I don’t think I can say it any better than this petition to ESPN programming:

As a sports leader and the largest cable sports network it would make sense that the company would want to have the best coverage of the event possible. Putting someone who has never done soccer commentary at the head of your broadcast team will only serve to alienate fans and move more viewers to Univision and other networks covering the games. You wouldn’t put Dick Button on the Superbowl announcing team or John Madden on the World Series telecasts, why would you put a baseball announcer in the World Cup broadcasts?

They could have pulled some random person off the streets of a serious soccer country, paid him or her pennies, and delivered a better viewing experience.

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