NFL Under Fire For Having ‘Too Many’ White Announcers
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The NFL is rolling out plenty of new faces in the broadcast booth this season, but the league’s top announcing lineups are already getting hate.
Former ESPN host Dan Le Batard called out the networks this week over the lack of diversity in their flagship booths, questioning why major color commentator gigs keep going almost exclusively to white former players.
The debate comes as J.J. Watt prepares to replace Tony Romo on CBS’s No. 1 crew. Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly will also take on a top NFL analyst role with Netflix.
Le Batard discussed the issue on The Dan Le Batard Show. He pointed to the contrast between the NFL’s player population and the people who hold its biggest broadcasting jobs.
“Luke Kuechly is now the up-and-coming broadcasting star that people like,” Le Batard said, according to Awful Announcing. “When they look at Tony Romo and they put him on the bench for a while, they replace him with J.J. Watt.”
He also questioned the continued demand for former white stars in television roles.
“And I just wonder if you guys notice that the sport is disproportionately Black, and the broadcasters who get hired are disproportionately white, and it’s on purpose,” Le Batard said.
All Six Top NFL Analysts Are White
The NFL’s top broadcast teams for 2026 highlight the issue Le Batard raised.
NBC will feature Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth. FOX will have Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady. CBS will pair Jim Nantz with Watt, while ESPN will continue with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Amazon will feature Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit. Netflix will use Noah Eagle and Kuechly.
All six of the league’s top in-game analysts are white.
Le Batard argued that the league has plenty of former Black stars who could fill those positions.
“There aren’t that many white stars in football. There are plenty of Black stars,” he said. “Why are the white ones the only ones who get the broadcasting jobs?”
He specifically mentioned former NFL linebacker Jonathan Vilma as an example of a qualified former player.
The NFL does employ many Black former players as analysts and commentators. Still, Le Batard’s criticism focuses on the sport’s biggest in-game broadcasting roles.
For now, the 2026 lineup gives him a clear point to debate.
