Fox sports and NASCAR announcer Mike Joy made an impromptu comment during a recent race that rubbed some fans the wrong way. What did he say?
It seems NASCAR fans have a bone to pick with longtime sports announcer Mike Joy.
During a recent race at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway, Mike made a comment on air that definitely did not bring joy to those watching at home.
His remark spawned a flurry of tweets from upset fans who believed it to be out of line. What exactly did Mike say? Plus, his response to the backlash is below.
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What did Mike Joy say?
During the United Rentals 500k at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway on March 12, Mike made an off-the-cuff comment regarding commercial breaks.
You see, fans have had a long history of complaining about the number of commercials during races, as they interrupt the action and may cause them to miss important parts. And given that Mike is extremely active on Twitter, he likely fields a lot of these criticisms from fans.
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That said, Mike decided to give viewers an update on the number of breaks left. However, he may not have delivered it in the nicest way.
"Now for all the keyboard warriors, I’m going to do this in words of one syllable. The last green flag full-screen break of this race comes right now," he said during the live program.
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Many racing fans watching at home were not appeased by Mike's remark. On Twitter, folks called his comment an "obnoxious response" and "pretty unprofessional."
As much as I totally understand Mike Joy's frustrations with people not listening to him and getting upset about it, I don't think openly bashing a portion of the fan base on national TV is the right flex.
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) March 12, 2023Article continues below advertisement
Mike Joy's defensiveness regarding the Daytona 500 commercial criticism is obnoxious
He's a pro. The commercial criticism was valid whether he agrees with it or not. But being defensive ahead of ad breaks in the races after the 500 isn't the pro way to handle that feedback
— Nick Bromberg (@NickBromberg) March 12, 2023Mike Joy mocking fans every week, on air, for being frustrated with commercials is really ridiculous and an immature response by FOX Sports.
I understand it’s a necessary evil, but that’s really low.
— Alex (@newgayden) March 12, 2023Article continues below advertisement
However, others found Mike's comment to be funny and saluted him for calling out certain audience members.
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Everyone getting mad at Mike Joy’s “keyboard warriors” comment and somehow missing the point while proving him right is hilarious ngl
— Rowdy (@Rowdy_70) March 13, 2023MIKE JOY SAVAGE
Putting the keyboard warriors in their place👏👏👏#NASCAR
— Taylor Kitchen (@_TaylorKitchen_) March 12, 2023Article continues below advertisement
One fan upset by Mike's choice of words decided to get back at Mike by tweeting: "Hey @mikejoy500 I'm going to put my opinion of you in single syllables. You suck. #Retire."
Mike responded to the tweet and noted that as a race fan, he understands that commercials can be frustrating. But as someone who works on the broadcasting side of things, Mike explained, "I know why some things can't easily change."
Thanks for being concise.
I value the opinions expressed here, and I don’t block anyone.
As a race fan, I share many of your concerns. As a broadcast professional, I know why some things cant easily change.
Hope you enjoy the race as much as we enjoy bringing it to you. https://t.co/tZuERsLpBi
In a tweet from the day prior to the race, Mike even gave a little insight into why races feature so many interruptions. Unsurprisingly, it has to do with the high costs the network has to pay NASCAR to broadcast the event.
"NASCAR charges TV nearly $25M per race in rights fees. Add production costs and it takes a lot of commercials each week to try to break even," he wrote.
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