Monday Night Football was expected to be a tense affair, but the real drama came from the broadcast booth. Hired by ESPN for an eye-popping $90 million contract, longtime voice Troy Aikman was slammed on social media by Steelers backers who charged him with obvious favoritism to the Giants.

Not only did Aikman’s overt support for the Giants and his apparent minimization of their fouls aggravate Steelers fans, but it set tempers on edge. Pushing back against Aikman’s commentary and his credibility as an announcer came in a flood of tweets lambasting the former Cowboys quarterback.

Aikman’s lucrative $90 million contract with ESPN underscores the growing demand for top-tier broadcasting talent in the world of sports media. However, this financial investment also brings with it heightened scrutiny and expectations from viewers, who demand nothing less than complete impartiality from the announcers calling their team’s games.

“Did Troy Aikman bet on the Giants? Good lord, dude,” one irate Steelers fan wrote, echoing the sentiments of many others who felt Aikman was heavily favoring the home team. Another Twitter user went so far as to demand that Aikman “just retire, already,” dubbing him a terrible announcer constantly plagued by bias.

The backlash reached a fever pitch when Aikman appeared to overreact to a penalty call against the Giants‘ Malik Nabers while downplaying similar infractions against the Steelers.

$90 million and the expectations of a top announcer

As a former Cowboys player, Aikman’s perceived allegiance to the Giants has ignited a wave of outrage from rival fan bases, who feel his commentary has crossed the line into unabashed partisanship.

As Russell Wilson connected with Calvin Austin III for a 73-yard punt return touchdown to give Pittsburgh an early lead, Aikman’s praise for the play was notably muted – a stark contrast to his gushing over the Giants’ offense.

“Troy Aikman can certainly stfu,” one fed-up Steelers fan tweeted, voicing the sentiment of many. Another fan vented “Joe Buck and Troy Aikman hyping up the New York Giants…it’s like America’s Game of the Week switched networks. Are they going to broadcast a Cowboys game next week too?”

This incident presents an opportunity for ESPN to reflect on how they position announcers like Aikman, who command such staggering salaries. The network must consider whether the financial investment in high-profile talent is worth the potential backlash if those announcers are unable to maintain the level of impartiality that modern sports fans demand.