Collinsworth’s pronunciation of Marcus Mariota’s name drives NBC viewers mad – Football – Sports

Some NFL broadcast cliches seem to resonate with American audiences, while others always fail. One such surefire flop is the overzealous pronunciation of names Chris Collinsworth recently got into during Sunday night’s Denver Broncos-Washington Commanders game.

Despite his 35-year career in sports commentary and a reputation for comparing quarterbacks to Patrick Mahomes, dissecting line plays and filling brief pauses in the action with nonstop chatter, Collinsworth managed to create controversy online with his pronunciation of Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota’s name.

Collinsworth pronounced Mariota’s name with an extra syllable, as if trying to pay homage to Polynesian culture. Mariota, who is of Samoan and German descent and was born in Hawaii, probably did not expect such attention from commentators. This happened after CBS’s Tony Romo was called out for repeated comments about Josh Allen’s legs earlier in the day.

The Commanders were forced to sideline quarterback Jaden Daniels for the sixth consecutive game due to a knee sprain, hamstring strain and elbow dislocation – injuries many supporters believe could have been prevented under different coaching decisions from head coach Dan Quinn. This gave Mariota a chance to make his sixth start of the season on Sunday Night Football against the Broncos.

During the broadcast, both Collinsworth and Tirico pronounced backup Mariota’s nickname as “Mah-ree-OH-tah”, emphasizing a dramatic pronunciation that immediately caught the audience’s attention. While Tirico largely escaped criticism despite using similar pronunciation, Collinsworth faced the brunt of social media scrutiny.

One viewer commented, “Tiriko and Collinsworth put a little Hawaiian stigma on Mariota’s name every time they say it. It’s bothering me.”

“Why does Collinsworth call Mariota that,” another posted with a crying emoji. A third NFL supporter questioned, “Lmaooo, why is Collinsworth pronouncing Mariota’s name like that?”

Adding to the confusion, Mariota appeared against the Seahawks on the NBC broadcast earlier this season, yet there was no discussion of the pronunciation of his name. That game focused solely on Washington’s 38–14 blowout loss and Daniels’ subsequent injury.

Selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Mariota posted a 1–4 record while filling in for Daniels.

His solo victory and passing touchdown came during Washington’s Week 3 win over the Raiders, where Mariota accumulated 207 passing yards. In that game, five players scored rushing touchdowns, including Jeremy McNichols, Mariota and starter Zackary Croskey-Merritt.

The Commanders, who are currently 3-8 in the NFC East, are on the verge of missing the playoffs after making it to the NFC Championship Game last season.