Mark Helfrich went on an unprompted rant about basketball scores during Saturday afternoon’s Iowa State-TCU game on Fox Sports.
Working alongside play-by-play announcer Connor Onion, Helfrich took issue after his partner informed viewers about where to find the Arkansas-Michigan State men’s basketball.
“For those of you tuning into Arkansas-Michigan State men’s basketball, it’s currently on FS2 and the Fox Sports App,” Onion said. “We’ll get you right out there after this game comes to an end.”
At that point, Iowa State led TCU 20-17. The Horned Frogs had no timeouts left with just over a minute remaining, facing a crucial third down that would likely determine whether they got the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Arkansas-Michigan State, a matchup between two top-25 teams in college basketball’s early season, was objectively the bigger game at that moment, even if the 5-4 Cyclones hosting the 5-3 Horned Frogs was the assignment Helfrich and Onion drew for the evening.
That’s when Helfrich decided to lodge a complaint nobody asked for.
“Speaking of basketball, can I propose something?” Helfrich asked. “Can we not show basketball scores during football season? ‘Nobody scores 100 points. Wait, Alabama scores 100? Well, that’s basketball…’ At least during the regular season, I can understand after that, but come on.”
Helfrich’s example about Alabama scoring 100 points didn’t make much sense. Alabama’s football game against LSU hadn’t kicked off yet. The Crimson Tide were playing St. John’s in basketball at Madison Square Garden — a game that tipped at noon on FS1, hours before Iowa State-TCU. St. John’s doesn’t have a football program, so the potential for confusion seems pretty minimal.
Helfrich isn’t the first broadcaster to complain about network programming decisions on air. Last month, ESPN analyst Ben McDonald went viral during the Cubs-Padres playoff series after being asked whether he’d watch the network’s NHL season opener.
“Are you asking if I’m going to be watching?” McDonald said. “There is zero chance I will be watching. I’m just going to be honest with you.”
“There is zero chance I’ll be watching, I’m just gonna be honest with you.” – ABC/ESPN MLB analyst Ben McDonald with a ringing endorsement of ESPN’s NHL Opening Night coverage. pic.twitter.com/OaWXf68hsy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 1, 2025
McDonald’s refusal to promote ESPN’s hockey coverage drew plenty of criticism. Some felt he should’ve been more supportive of the network’s programming. Others appreciated the honesty, arguing that forced cross-promotion feels insincere and that baseball analysts shouldn’t have to pretend they care about hockey.
But McDonald was responding to a direct question. Someone asked if he’d watch the NHL opener, and he answered honestly.
Helfrich brought up basketball scores unprompted, in the middle of a close fourth-quarter game where no basketball scores had even appeared on screen.
As for the game Helfrich was actually calling, Iowa State held on for the 20-17 victory, improving to 6-4 on the season. TCU fell to 5-4 in what’s been a disappointing year for the Horned Frogs in Big 12 play.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.