What time do you want to meet for lunch? Be there at 1pm, but I won’t eat until 2pm.
This is how Fox Sports dishonestly advertises the start times of the World Cup. However, it is disrespectful, not unexpected.
In Monday’s eight-year wait for the United States’ match against Wales, Fox graphics said “coverage starts at one.”
One problem? Kickoff was at 2 o’clock.
While others do this, it’s especially bad when the event is across the world in Qatar with a time difference that makes the start times unusual for fans.
For Tuesday morning’s Argentina match, Fox Sports has promoted the broadcast to start at 4am, even though kick-off is at 5am.
Who needs an extra hour of sleep? Also, subjecting fans to Alexi Lalas in the pregame is a cruel and unusual punishment at any time.
In all fairness, the player Ian Darke, who worked on England’s destruction of Iran on Monday morning, at 68 and with the chops to do whatever he wants, added that the US game actually starts at 2pm But that’s not the norm. We didn’t hear any other Fox Sports announcer do that over two days.
Of all the problems with the World Cup, this is not at the top of the list. Qatar donated its way to host the event, resulting in games being moved from summer to winter, beer being banned from being sold to fans in the stadium and, most recently, players not being allowed to wear the rainbow colored captain’s ‘OneLove’ kit. -discrimination armbands and the risk of a yellow card if they do.
Follow the action from the 2022 World Cup with additional information from the New York Post
Like NBC and the Olympics, Fox didn’t choose to host the Cup, but it dictates how it’s covered. It’s clear they’re there to showcase the games. But you have to be there before the fire starts, so issues with these games need to be part of the coverage, because eventually they can be a very big deal.
First, maybe Fox Sports can tell fans the right time to come to lunch.
Iger’s impact on ESPN
Bob Iger’s return to Disney affects ESPN. That’s probably a positive for ESPN, as Iger was a supporter during his first reign at Disney. (How could he not, since its revenue allowed him to buy a lot of other things?) Iger tapped Jimmy Pitaro to head ESPN, so he likely wants to keep it on track. Iger also has a strong relationship with the NBA, which probably bodes well for a possible continuation of Disney/ABC/ESPN’s relationship with the league when new TV rights are renewed in 2025. However, Iger didn’t see Disney’s stock jump on his return because he didn’t want to move course. … One really interesting question: “What if?” If Iger had returned as head of Disney a year ago, would Iger’s pal Al Michaels return to “Monday Night Football”? It would have changed the entire landscape of the crazy NFL TV free agency we just witnessed.
Clicker Book Club
World Cup Reading: Papa Clicker writes As the world watches the 2022 World Cup, “FIFA World Cup, A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event” by author Clemente A. Lis details each year’s key matches, the changes that have occurred over the years (for example the introduction of red and yellow cards and the recent use of the Video Assistant Referee or VAR) and biographies of some of the game’s GOATs from 1930 to the present day. This book is both an enjoyable read and a handy reference. Papa Clicker, Herb Marchand, gives it a really strong 4.5/5 clicker.
