SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt and NFL broadcaster Joe Buck are two of ESPN’s most prominent personalities.
The latter is a newer edition to the Worldwide Leader and Van Pelt has been a longtime face of the network, but both bring a certain degree of built up respect to their respective roles.
This past week, something of an awkward incident occurred involving the two men that left many fans wondering whether some sort of beef exists between them.
The incident in question occurred after a Monday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts.
Once again, Joe Buck is an asshole which is why he kinda rocks pic.twitter.com/1qGAbB9ZkO
— Kenjac⚡️ (@JackKennedy) December 27, 2022
“That’s it? I get one question? That’s all,” Buck said at one point.
Van Pelt tried to respond with a bit of banter, but in the end te conversation was just too cringey to continue.
“This is really getting awkward and I’m gonna segway out of it,” Van Pelt said.
Reactions to this mega-awkward back-and-forth varied.
This is honestly some really fantastic television https://t.co/cbwsyKoEJr
— Luke Nadkarni (@RadioNadkarni) December 28, 2022
And this is why Joe Buck rocks! https://t.co/LDJZOKxewL
— Steven Hardesty (@RockChalkSteveo) December 27, 2022
I love Joe Buck https://t.co/MXTZKkGHdU
— Sean Slee (@Sean_Papi_Slee) December 27, 2022
this was soo uncomfortable lol https://t.co/FnlQ0XHgyc
— (@andrewmfsessler) December 27, 2022
I had no idea they even hated each other https://t.co/sXl4gPMkjm
— Bando Calrissian (@DopeItzDev) December 27, 2022
This has been something of a crazy last few months for ESPN.
Between Robert Griffin III nearly getting himself fired with a controversial remark, viewers calling for Sam Ponder to be reprimanded over an outfit choice and fans taking issue with Chris Berman’s rapidly-changing appearance – it has been one thing after another.
Chiefs are playing at a Super Bowl level both on and off the field. https://t.co/GxLyIXF1Wv
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 29, 2022
In some ways, this most recent brouhaha is just par for the course.
Time will tell whether Van Pelt or Buck are actually feuding. It certainly looked that way on Monday night, though.
In 2023 additional clarity will likely emerge on this possible beef, but it will likely require a bit of sleuthing from the top sports media reporters around.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
