Media
“Lalas has been giving it away for a long time. If he can’t afford it, well… what’s the word we’re looking for? Snowflake? Yeah, I guess that’s it.”
Alexi Lalas has drawn the ire of his fellow Fox analysts during World Cup studio shows. Demetrius Kambouris
Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, but it’s true that I’ve taken a swipe or made a whimper about Fox’s decision to include the perpetually arrogant Alexei Lalas on the studio’s flagship program in every story I’ve written Books about the World Cup yet.
Well, I’m here to kind of provide My mistake So now. Lalas’s tenure – which may be over, or at least cut short – has been very interesting, for one reason that has nothing to do with his analysis.
His more accomplished fellow pundits – French legend Thierry Henry and outspoken Swedish comedic icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic – were quite annoyed by Lalas’s heated remarks, how he enjoyed provoking people, and his delight in sucking the air out of the room.
Best of all, they don’t hide it.
The most striking example occurred the following Tuesday France’s victory over Senegal. During the match, match analyst Landon Donovan said that France was “slow” in the first half.
Lalas went further post-match, calling France “arrogant”. That prompted a response from Ibrahimovic that cut off Lalas and left Henry staring straight ahead with wide eyes. (I would have loved to hear his inner monologue at that moment.)
“It’s not arrogance,” Ibrahimovic said. “It’s confidence. Ignorant people will say it’s arrogance. Smart people will say it’s confidence.”
Back to you, Rebecca.
In fact, the above reference to how Ibrahimovic and Henry don’t hide their disdain for Wallace should perhaps be amended He didn’t hide it.
When the Fox studio program “World Cup Today” came on ahead of the U.S. men’s national team’s game on Friday With AustraliaHenry, Ibrahimovic and Rebecca Lowe were on set.
Lalas was not.
“Chub, we left Alexei,” said Louie, a truly wonderful host who was adept at maintaining a poker face even as Lalas launched into a condescending crescendo, then added, “Alexei will be back. Alexei will be back.”
“Your plan worked,” Henry said, smiling.
“Don’t bring me into this,” she said. “No chance.”
Then Ibrahimovic, whose self-esteem is so high that it’s amusing, got to the heart of the matter:
“America, welcome,” he said.
Lalas was still part of the broadcast, just from a safe distance. He was on site at Match In Seattle, alongside fellow former Revolution star Clint Dempsey and former U.S. Women’s National Team star Carli Lloyd.
No details have been provided on if or when Lalas might return to the studio show. It’s definitely not necessary. Henry is a truly outstanding analyst who chooses unvarnished truth over the appeasement of vanity.
The best evidence of this was on Wednesday when he was frank in his annoyance with the decision of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo to try to score a goal himself instead of making the clear correct play during the match. 1-1 draw with Congo.
“The team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said.
With Lowe at the helm, Henry providing astute analysis, and Ibrahimovic there, whether he knows it or not, as cocky comedic relief, Fox already has an excellent studio program.
It doesn’t need to lalas. The studio players have much greater credentials and are better companions for the viewers. But I imagine he’ll be back on set, maybe even by the time you read this.
with World Cup in the United StatesAn American is understood to be part of the studio’s main team. I think it’s fair to say that Fox prefers a certain type of American in this role. Lalas, who makes his political affiliations clear and probably owns an ugly red hat or two, suits this suit.
Contrary to my feelings before and at the start of the World Cup, I wouldn’t mind if he returned, assuming the return wouldn’t be accompanied by a managerial mandate for Henry and Ibrahimovic to be kinder to him.
Lalas has distributed it for a long time. If he can’t handle it, well… what’s the word we’re looking for? Snowflake? Yes, I think that’s it.
Murray on Knicks’ winning call
In 2024, Tyler Murray was in his third season of calling Worcester Red Sox games while occasionally filling in for WEEI’s Red Sox radio broadcasts. He beat out hundreds of candidates to become The sound of Radio Nex Starting in the 2024-25 season, in his second season he had the honor of calling the team to the championship game, which culminated last Saturday in New York’s Game 5 victory.
A remarkable and well-deserved rise for a Boston University graduate.
Rate numbers a closer look
Context Note: Whenever you read an item about TV ratings record For a sporting event — whether it’s the World Cup, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final, or something else that attracts a large crowd — keep in mind that the methodology has changed in ways that actually measure more people, leading to higher viewing numbers.
Just a hunch, but Nielsen Media’s long-awaited decision in September 2020 to include out-of-home viewership in places like bars might have had a nice impact on those numbers, you know?