They’re “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” … and insults?
ESPN entered some odd viral territory over the weekend after one of its announcers put a seemingly unwitting college football fan on total blast — completely unprovoked.
The incident in question happened Saturday evening, when the University of Florida Gators hosted the Texas A&M Aggies — a 33-20 win for the visiting team.
For the Gators, it was an agonizing loss that dropped the team to a frustrating 1-2 record.
That frustration seemed to spill over to ESPN announcer and former Florida quarterback Jesse Palmer, who bizarrely lashed out at one of his fellow Gators.
With the game effectively over in the fourth quarter, ESPN did what most broadcast networks do in these situations and tried to capture some of that “joy of victory, agony of defeat” footage that sports is so well known for.
It was then that ESPN and Palmer focused on a gentleman wearing a Gators outfit.
Here’s how Palmer described him: “He’s got a mustache. You can’t see it now, but he’s whipping his hand with his shirt. I’m going to make a bold prediction here, and I’m gonna say that guy is in ‘The Friend Zone.'”
Ouch.
Palmer’s booth partner, WWE Monday Raw announcer Joe Tessitore, let out a guffaw before describing Palmer as a “top analyst.”
The two booth partners then referenced the fact that Palmer is actually probably better known for his stint as the titular protagonist on ABC’s popular reality dating show “The Bachelor.”
(Palmer finished his NFL career with more interceptions — four — than touchdowns.)
“Years of relationships and dating,” Palmer said, “I see it up close and personal at my other job. And I’m going to say he’s a good listener.”
Ouch, again. You can watch the viral clip below:
Here’s Jesse Palmer roasting the UF student. ???? pic.twitter.com/pxzgnVcfCy
— Famously Garnet Sports (@FamouslyGarnet) September 15, 2024
Now, it’s inarguable that the student probably had no idea he was even on camera, let alone getting roasted by “The Bachelor.” That doesn’t mean Palmer’s biting insult didn’t have some humorous merit.
But it’s a curious strategy for a network that can generously be described as “beleaguered” to be taking shots at fans of any team’s stripes or colors.
ESPN’s struggles aren’t even that secret. The network publicly had to release two well-known faces for budgetary reasons back in August.
And that came after the network waded into senseless culture war issues that generally divide fans more than it unites.
So, yes, Palmer’s insult-to-injury barb can certainly generate a chuckle or two.
But for a network that’s struggling to maintain any semblance of a foothold with fans, publicly deriding any fan — deserving or not — probably isn’t worth that chuckle.
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