Al Michaels' removal from NBC’s NFL playoff coverage sparks online conspiracy alleging Swift as cause

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Veteran broadcaster Al Michaels will not be part of NBC’s coverage team for the upcoming NFL playoffs, the network announced this week.

Instead, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will call two games while 26-year-old Noah Eagle teams up with analyst Todd Blackledge for the third.

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The absence of the legendary 79-year-old Michaels from the playoffs has sparked intense speculation online.

While some critics have noted his seeming lack of energy and lapses during recent broadcasts, one conspiracy theory connects his benching to comments he made about music superstar Taylor Swift, as per the New York Post.

Consipracy theory links Al Michaels' exclusion to his comments about Taylor Swift

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In October, Michaels sat down for an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina. Discussing potential distractions during a Chiefs game featuring Swift’s attendance, Michaels said broadcasts must strike a balance between entertainment and football.

“There might be an appropriate shot or a couple. I don’t know what the number is going to be. If Kelce scores six touchdowns, who the hell knows what we’re going to do. But for the most part, just in moderation. The game is still the important element here, by far,” he noted. “That’s our thought. After that, you sort of make it...farcical.”

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While intending to acknowledge Swift’s high profile, Michaels referred to her presence as a “sideshow,” angering her fans. With Swift’s relationship to NFL culture via Travis Kelce, Michaels was seen as criticizing rather than balancing.

That interview excerpt circulated again after Michaels’ omission from playoffs, dovetailing with a Barstool Sports theory. As the blog noted, NBC’s broadcast partners are incentivized to appeal to Swift’s large audience. By dismissing her relevance, Michaels allegedly rankled network executives.

Previously, Michaels also seemingly reduced Swift’s popularity to teenagers during an October Cardinals-Saints game. Those two moments have become flashpoints for online speculation about whether Swift references factored into NBC’s playoff personnel decisions.

Internet reacts to theory that Taylor Swift may be behind Al Michaels' absence

Online reactions exhibit a spectrum of perspectives. While one user on X playfully nudges at Michaels' perceived connection to Swift, saying, “Al, Taylor is your queen,” another firmly disregards the Swift link, attributing the issue solely to Michaels' alleged decline, writing, "Yeah, it’s definitely about Taylor Swift and not at all about Al Michaels being a way past his prime complete snooze fest that doesn’t know what he’s looking at half the time. For sure."

Critiques on Michaels' recent on-air performances surface in the discourse, with some users directly tying his benching to his performance, stating, “Having watched the games he is on this week, I think he was benched for performance.”

Others echo this sentiment, asserting that Michaels "is unfortunately not in his prime anymore."

An online user dismisses the Swift-related theories, suggesting that Michaels' omission from playoff coverage is obvious due to his performance decline, stating, "Anyone that believes this, have you actually listened to Al this year? It’s very obvious why he’s not doing playoff games."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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