Live television. It can make for exciting, thrilling, and unexpected moments. But it also leaves the door open for some, shall we say, colorful forms of expression.
Sunday, the U.S. won it’s second-consecutive Women’s World Cup in a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands. The match was played in Parc Olympique Lyonnais just outside Lyon, France. While American fans packed the stadium, plenty more could be found in the bars and cafes nearby cheering on their squad.
Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot was in one such bar following the victory and broadcast live as U.S. fans celebrated all around him. “History has just been made! We are here in a sports bar in Lyon, France. Listen to it,” he begins as a chant breaks out behind him. Assuming that chant would be something along the lines of “U.S.A!,” he stopped to give it some air so the people watching on TV could hear more clearly.
“Fuck Trump!” is what they ended up hearing.
here's better quality pic.twitter.com/pecoFWGjMg
— Sara Pearl (@skenigsberg) July 7, 2019
At that point, Palkot clearly realized what they were actually chanting and tried to deflect by explaining, “We are inside a sports bar, we were going to be outside, we were going to be at a screen of the football [match].” However, the chants kept coming and it was impossible not to see the irony of a Fox News broadcast carrying that message.
Whether audiences wanted politics to be apart of the World Cup or not, they certainly took center stage at times as U.S. star Megan Rapinoe and President Trump got into a war of words over Rapinoe’s desire to skip any visit to the White House if the team won. Trump responded on Twitter as he is wont to do, though he did say that he was “now inviting the TEAM, win or lose.”
We don’t know who, if anyone, from the World Cup Champion squad, will end up visiting the White House to celebrate the victory. However, the team will be honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City on Wednesday. We’re thinking Fox News (and every other broadcaster) may want to consider a five-second delay just in case.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.