One of the benefits of working from home over the past 18-ish months is that you get to use your own bathroom whenever you'd like. When nature calls, you can answer. It could be right after I finish writing a story, or right before I start another, or right in the middle. Heck, if I turn my camera and microphone off, I can even attend a Zoom meeting while taking the Browns to the Super Bowl —apologies for the crude humor, and hopefully my boss doesn't read this.
That's something that Joe Buck doesn't have the luxury of doing at his gig of calling the biggest events in sports at the venues where they happen. No, he's got to be there for every minute of every contest, and it's my guess that he has trained himself quite well to deal with his bladder before the start of a game. If Scott Hanson can do seven commercial-free hours of football, anything is possible. But a young Buck — no pun intended — learned that the hard way, based on a story that he shared with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes on their "Smartless" podcast.
"That's the other part of broadcasting they don't tell you. If there's stage fright in your life, don't even apply," Buck said (h/t Brandon Contes of Mediaite). "Because you have a minute and a half to go to the bathroom and there's running involved. So you have to stay cardiovascularly in tune with yourself...
"I have peed in a bottle while calling an NFL touchdown... I was peeing in a trash can and they came back — it's true. They handed me a little water bottle.... We came back from a break, and I was peeing and the action started, and I called a touchdown while urine was coming out of me."
Listen to sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest NFL team gear
The scene, as Buck remembers it, was Milwaukee County Stadium, where the Packers would play a few home games a year up until the 1994 season. Coincidentally, Buck recalled that the matchup was between the Packers and the Atlanta Falcons, which means that this was likely the very last home game the Packers played there, on December 18, 1994. Buck also noted that it was "freezing" and that he was wearing a parka, so the timing would seem to match up. 1994 was also Buck's first year working with Fox, so if you happen to have an old tape of this game, try to find a quick score out of a commercial break and see if there's any notable background noise.
On second thought, because of the powers of YouTube, we don't need some old VHS to watch the highlights. Unfortunately, I'm disappointed to say that none of Buck's touchdown calls were too noteworthy or out of the ordinary.
If you needed any other examples of Buck's commitment to his job — including giving up drinking during his October gauntlet of postseason baseball and NFL action — then maybe this one will suffice.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram