Phonetically speaking, Danica Patrick has a relatively straightforward name, right?
Well, pump the brakes.
During ABC Sports’ broadcast of the 1997 Primestar 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the lap-by-lap announcer plugged an upcoming feature on a few female athletes on the rise: Tara Lapinski, Anna Kournikova and Patrick. But when he mentioned the reigning Grand National Go-Kart champion, the announcer brutally mispronounced Patrick’s name.
Check this out:
Huh? How does one read “Danica” and arrive at “Donnica?”
Hey, sometimes announcers just have really bad days.
Of course, given that Patrick’s now one of the most recognizable female athletes on Earth, her name is always pronounced correctly. Just how much longer announcers need to mention her during NASCAR broadcasts, however, remains to be seen.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew O’Haren/USA TODAY Sports Images
