The old adage of [insert broadcaster] hates your team continues. And since Joe Buck has left Fox, it appears that distinction belongs to Greg Olsen and not Kevin Burkhardt in the booth. Perhaps that baton will eventually be handed off to Tom Brady, but for now, the former Carolina Panthers tight end turned Fox analyst is feeling the wrath of San Francisco 49ers fans.
And it’s only natural that how 49ers fans feel about Olsen is at the forefront of the conversation, with he and Burkhardt set to call the team’s divisional-round matchup against the Green Bay Packers this coming Saturday.
Olsen has already broadcasted several 49ers games this season, and some fans believe he is biased against their team. But this isn’t a new phenomenon for 49ers fans, who felt this way after he was on the broadcast for their team’s 42-19 drubbing of the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this season.
It seems you can’t please everyone, even if viewers loved hearing Olsen on the call for last weekend’s Packers-Dallas Cowboys game.
On San Francisco radio station 95.7 The Game’s The Morning Roast Thursday, host Bonta Hill praised Olsen’s ability in the broadcast booth. And in response, Olsen revealed that he receives the most criticism from 49ers fans.
“It’s funny, if I had to pick one fanbase that I hear from the most that think I don’t like them, I would have to say it’s San Francisco. And I can’t quite figure out (why),” Olsen said, via Audacy. “It’s very interesting, I swear. They don’t say they don’t like me on the games; they say I don’t like San Francisco, which couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“We cheer for close games, but it’s also our job to criticize things that are wrong, and we’re going to praise both teams when they do things right. Just because we praise San Francisco this weekend doesn’t mean we’re cheering for them. Just because we talk about how great Jordan Love is doesn’t mean we’re cheering against San Francisco. So, that’s kind of the nature of the beast.”
This weekend’s Packers-49ers game offers Olsen a chance to turn the tide, so to speak. Will he be able to silence his critics in San Francisco with his calls, or will the “Olsen hates the 49ers” narrative deepen?
We’ll have to see Saturday, but surely, 49ers fans will sing a different tune if their team moves past Green Bay relatively easily.
[Audacy]
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.