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Joe Buck and Troy Aikman mock stadium flyovers on hot mic, Internet calls them 'civilians who have no idea'

The Fox Sports broadcasters pointed out how much of a waste flyovers have become given the sparse audiences at football games

For many decades it has been a custom to have military jets flying over a stadium at the end of the national anthem during football games. The flyover has become something that fans also look forward to and love. However, with the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, teams have been playing in empty or almost empty stadiums and so a big pre-game display with a flyover does not make much sense. Fox Sports broadcasters such as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman pointed out how much of a waste flyovers have become. Aikman and Buck were overheard on the hot mic before Tampa Bay Buccaneers' game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, October 18. The two mocked the flyover during the game and were caught doing it. The game took place at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and is allowed just 25% of fan capacity which led to Aikman and Buck wondering why a flyover was happening at all. 

According to Yahoo Sports, Aikman said, "That’s a lot of jet fuel just to do a little flyover" to which Buck responds, "That’s your hard-earned money and your tax dollars at work." Aikman then adds, "That stuff ain’t happening with [a] Kamala-Biden ticket, I’ll tell you that right now partner." 

It is not known how much the flyover on Sunday had cost or who had paid for it. However, earlier this year, a Washington Post report stated that flying a squadron of fighter jets in a ceremonial fashion can cost around $60,000 per hour which is quite expensive. 

Many social media users seemed to slam Aikman and Buck for their comments. One such user had shared, "Well what that idiot Aikman doesn't know is these flights count towards the pilots training. They are required to get a minimum amount of flight time to maintain their proficiency and flight status. The aircraft are also required to be flown per maintenance schedules."

Another social media user pointed out, "Anyone who thinks this is a waste of taxpayer money: 1st of all, its already budgeted. 2nd of all, flyovers are actually scheduled as training. The timing of flyovers is used in combat. ordinance delivery usually needs to be well timed and precise. Here, the target is the field."

"I’ve never disliked them more than I do right now. And I didn’t think that were possible. I am reduced to tears when I am privileged to be in attendance when there is a flyover. It makes me so thankful for our military women and men willing to defend our freedoms," shared another user. 

Yet another user added, "You have to love civilians who have no idea about this stuff. They have to do so many hours a month for training. These flyovers are training missions. They would fly regardless if there was a football game." 

"Hot mic faux pas like these reveal the true nature of these personalities vs their perceived persona. I’m more amused by the politicized, hypocritical concern about fiscal prudence over something that has been going since 1968. They’re a small part of already scheduled training," chimed in another.