old discussed why the Dallas Cowboys weren’t getting flexed out of Sunday Night Football and touched on his relationship with social media — or, more accurately, his lack thereof.
“Negative. No, no, no — I do not,” Collinsworth said when Patrick asked if he checks social media after games. “Well, of course [I used to]. When I first got on social media, I had four followers. And my kids told me that I had to sign up, so I signed up. After the game, I was sitting there, and I had four people. So, I said hello to all of them. I went back on, ‘Hey, how you guys doing?’ I thought that’s what social media was. I had no idea. And they’re like, ‘Dad, no.’ ‘You just get on.’ And then they started showing me how to do it.”
But as Collinsworth quickly learned, social media can be a double-edged sword, especially for public figures.
“The thing that I’ve found in our business is that generally, people are very, very nice,” he continued. “We travel all over the country, we go in, they want to talk to you… But it’s still that one in 50 that goes, ‘Hey, aren’t you Cris Collinsworth?’ And I go, ‘Yeah.’ And, generally, the first question is: ‘Why do you hate the…’ whatever their favorite team is. Then, it’s something along the lines of, ‘Honestly, I think you suck.’
“And it hits you like a ton of bricks because you’re so used to people being so nice and coming up and being friendly and saying nice things. And the rest of the day, you’re walking around, kicking the can down the road; you’re like all bummed out.”
So, if you wondered why the NFL on NBC analyst fires off a tweet every two months or so, you have your answer.
And who could blame him?
Social media hasn’t been kind to his son, Jac, either. Since joining NBC, Jac Collinsworth has faced an onslaught of accusations of nepotism, particularly from those on social media.
So, if you’re wondering why Cris Collinsworth didn’t check X after last night’s game, it’s because he’s learned the hard way what too many in the spotlight are still figuring out that sometimes, it’s better not to know.
[The Dan Patrick Show]
