The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) has had a memorable time at the Qatar World Cup so far.
Heading into the competition, not many fancied their chances of making it out of a group that involved England and a Gareth Bale-led Wales side.
However, they’ve managed to defy the odds to make it into the Round of 16 – marking a solid return to the competition after being unable to qualify for it in the 2018 edition.
Of course, the USMNT has received a lot of support from their fans back home and the thousands that have travelled to Qatar to cheer them on.
They’ve gained a lot of fans over the last decade because of how football (or as they call it – soccer) has become more and more popular in their country.
In fact, Soccer is reportedly the fastest-growing major sport in the country and is the fourth-most popular one behind basketball, baseball and football (rugby).
The USMNT’s success had been widely covered back home and even fans who barely watch the beautiful game have showcased a lot of interest in watching their matches – some of which take place in the morning – and give their boys a bigger reason to defy the odds.
However, the coverage from some of their most popular mainstream media outlets has not exactly been exemplary – to say the least. Fox News is the most popular TV media channel in the USA, having millions of viewers every day.
But they have had a very twisted way of showcasing their national team’s success in the World Cup.
Soon after the USMNT’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Iran, which saw them guarantee a place in the knockout rounds, Fox News came up with the most shocking, bone-headed coverage that can be expected from a major media outlet.
After the game, Fox News’ controversial presenter Jesse Watters assumed the responsibility of reviewing the USMNT’s win over Iran. The entire presentation is enough to cause a major headache for any football fan.
In a simple review of Iran’s performance, the presenter and news network claimed that Iran ‘flopped a lot’ – basically indicating that they were absolutely useless all game long and made it easier for the USA.
On the contrary, the Asian giants poured their hearts out and produced a performance they should be proud of.
But the baffling coverage didn’t stop at that. Watters also took time to pinpoint one moment when Iran midfielder Ahmad Nourollahi was receiving some treatment for an injury.
The channel posed the question ‘what are they spraying on his leg?’ – unaware of the fact that it’s a medicinal spray used by the football physios to treat minor injuries during games.
Another thing that annoyed Watters and the Fox News channel was seeing the goal scored by Haji Wright in the second half ruled out.
It was ruled out because Haji was clearly offside, but this angered the Fox News outlet, who wrote: ‘Why do the refs make it so hard to score?’
This laughable coverage from Fox News for the World Cup game probably reflects everything bad about the US mainstream media and its coverage of football.
But then again, the reality is that there are many outlets giving the World Cup and the USMNT the respectful and insightful coverage they deserve and this parody coverage from Fox shouldn’t discredit any of that.
