California health officials absurdly forced Sunday Night Football broadcasters Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth to wear masks in the broadcast booth on Sunday.
Indeed, Santa Clara County Chief Executive Jeffrey Smith justified the decision by telling the San Francisco Chronicle, “We wouldn’t want them to end up like the president.”
For their part, both Michaels and Collinsworth ridiculed the mask order.
As the broadcast began, Michaels joked to his broadcast partner, “I’m Al Michaels, you are?”
“I don’t know who I am,” Collinsworth ruefully replied.
Michaels noted that the forced mask order came from California government officials. The Chronicle reported the actual ordinance in question:
The order issued by the California Department of Public Health outlines nearly a dozen situations in which cloth face coverings are required, including when a person is in an indoor public place or line waiting to enter, riding public transportation, and working at many offices and other places.
The paper added that the order forces private citizens to wear masks indoors in public and businesses must force all employees and customers wear face coverings.
Some fans agreed with the on-air pair:
But, there were plenty upset at Michaels and Collinsworth for grousing about the masks:
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
CORRECTION: Cris Collinsworth’s name was misspelled in the headline and throughout the article. This has been corrected.