There’s nothing wrong with having fun on set. But when the joke is on FOX Sports, should we be surprised? For more than a decade, FOX Sports has been the butt of jokes among soccer fans in the United States. So, with that in mind, we take a look at the six funniest mistakes from FOX’s World Cup coverage they’ve made on live TV so far.
After all, with FOX’s World Cup coverage, sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.
The 6 funniest mistakes from the FOX World Cup
1. FOX ruins the support of the World Cup live on television
After the final match of the World Cup group stage, we finally met the 16 teams that had qualified for the knockout round. So what did FOX Sports do? Instead of showing the correct lineup of games for the round of 16, they managed to screw it up live on TV (see screenshot below). Their group showed Spain against Croatia and Morocco against Japan.
Anyone who follows the World Cup knows that it should have been Spain against Morocco and Croatia against Japan.
2. FOX commentators can’t keep score
When you have a Death Squad with all the games reaching the last 90 minutes to determine who advances, you do your homework beforehand. As a commentator and/or analyst, determine what is needed for each team to advance to the next round.
Then, in the game between Japan and Spain that was commentated by Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton of FOX Sports, the unbelievable happened. They were so bad at understanding what was going on that they said many times during the commentary that Spain would be eliminated if they lost and Germany won.
In fact, Spain did lose (2-1 against Japan) and Germany did win (4-2 against Costa Rica). However, both Spain and Japan advanced.
Barton, in particular, was saying during the broadcast that Spain needed a draw to advance, which was completely wrong. Perhaps Barton didn’t do well in math in school, but this was a laughable schoolboy mistake on Barton’s part and in a game with huge implications.
And this is from the same FOX expert as, unless it’s someone famous or an English name.
3. Gag order silences FOX’s overly talkative commentator
Before the World Cup began, FOX’s lead producer for its World Cup coverage promised that “if it affects what happens on the pitch, we’ll cover it and we’ll cover it completely.” This was in response to whether FOX Sports would discuss any of the human rights abuses and lack of freedoms in the host country Qatar.
So when an unexpected major incident occurred during the Portugal-Uruguay match, FOX’s policy was put to the test. A pitch invader ran onto the pitch, stopped play and it was apparent he was carrying a large Pride flag. On the front of his jersey were the words “Save Ukraine.” On the back, his T-shirt proclaimed “Respect Iranian Women.”
So given FOX’s promise that they would fully cover what happens on the field, what did they do? The ever-chatty duo of FOX Sports lead commentator John Strong and analyst Stu Holden were left speechless. All he could say was, “The play will stop here because someone has entered the field.”
And that was followed by 50 seconds of cold silence.
Curiously, the game was also simulcast on SiriusXM, where the satellite radio firm uses the FOX Sports audio feed. They must have been wondering why there was such an awkward silence.
4. Continued simplification of football coverage by FOX
If you thought the instance of FOX censoring itself to cover the World Cup was ridiculous, listen to this. Consider these two examples of FOX Sports completely ignoring major World Cup talking points in its television coverage:
The OneLove bracelet controversy. The pre-match photo of the Germany team with all their players covering their mouths in protest against FIFA trying to silence soccer players is arguably the most iconic image of the World Cup. Except that live TV coverage on FOX Sports didn’t show it. And they never mentioned it or showed the image during their television broadcasts. In fact, even before the match between Germany and Japan began, the OneLove bracelet controversy was the biggest story of the World Cup. However, FOX Sports continued to completely ignore the issue on television. Iran flag controversy. Two days before the US game against Iran, the biggest issue on the US team was the controversy that arose from the . Whether done accidentally or on purpose, US Soccer’s decision to remove the symbol of the Islamic republic from images on the Iranian flag was political dynamite. So how did American broadcaster FOX Sports cover the story? They completely ignored him. And it’s not like FOX Sports not to talk about anything involving the US Men’s National Team, right?
5. FOX Sports can’t pronounce the names of world-famous soccer stars
When your “talent” has trouble pronouncing world-class footballers like Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller, as well as Serge Gnabry, you know you’re in trouble. Presenter Jenny Taft and pundit Kelly Smith stumbled upon the names of the German stars shortly before the game against Japan. What makes matters worse is that Smith did the same thing during FOX’s coverage of the 2018 World Cup.
It’s another example of FOX’s funniest World Cup blunders. It shows a lack of preparation. How much worse can they get?
6. FOX’s bait and switch on World Cup start times
If you’re like us who have spoken to many casual sports fans during the World Cup, one of the most common comments we’ve heard about FOX’s World Cup coverage is that viewers are being tricked into tuning in. one hour before start time. to watch the game.
Even before the World Cup, FOX Sports has been known to advertise games with the start of their pre-match coverage instead of the start time like other nations do. It’s a bait and switch tactic by FOX Sports to “force” people to watch their pre-game coverage.
Anyone who has watched this World Cup on FOX knows that they are constantly hyping up the upcoming coverage. However, as New York Post reporter Andrew Marchand eloquently put it:
“What time do you want to meet for lunch? Be there at 1pm, but won’t show up until 2pm to eat.
“This is how FOX Sports dishonestly promotes World Cup kickoff times. However, it is disrespectful, not unexpected.
“…Eight years into the highly anticipated USA vs. Wales game, the FOX graphics kept saying ‘coverage starts at 1’.
“A problem? The start was at 2.”
final thoughts
Based on the above mistakes, it’s no surprise that for the 2022 World Cup, many soccer fans have switched to watching World Cup games on Telemundo and Peacock. Others have found alternative means.
After all, FOX Sports has to remember that people tune in to watch the World Cup, not FOX. What FOX offers is accessibility to the games, a studio set that looks like a million bucks, and coverage in English. They are the path of least resistance for people who don’t know any better.
Watch enough of FOX and you’ll quickly see that they try to make everything about them. Whether it’s the silly suits, the bro culture on display, or posing in front of the cameras, this has turned out to be some of the worst World Cup coverage we’ve seen on these shores. Yes, there has been good coverage on FOX.
The funny thing about FOX, though, is that they believe their own hype. And that’s perhaps the funniest thing about all his World Cup coverage.
Photo credit: IMAGO/ANP
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