The “Where is Kate Middleton?” mystery has become one of the most bizarre, intriguing storylines in recent years. The Princess of Wales hasn’t been seen publicly for months after undergoing surgery for a medical condition. Last week, Middleton and husband Prince William released a photo of Kate and her children to try to assuage public concerns about her health and whereabouts.
When it was quickly revealed that the image had been photoshopped, that only kicked up the speculation and conspiracy theories about her to Aaron Rodgers levels of insanity. Those include that Middleton and Prince William have split, that a 2016 Vogue cover was used for her picture, or that she may indeed not even be alive.
With the world spinning over the Middleton mystery, it’s the perfect opportunity for enterprising sports announcers who enjoy working pop culture references into their play-by-play.
Enter Joey Zanaboni.
Zanaboni has gone viral many times for his hilarious one-liners while calling mostly minor league baseball. But the young announcer has worked his way up to the major leagues as the radio announcer calling St. Louis City games in MLS. And during the St. Louis game against LA Galaxy, he worked his magic on a save from Roman Burki that invoked the Kate Middleton drama as only he could.
Unlike the royal family, I’m always willing to offer proof #KateGate https://t.co/BMqWoMuk5S pic.twitter.com/4NgSSBS4CX
— Joey Zanaboni (@joey_zana) March 17, 2024
“Oh! Roman Burki! Stones Jovovic! Panels one away! Oh, Roman Burki! Altering that shot like it’s a Kate Middleton mother’s day photo!”
The best part of the call is that it fits the play perfectly for a big save. Zanaboni’s audacious style full of pop culture references and creative commentary probably isn’t for everyone. It’s unique in its focus on entertainment and laughs. But when it lands like this it’s a work of art.
