Al Michaels has been calling NFL games on a regular basis for nearly four decades. From ABC, to NBC and now to Amazon Prime, few broadcasters have been entrenched in the game like Michaels has.
The legendary play-by-play announcer is 78 and has faced criticism for his more subdued tone during the biggest moments of games, but he insists retirement isn't in his immediate future.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m doing next year," he told the New York Post recently. "There’s no question about that in my mind.”
Regardless of anyone's opinion on Michaels' in-game calls, there is little doubt he is passionate about the sport of football. He didn't have to continue broadcasting after NBC opted to move on to Mike Tirico as its "Sunday Night Football" play-by-play commentator after 2021, but Michaels' career rolls on without a clear end in sight.
MORE: Why Al Michaels says he's never eaten a vegetable
What draws Michaels to the NFL? Here's a closer look at his background and a look at whether he played football before joining the broadcast booth.
Did Al Michaels play football?
Michaels didn't exactly play football -- at least not at a notable level. He did play both football and baseball while attending Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. After he graduated in 1962, however, broadcasting became the focus for Michaels.
Michaels studied radio and television as well as journalism while at Arizona State, calling Sun Devils games in multiple sports, and he began working as an analyst on Lakers radio broadcasts a year after graduating from the school.
While Michaels has gotten to work alongside a number of former athletes in the booth over the years, including former NFL receiver-turned-broadcaster Cris Collinsworth, his background on the football field is limited to his youth. That hasn't gotten in the way of a terrific career, as Michaels began calling NFL games on a full-time basis when he took over "Monday Night Football" duties in 1986.
Before he became a full-time football broadcaster, Michaels was ABC's lead baseball play-by-play commentator. He would handle play-by-play duties for five World Series, including the infamous earthquake series in 1989.
MORE: Al Michaels draws criticism for low-energy call of Christian Kirk's go-ahead touchdown
Al Michaels contract
While, yes, Michaels seems passionate about football, that might not tell the full story of why he's continuing to call games in his late 70s. A lucrative contract from Amazon might have something to do with that choice.
The New York Post's Andrew Marchand reported that Michaels' deal with Amazon spans three years for a total of between $45 million and $48 million. That means Michaels is making at least $15 million per season, or about $1 million per "Thursday Night Football" game.
Michaels would have had no problem coasting into retirement after 2021, but it's tough to pass up on that kind of contract for what is a relatively small workload over the course of a year.
For Amazon, Michaels became available at the perfect time. The streaming service was looking to establish itself after agreeing to a groundbreaking rights deal with the NFL, and adding one of the most recognizable voices in modern sports broadcasting certainly lends some credibility to the effort.
