Updated

Updated · Fox News · Aug 28

Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit Mock Trump's 'Lake America' Move During NFL Broadcast at 81

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Aug 28

Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit Mock Trump's 'Lake America' Move During NFL Broadcast at 81

Q: Did an awkward booth silence over an unscripted joke actually save a heavily criticized football broadcast from total viewer boredom?

Yes, at least briefly. In a telecast widely panned for sluggish play, heavy commercial load and a weak Browns performance, Al Michaels’ off-script lake-renaming quip became the most replayed and discussed moment of the night. That does not mean it improved the football, but it did puncture the monotony and give viewers something memorable beyond the game itself. The evidence is mostly in the reaction. Coverage and social media discussion focused less on on-field action than on the awkward booth silence that followed, especially Kirk Herbstreit’s restrained response. In a broadcast already drawing criticism, that unscripted exchange created a moment of tension and surprise that live television rarely delivers anymore. For some viewers, that kind of spontaneity can be more engaging than a flat preseason contest. Still, “saved” is too strong if it suggests the broadcast became good because of it. The remark added intrigue, but it also added discomfort. Michaels’ stature made the line more notable, yet the pause in the booth underlined that it had landed unevenly. Rather than rescuing the telecast, it temporarily shifted attention away from a poor game and toward the broadcast itself. So the awkward silence likely did spare the night from total forgettability. It gave a dull preseason stream a viral moment. But it was a distraction, not a fix, and it highlighted the broadcast’s unevenness as much as it relieved it.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 28

Al Michaels, 81, drew fresh attention after joking during Amazon's Browns-Patriots preseason broadcast that Lake Erie was "still called Lake Erie" and Buffalo might soon sit by "Lake something."
Kirk Herbstreit was part of the booth exchange, which referenced Donald Trump's proposal to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" and ended with Michaels telling viewers to "Read the news."
Online reaction split quickly, with some viewers calling the jab out of line and others praising it as a sharp political aside during the game.
The moment extended a story that had already circulated earlier Thursday, keeping Michaels' on-air political commentary in focus beyond the preseason opener.