Military jets have been flying over sporting events as part of the national anthem for years.
It is quite the tradition, whether it’s at the Super Bowl or a random game in a small college town on a Saturday afternoon, one that fans have grown to love and expect over time.
Yet with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing teams to play games in empty or near-empty stadiums, putting on a big pregame display with a flyover doesn’t make much sense.
Fox broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman pointed out just how much of a waste flyovers have become this year on Sunday afternoon, though they didn’t mean to be heard.
Buck, Aikman slam flyovers ahead of Bucs-Packers
Aikman and Buck were heard on a hot mic ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ dominant 38-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday bashing the flyover that had just taken place.
As Raymond James Stadium in Tampa is allowing just 25 percent fan capacity, the two longtime announcers didn’t understand why a flyover was happening at all.
Aikman: “That’s a lot of jet fuel just to do a little flyover.”
Buck: “That’s your hard-earned money and your tax dollars at work.”
Aikman: “That stuff ain’t happening with [a] Kamala-Biden ticket, I’ll tell you that right now partner.”
It’s unclear how much the flyover on Sunday cost or who specifically paid for it. However The Washington Post reported earlier this year that flying a squadron of fighter jets in a ceremonial fashion like that costs at least $60,000 per hour — which is a lot of money to pay for something that very few people will actually see.
Aikman and Buck don’t see the value in that.
Fox announcers Troy Aikman and Joe Buck were caught on a hot mic slamming a flyover before the Buccaneers-Packers game on Sunday. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
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