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NASCAR announcer Mike Joy is pushing back on some of the rumors regarding his employment status at FOX.
Joy was noticeably absent from the network's broadcast this past weekend during qualifying sessions on Prime Video — which started this season after the Cup Series signed a new seven-year media rights deal with the Amazon-owned streaming giant.
That quickly led to a "clickbait" report from a social media account claiming the 75-year-old had been "relieved of his duties effective immediately" due to repeatedly saying "highly incorrect statements on air" during the previous week's qualifying broadcast at Texas Motor Speedway.
The post drew a response from Joy himself, who said via his X account: "Sigh. Anonymous BS clickbait. See you [Sunday] on FS1."
Sigh. Anonymous BS clickbait. See you tomorrow on @FS1. https://t.co/xbWkEGGBTl
— Mike Joy (@mikejoy500) May 10, 2025
Joy was indeed back the next day to call the Würth 400 along with Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and the crew.
Now that the Prime Video portion of the NASCAR schedule is coming into effect though (the next five races following the sport's All-Star Race), it doesn't sound like the veteran commentator will be covering practice or qualifying sessions for the rest of the racing season.
Joy's response racked up over 3,000 likes from concerned fans who appreciated the call-out on Saturday.
The longtime play-by-play man has served at FOX since 1998 after juggling responsibilities at CBS, TNN and his current network all at once in the late '90s. In his long and illustrious career he has covered 45 Daytona 500s.
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When Danica Patrick Had Dinner With Jay Z and Beyonce: 'Dale Earnhardt Jr. Could Say the Same'
“Show Me What You Got” is the lead song of Jay-Z’s “Kingdom Come” album, which was released in 2006. Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. featured in the music video of this song, racing a Pagani Zonda Roadster and a Ferrari F430 Spider around Monaco. The experience of shooting this video must have been interesting, but the drivers got to have an even more enthralling time during it. In a 2017 interview with Jeff Gluck, Patrick was asked who the most famous person she had had dinner with was. She mentioned Jay-Z and Beyoncé as her answer. “Yeah. Could Dale say the same, do you think? He was there, too.” Pressed to detail the experience, Patrick said, “Jay-Z was very nice, and he was excited that he could facilitate Dale and me meeting, because we’d never met before. And Beyonce was very, very quiet. So yeah, she’s kind of shy.” “So it makes sense why she has an alter-ego diva girl. But everybody was really cool, and it was a first-class production. I mean, we were in Monte Carlo, so it was pretty good,” the 43-year-old added. Being one of the most celebrated icons in the sport, Patrick has built a successful career that has led to plenty of high-profile connections. But the night she spent with Jay-Z and Beyoncé stands out above the rest. The music video, directed by F. Gary Gray, premiered on MTV and BET in October 2026. It pays tribute to several classic James Bond films, including GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough. The video also aired during the Lexus Halftime Show on Monday Night Football on ESPN. Interestingly, the song was later remade into a Budweiser commercial. When Eminem took a dig at Patrick Famed rapper Eminem has long been known for writing lyrics that take aim at others in his industry. But getting back at a NASCAR driver was almost something that no one thought he would do. And yet, he did exactly that when he penned “Venom.” It was the last song of the 13-track album and referred to Patrick’s crash in the Indy 500. It goes, “Like, what’s her name’s at the wheel? Danica Patrick, Throw the car into reverse at the Indy, end up crashin’, Into ya, the back of it—just mangled steel, My Mustang and your Jeep Wrangler grill…” What he did was point to Patrick‘s crash and use it as an example of what he wanted to do to his rivals. The words also suggest that while he doesn’t remember her name, he remembers that she crashes a lot. It was a surprising dig at Patrick, especially since there’s no record of her ever provoking Eminem. And it seems she had no interest in starting a verbal battle with one of the greatest rappers of all time, because she never responded to the insult at all.
Hal Steinbrenner’s comments on Yankees’ profits point to a larger issue
Over Thanksgiving week, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner provided fans with plenty of news to digest. Among notable items that are circulating, four things stand out: his resolve to lower the payroll below $300 million, the insinuation that the Yankees are not a profitable ballclub, the assumption that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ astronomical payroll played no part in their dominance and his purported support for a salary cap. When seen together, these four items seem to suggest a severe reluctance to spend. Steinbrenner made it clear he wants to come in under the luxury tax threshold. Interestingly, he called the correlation between spending and championships weak, alluding to his Yankees as well as the New York Mets as examples of teams with high payrolls and limited success. However, this opens up a discussion about how said money was spent. The Mets notably dumped a record sum on signing Juan Soto, but did little elsewhere. But what about the Yankees? When asked if it was fair to say the Yankees turned a profit after engrossing over $700 million in revenue, Steinbrenner had this to say, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch: “That’s not a fair statement or an accurate statement. Everybody wants to talk about revenues. They need to talk about our expenses, including the $100 million expense to the City of New York that we have to pay every February 1, including the COVID year. So, it all starts to add up in a hurry. “Nobody spends more money, I don’t believe, on player development, scouting, performance science. These all start to add up.” Altogether, the Yankees spent slightly under $305 million on players’ salaries in 2025. For a breakeven season, the Yankees would have needed to spend over $395 million elsewhere. Where did it all go? Steinbrenner mentioned the $100 million expense to New York City. As for the bulk of their expenses, the Yankees owner pointed towards player development, scouting and performance science. This raises a more serious question about mismanagement. The Yankees are overspending on failing analytics If most of the money was spent on development, scouting and performance science, one could easily argue that the cost has outweighed the benefits. Despite having spent so much, these efforts have produced very little. Over the years, the Yankees have seen more failures than success stories when developing major league talent. Promising players and top prospects like Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Deivi Garcia, Miguel Andujar, Domingo German, Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, Oswald Peraza and Estevan Florial, among many others, never panned out. The team also gave up on Carlos Narvaez and Agustin Ramirez in favor of Austin Wells, who underperformed the pair of rookie backstops this past season. Another catching prospect, Yankees 2018 first-round draft pick Anthony Seigler, who struggled during his time in the Yankees’ farm system as recently as last year, excelled with the Milwaukee Brewers in Triple-A this year. Anthony Volpe, Will Warren, Luis Gil and Jasson Dominguez are four current works in progress. It might also be fair to say the torpedo bat craze the Yankees started has officially ended. Of their recent triumphs, the Yankees boast Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler. Going further back, one might add Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge to the list; however, Judge’s swing was actually developed by famed hitting coach Richard Schenck, not the Yankees. Spending on these efforts is by no means a waste; nonetheless, it’s clear the Yankees are grossly overspending for something that isn't even working. Whether it means an organizational shakeup or reallocation of funds to target proven major league talent, Steinbrenner’s approach needs to change.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Connor McDavid made an egregious mistake with Oilers
Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid struggled to find the words to describe the team’s 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. The decision dropped the Oilers’ record to 10-10-5 for the season, and McDavid looked defeated during his postgame interview. The more things change, the more they stay the same for the Oilers. Why did Connor McDavid stay? The Oilers are grappling with the same issues that have plagued them since McDavid joined the NHL in the fall of 2015. Edmonton’s secondary offensive support for McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is minimal, and their goaltending remains a significant concern. Considering the Oilers have faced these problems for so long, it makes one wonder why a generational talent like McDavid chose to sign on for two more years of this, especially given the bargain he struck when he signed for just $12.5M a season. McDavid’s choice to sign with Edmonton before even considering free agency might become one of the biggest “what-ifs” in NHL history. However, McDavid opted for stability in a familiar market, with a team that has been competitive for most of his NHL career. Ultimately, McDavid decided to stay loyal to the Oilers, but the two-year term seemed like a warning shot to Edmonton. So far, that warning appears to have fallen on deaf ears. The timing of McDavid’s extension was quite unusual. The superstar had a clear route to unrestricted free agency, which could have been one of the most incredible stories in NHL history if it had come to pass. McDavid had the chance to be the highest-profile player in NHL history to reach free agency since Wayne Gretzky in 1996. He held leverage against the Oilers and could have waited out the season, sparking a bidding war for his services. This would have boosted his star power and changed what a superstar’s career could look like. Instead, McDavid chose familiarity, even though the timing of his decision wasn’t convenient. Connor McDavid's decision to re-sign could be costly McDavid’s signing has delayed his free agency by 24 months, and some people dismiss this decision by arguing that McDavid will still get paid and reach free agency after the salary cap has significantly increased. While both points have some truth, the counterargument is compelling. Instead of becoming a free agent at 29, McDavid will do so at 31. It might seem minor, but many NHLers see their skills decline after 30. Another factor is that when McDavid finally signs, the new CBA rules on contract length will apply, meaning the maximum deal with his current team will be seven years, and he’ll only be able to land six years on the open market. Although this one-year reduction isn’t a significant issue, it will likely cause McDavid to leave money on the table on his next deal. In terms of missed opportunities, McDavid would have been the first generational player in NHL free agency to test the market in the prime of his career. While it would have made great theater for the NHL, it would also have been an opportunity for McDavid to shift the league’s balance of power toward whichever team he joined, while helping reset the salary structure for superstar NHLers. McDavid is clearly not a $12.5M player, but like many top NHLers before him, he took a "hometown discount" to stay with his current team. For some NHLers, taking that discount has worked out well (Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Nathan MacKinnon). Far more often, the savings from a reduced salary cap are wasted. Even Crosby, who traded tens of millions of dollars to play on consistently competitive teams, saw many of those seasons marred by costly mistakes on depth players with inflated cap hits (Jack Johnson, Erik Gudbranson, Nick Bjugstad). Crosby essentially subsidized poor roster decisions with his lower cap hits, and he would no doubt do so again, given the Stanley Cup championships Pittsburgh has won during his career. McDavid’s decision to re-sign essentially upholds the NHL’s long-standing tradition of superstars taking less money to stay with their team, and no doubt he did so while feeling loyalty to the Oilers fans who have endured the same heartbreaks he has. The reality is, McDavid has gone through a decade without winning the Cup, despite multiple front-office makeovers, coaching changes, cap mismanagement and an inability to surround him with real depth. And while the depth has improved over the last few years, the “we’re almost there” mentality won’t put a Stanley Cup ring on McDavid’s finger. All of this to say, McDavid probably owed it to himself to explore free agency at least to see if a team with a more precise winning blueprint could emerge, giving him a better chance at a title. July 1, 2026, would have offered a window into that, but McDavid chose not to look, and it could come back to haunt him if he never wins a championship. McDavid had all the leverage, which makes his decision baffling, because exploring free agency didn’t require him to leave Edmonton. He could have casually explored his options, had discussions with teams, listened to their pitches and then re-signed with Edmonton—something that might have pushed the Oilers to step up their game and get creative with their roster. But the Oilers didn’t need to worry about losing McDavid, and it seems this has led to some apathy across the organization, as they don’t seem to be a group hungry to win. Generational players across all leagues have frequently tested free agency. NBA superstar LeBron James famously took his talents from Cleveland to Miami nearly 15 years ago, and MLB superstar pitcher Paul Skenes will likely follow suit one day. It’s common, and not all players do it because they’re leaving; they do it for a variety of reasons. They can because the process gives them power, and it’s one of the few times they get to fully control their own destiny. McDavid could have taken a different route, but he didn’t. While he’s given the team a short leash to build a winner around him, he could have kept that leash even tighter, which might have pushed the Oilers to solve their roster issues more quickly. It could also have generated a story that might have become a sensation across all platforms — a broader narrative focusing on a star-driven tale on a smaller scale than MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani’s. The buzz would have been enormous and arguably the biggest NHL story since the Oilers traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. Moving on could have been a great branding opportunity for McDavid to become even more mainstream, but he chose the safe, comfortable route in Edmonton. It’s a loyalty decision, and it’s completely understandable given that the Oilers have been close to a title in the last two years and he has built a bond with his teammates. For his legacy, though, he might need to chase greatness in a different city in the next two-and-a-half years.
Brian Flores promises to put Seahawks QB Sam Darnold's weakness to the test
Two weeks ago at SoFi Stadium, quarterback Sam Darnold had his worst outing as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He threw for 279 yards and served up four interceptions (tying a career high) in a 21-19 loss to the rival Los Angeles Rams. Turnovers continue to plague the well-traveled eight-year signal-caller. Mike Macdonald’s club owns an 8-3 record, and their three losses to the 49ers, Buccaneers, and Rams, have come by a combined nine points. Darnold has 14 of his team’s 20 giveaways this season. On Sunday, Darnold renews acquaintances with the team he helped lead to the playoff a year ago. The Minnesota Vikings finished 14-3 and earned a playoff berth in 2024 as Darnold enjoyed a career year. He threw 35 TD passes opposed to 12 interceptions and earned a Pro Bowl invitation. Now he faces the franchise that gave him a chance to rejuvenate his career. Of course, that means squaring off with one of the NFL’s best defensive minds in the Vikings’ Brian Flores. So what can the eight-year pro do to avoid another turnover-plagued outing? “One of Sam Darnold’s takeaways from his four-interception performance in Week 11,” explained ESPN’s Brady Henderson, “was that he needed to do a better job of working through his progressions and not getting stuck on his first or second read. Coach Mike Macdonald liked how he did that against the Titans, as Darnold didn’t turn the ball over after giving it away 10 times over the previous four games.” “Darnold may not have as much time operate in the pocket against his former team,” added Henderson, “as Minnesota leads in the NFL in blitz rate (44.5 percent). Via Henderson, Flores said this of Darnold. “We had a great rapport, friendship. I’m happy for him, but we will blitz him this week.” The Vikings have totaled 27 sacks in 11 games, but the team has forced only nine turnovers. A year ago, Minnesota and Pittsburgh tied for the NFL lead with 33 takeaways. O’Connell’s 4-7 club is going to need some help against the talented Seahawks. Minnesota’s task is made even harder this week with quarterback J.J. McCarthy out and Max Brasmer making his first NFL start.
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