Chelsea brought legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to introduce the starting lineups for the team’s match against Liverpool, and… well, it didn’t go quite as planned.
Just as Buffer was preparing to introduce “No. 4, Cesc Fabregas,” the stadium sprinklers plopped a bucket’s worth of water right onto his shoulder, causing him to flinch and stumble.
A lesser announcer might have been derailed entirely after being soaked mid-intro, but Buffer was undeterred. He powered through the rest of the Chelsea lineup and concluded with an enthusiastic, “Let’s get ready for footbaaaaaall” before walking to the sideline smiling.
https://twitter.com/SoccerAM/status/993475546284621824
After the match, which Chelsea won 1-0, Buffer tweeted that he initially thought the water was coming from the sky, before realizing what had actually happened. He said the most difficult part of the ordeal was reading the smudged ink on the paper he was holding.
HERE COMES THE RAIN (uh oh, it’s the sprinkler-HOLY SH*T!) Actually, hardest part was trying to read the smeared ink while knowing a few million are LTAO!
All things considered, I had a great time & saw a close game! #LetsGetReadyForFootball @WilliamHill pic.twitter.com/pPwSkmQDOk
— Michael Buffer (@Michael_Buffer) May 6, 2018
Buffer was still chuckling Monday morning, when he tweeted that the incident was “quite funny.”
https://twitter.com/Michael_Buffer/status/993493449348386816
Maybe next time Chelsea brings in a famous announcer to introduce their lineup, they can position him away from the path of the sprinklers? That doesn’t seem like too much to ask, does it?
We’ll say this about Buffer, though: He is a remarkably good sport.
About Alex Putterman
Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.