Furious fans launch petition after Dave Benz fired by Bally Sports North, Timberwolves
Dave Benz is out at Bally Sports North after ten years calling Timberwolves games. The shocking announcement was confirmed by Benz and the Timberwolves Thursday morning, with Bally Sports North yet to comment publicly about the decision to drop one of the league's most respected announcers.
Fans and industry colleagues of Benz have reacted with bewilderment. There is a Change.org petition with more than 1,300 signatures (as of this writing) demanding Bally's and the Timberwolves reconsider the decision to fire Benz.
"It’s ridiculous that Bally Sports North is firing Dave Benz from play-by-play broadcaster of Timberwolves games. Dave is the best in the business, and we cannot afford to lose him. Let’s unite as Timberwolves’ fans and show Bally how much we love Benzy by signing this petition."
ESPN's John Hollinger tweeted his shock, saying he thought Benz with analyst Jim Petersen "was one of the league's elite duos," noting that he always went out of his way to watch Timberwolves games because of them.
shocking. I thought Benz-Peterson was one of the league's elite duos, always sought them out on LeaguePass. https://t.co/ZEScEqIiDy
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) May 5, 2022
Mike McFeely, of Forum News, called the decision "weak stuff" considering Benz "grinded through a decade of feces for the team when nobody cared" only to get fired once the Timberwolves regained relevancy.
Wasn’t the biggest fan of Dave Benz as T-Wolves play by play guy (way too homerish for this old crank), but the guy grinded through a decade of feces for the team when nobody cared … and gets canned once the team gets better. Weak stuff, T-Wolves and Bally Sports North.
— Mike McFeely (@McFeely_Inforum) May 5, 2022
You can find hundreds of people reacting with disfavor on Twitter. Here's a sampling of the reactions.
My opinion of @BallySportsNOR was already 🗑
— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) May 5, 2022
Now they let go of Dave Benz?
SMH
Seriously @BallySportsNOR ? You break up the best crew in the business? @davebenz is fantastic and it won’t be the same without him no matter who you bring in. No chance I support your streaming service now. #BringBackBenz https://t.co/lrnYfGU6f3
— Rob 🏀 (@TheSportsminn) May 5, 2022
I sincerely hope @BallySportsNOR and @Timberwolves reconsider this decision! Dave Benz has been one of the best parts of the Wolves for years. This is a bad decision! https://t.co/OqYDrZRhMa
— Chuck Aoki (@Aoki5Chuck) May 5, 2022
I find it hard to believe some higher up at BallySports sat down and thought “let’s not renew Dave Benz’s contract”. He did nothing but great things as a broadcaster and seeing everyone’s reaction be the same tells me they made a mistake. Nobody they hire will be better than Dave
— All Things Wolves (@AIIThingsWolves) May 5, 2022
Dave Benz and Jim Peterson are hands down the best announcers in the NBA. They are not raw raw homers and do actual analysis of both teams. Other regional announcers are like nails on a chalkboard. @BallySportsNOR is making a major mistake breaking up the team. https://t.co/1VnaUT1wBe
— Gary Wallin (@Garywa11in) May 5, 2022
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