The Show Must Go On

ESPN’s play-by-play announcer Joe Buck shared an interesting detail after Saturday night’s NFC West championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. He was actually calling the game with a black eye.

In a post on social media, Buck thanked his makeup artist, Kathleen Vivihar, for her skillful work in concealing his injury from the high-definition cameras. He had gotten hurt while trying to separate a recent spat between his seven-year-old twins, whom he shares with his wife, Michelle Beisnerbach.

“Not all heroes wear capes, but some do bring them to work,” he said, acknowledging Vivihar’s efforts to keep his appearance intact. He humorously recounted the incident, saying, “When I stopped my 7-year-old twins from fighting 48 hours before a big game, there was no knee in the eye!!! He got me!!”

Despite the black eye, the 56-year-old broadcaster carried on with his usual commentary alongside his long-time partner, Troy Aikman, who now works as a consultant for the Dolphins. They witnessed Seattle claim its first NFC West title since 2020, defeating San Francisco with a score of 13-3 at Levi’s Stadium.

The Seahawks’ defense excelled, effectively neutralizing the 49ers’ potent offense and limiting star running back Christian McCaffrey to just 23 yards on eight carries.

With this win, Seattle (14-3) secured the NFC’s top seed, earning a first-round bye and home-field advantage as they head toward the Super Bowl in 2026, set to take place on February 8 in Santa Clara.

As for the Niners (12-5), they will enter the wild-card round, potentially as either the fifth or sixth seed, depending on the outcome of the Los Angeles Rams versus Arizona Cardinals game on Sunday.

This match-up represented the last regular-season game for Buck and Aikman, who have been broadcasting partners for 20 years, transitioning from Fox to ESPN in 2022.