WEBVTT - Reign Weekly World Cup Edition Episode 3 - John Strong 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:09.200 Today's guest is one of the most recognizable voices in 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:13.200 American soccer broadcasting. John Strong serves as the lead play 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:15.720 by play announcer for Major League Soccer on Fox and 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.120 It has called some of the biggest matches in the sport, 0:00:18.440 --> 0:00:21.640 including the twenty eighteen and twenty twenty two PIPA Men's 0:00:21.680 --> 0:00:26.200 World Cup Finals, alongside analyst Stuart Holden. Over the course 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:28.240 of his career, John's work is a period across major 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:32.000 networks including Fox, ESPN, and NBC. Before becoming a national 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:34.320 broadcast here, he spent years covering the game at every level, 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:37.160 including serving as the radio and television voice of the 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:40.440 Portland Timbers and as a radio host in Portland, Oregon. 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:45.280 Please welcome John Strong. And John my first question for you, 0:00:46.040 --> 0:00:49.720 given your voice, it is a beautiful voice. I have 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:52.440 to ask, as a former theater kid, did you do 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:54.920 musical theater? And if you didn't do musical theater, why 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:55.320 did you not? 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:58.880 Is One of the really important things that I did 0:00:59.440 --> 0:01:02.160 earlier in my career was I started taking singing lessons. 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:05.000 There we go, because what had happened is in twenty 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:07.720 fifteen we did so many games. It was such a 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.320 busy year and I was losing my voice in games 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:13.760 in the twenty fifteen playoffs. And so one of my 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:18.680 sort of mentors in the business was Brian Wheeler, who 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.880 passed away a few years ago, longtime NBA radio voice, 0:01:21.920 --> 0:01:25.080 was a radio host in Seattle called Games for the Sonics, 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:28.120 and I knew him more in Portland, and he had 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:30.440 said he had sung and choirs his whole life. So 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:32.880 that was a big thing from that example, was like 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:36.200 taking singing lessons, understanding how to use my voice, how 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:38.640 to use this sort of the mechanics of this tool. 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.120 And I can tell you now, Keeley. I mean, so 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:44.080 as we talk, we're match day minus two. As we 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:45.920 look at it, because we start with the US opener, 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:50.560 I'm already fully in sort of my preparation of hydration. 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:54.120 I've got my special tea, I'm drinking, I've got lozenges 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:57.080 like it's I've learned over the years how to do 0:01:57.120 --> 0:02:00.480 stuff like that. And it's I tell young broadcast the 0:02:00.480 --> 0:02:02.560 same as being an athlete. You got to take care 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:04.680 of the tools that you've been given to do your job. 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:05.320 For sure. 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:08.040 Yeah, I was looking at your lineup, John, and we'll 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:12.240 get into it, but I can see that I didn't 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:13.400 know about the singing lessons. 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.280 I'm really intrigued. But we'll we'll shelve out for a 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:15.680 little bit. 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:18.600 That's not what we're gonna have you do here today, 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:20.880 but I wanted to take you back to Lake Oswego. 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.360 I'm actually in Lake Oswego right now, so I'm in 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:24.959 your hometown, so fittingly. 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:27.120 How'd you get started? 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:30.760 I know you were Lake Oswego grad, University of Oregon. 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:32.200 How'd you get How'd you get into this? 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:36.520 Only job I've ever wanted to have in my whole 0:02:36.600 --> 0:02:39.320 life was to be a sports play by play broadcaster, 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:43.040 even before I was old enough to understand what that 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:45.600 meant or how to get there or why exactly I 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:48.280 wanted to do it. That was what I wanted to do, 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:51.480 and so as a senior in high school, it was 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:56.240 largely the looming threat of our varsity soccer coach trying 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:00.120 to change the note cut policy for seniors on my 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:03.280 behalf to get me off the team, and sort of 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:05.160 that sense of I need to I had done a 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:08.680 little bit at that point, but that was the motivation, 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:12.280 like in August of like I need to start pushing 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.200 on this because you know this is not going well 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:16.840 as a player, I think that's the end for me. 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:20.040 And so that was when I started. And just I've 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:23.000 been the benefit of a lot of opportunities where you know, 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:26.720 an opportunity has been created for me that didn't exist before. 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:30.040 I mean, I try to explain to students now, you know, 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:32.440 in the fall of two thousand and two, like what 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:36.960 the internet was then as compared to now, the ubiquity 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:39.480 of the types of things, even just this sort of 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:43.440 zoom conversation and putting games online didn't exist back then. 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:46.119 I mean, the stuff that we were doing. The principle 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:48.320 later told my mom that the only reason he said 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:50.760 yes was to get us out of his office because 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:54.640 he didn't understand what we were asking. But getting the 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:56.920 opportunity as a high schooler and then as a college 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:59.480 student to just start doing it and calling games and 0:04:00.280 --> 0:04:02.960 didn't matter the sport, didn't matter if anyone was listening 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:05.320 or not. It was just getting that sort of ten 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:08.840 thousand hours you need of practice to become proficient. And 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:12.760 what's fun is that. Just yesterday I did an interview 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:15.720 on Colin Coward's show, and you know, Colin lived in 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:17.720 Portland for a long time, so In the break, he's 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:19.840 asking me about high school and where I grew up, 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:23.040 and I'm saying, yeah, I saw the jail Blazers documentary recently. 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:25.640 Boy did my hometown not come off well in that one. 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.800 But that's also what happened, and that I love that 0:04:28.880 --> 0:04:32.680 type of stuff because it roots me back in where 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:35.719 I started and a kid just with insane dreams and 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:40.080 hopes and a reminder to never take for granted what 0:04:40.200 --> 0:04:42.280 I get to do, what I get to see and 0:04:42.360 --> 0:04:46.400 witness and experience, and always maintain that sense of kind 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:49.279 of gallie g whiz, this is amazing what I get 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:52.599 to do, and not let it, not let it become normal, 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:56.280 and also not allowed sort of the pressure of it 0:04:56.360 --> 0:04:58.719 to get to me and keep it fun and joyful. 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:01.320 Now you mentioned Coward and then Wheels, and then of 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:03.680 course you got to give a shout out to Shanley. 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:06.320 I mean, you had some people in this area. There 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:08.440 are some greats out of this area, including yourself. 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:13.039 I mean, what role did those guys play in bringing you, 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:16.440 know you into who you are today? And how did 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:17.120 they play into that? 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:21.680 Most part, it was just sort of being inspired from 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:24.800 Afar and a lot of broadcasters a lot of the 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:28.839 very famous American sports broadcasters like Keith Jackson and Dick 0:05:28.880 --> 0:05:33.280 Emberg and al Michaels. I grew up listening to announcers 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.159 from the UK like John Motson and Martin Tyler, but 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:39.560 also listening to games in Spanish, you know, Andre's Cantor 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:43.840 and Pablo Ramirez and John Laguna and voices like that. 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:46.240 It's sort of this giant mish mash of how I 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:49.360 call games. And I've had some hands on mentors as well, 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:52.160 which I've been very lucky to have. You know, Bill 0:05:52.200 --> 0:05:54.960 Shanley was an inspiration of mine growing up as the 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:57.680 voice of the Trailblazers, and then I got to know 0:05:57.760 --> 0:05:59.279 him a little bit because he sang in the church 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:01.640 choir with my and he actually did a reading at 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:03.840 our wedding and like it announced us as a couple. 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:06.640 My wife Nicole and I had the reception. So that 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.240 type of stuff is very fun, and it's there's a 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:14.279 surreality in moments when I speak to younger broadcasters who say, like, 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:17.280 you know, I've grown up listening to you and now 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:18.880 I want to do this, and I go, well, first 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:21.799 of all, that makes me feel very old, and secondly, 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:25.120 you know, Alexi Lawless's joke is like, you can take 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:27.800 this from my cold dead hands, because I love what 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:28.880 I get to do. I don't want to give it 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:33.360 up just yet. But those are moments that, as I said, 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.159 become very surreal to me of like, oh, I've actually 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:38.880 been able to get to where I dreamed of being. 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:41.880 Not everyone gets to experience that, and I'm very, very 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:43.760 lucky that I have been able to. 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:47.680 What was your first real pinch me moment as a broadcaster, like, 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:49.480 how is this actually real? 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:50.200 How is is real? 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:54.159 Life? Was actually a two thousand and nine Portland Timbers 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.400 Seattle Sounders US Open Cup game that was the Sounders 0:06:57.440 --> 0:07:00.520 expansion year. The Timbers had been a bounce as a 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:03.719 future expansion team, but we're still in USL and I 0:07:03.800 --> 0:07:06.200 got to call the game on the radio in Portland 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:09.240 because our normal radio announcer, Andy McNamara was calling the 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:11.239 game on TV that night, And that was the first 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:14.320 time I got a taste of like actually calling a 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:17.920 big professional game on the real radio, and that has 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:21.040 always stuck with me. I mean, it was that the 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:23.640 risk of this being an unfortunate metaphor, It was like 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:26.960 having a shot of a drug and there was I 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:30.560 became addicted to that feeling of that first taste of 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:33.400 what I felt like was the big time. And well, 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:37.360 I've had plenty of other moments and opportunities and special things, 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:40.760 and I think Friday night, but also the following Friday, 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:44.560 the second US game in Seattle. You know, it's funny 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:48.160 we had the opportunity with FIFA in the fall to 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:51.640 go stadium by stadium and kind of select, you know, 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:53.680 of the available options. Where do you want to be? 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:55.200 Do you want to be in a radio booth? Do 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:57.080 you want to be in the tribunal which is up 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:59.440 in the stands. The television booths are being used only 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:01.640 for cameras, so you can't call the game from there. 0:08:02.560 --> 0:08:05.760 And when we went to Seattle Stadium, as we're calling it, 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:11.200 liberate decision of I want to be for US versus 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:15.520 Australia in the visiting team radio booth because I've called 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:18.120 a dozen plus games there over the years, both as 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:20.360 the Timbers radio announcer. But then we did an NBC 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:24.440 game there once actually randomly, and like the idea of 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:26.960 being able to walk into a booth that I have 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:29.400 been in so many times in a stadium I've been 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:35.480 in so many times, but calling this very unique, unusual game. 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:40.600 Those sorts of things are really special and meaningful for me, 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:42.080 And I think that's a big part of this whole 0:08:42.080 --> 0:08:44.560 month for me, is just taking mental snap shots because 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:47.640 it's very possible for a number of reasons, I never 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:49.880 get an experience quite like this again, so I don't 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:50.920 want to let it just pass by. 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:55.120 Yeah, you know, I was looking at I was looking 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:56.400 back at things. 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:58.800 That I you know, listened to you do locally, and 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:01.160 then you know, watching your career and then twenty eleven 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:03.680 MLS Call of the Year, and then I was looking 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:09.240 at how seemingly quickly you accelerated through pretty much every network, 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:12.880 every echelon, every tournament. Did it feel like it was 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:15.040 going at warp speed or did it feel natural as 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:15.720 it was happening? 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:20.560 My path was not normal. A lot of it was. 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:22.439 I was in the right place at the right time, 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.880 But I was also in situations where you know, NBC 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:30.080 and Fox were looking for new young American soccer announcers, 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:32.640 and that was a list of like two people basically, 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:37.160 and I was. I was ahead of the curve in 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:39.000 a lot of ways, and even still in the sports 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:44.920 broadcast industry. I'm always surprised how few young hiring, very 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:48.600 successful announcers are either interested in soccer or are really 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.320 trying to pursue it because it's it's still sort of 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:56.480 an and or it's either soccer or football, basketball, baseball, 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:00.480 and there's a variety of reasons for that. I look 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:06.800 back on it now, I was so professionally and emotionally unprepared. 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:10.120 It was such a reckless decision for the Timbers to make, 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:12.760 and for NBC and Fox to make to give me 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:15.400 these opportunities when they did. I was so young, I 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:18.560 was so naive, I was so inexperienced. It's insane to me. 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:21.520 And I listened back to some of what I said 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:24.080 on television in those early days, and I'm like, what 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:26.320 are you doing? You know, you don't know what you 0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:28.200 don't know, and you don't know any better when you're young. 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:31.400 And I'm very thankful that I've been in situations where 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:35.160 I've had bosses that have and coworkers that have allowed 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:37.120 me to sort of make mistakes as I go and 0:10:37.280 --> 0:10:40.000 learn on the job and play my way into the role. 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:46.200 I'm still really quite young for this profession, honestly, and 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:49.640 I'm still learning and growing significantly. The fact, honestly that 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:51.440 I lost my hair as young as I did. That 0:10:51.520 --> 0:10:53.240 worked in my favor because I think I tricked some 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:56.080 people into thinking I was older than I was. That's 0:10:56.120 --> 0:11:00.240 not as I'm dead serious about that. So yeah, you know, 0:11:00.920 --> 0:11:03.680 things came really quickly from me, and I'm very thankful. 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:06.960 And that's what's nice, is I do. It's something that 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:10.840 gives me comfort and confidence going into this unique opportunity 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:13.720 this month is I do have a lot of experience 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:16.440 under my belt and that helps. If I was if 0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:19.440 this was my first World Cup, I don't think I'd 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:21.880 be able to handle that pressure in that anxiety. I 0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:24.600 still struggle with the pressure in the anxiety, but I 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:27.320 at least have the benefit of Okay, I've done this before, 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:29.920 I know how to do it, have confidence and faith 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:32.320 in what I'm doing and what we're doing as a team. 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:34.720 Well, well, Kelley, will you share what we were talking 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:38.080 about before we jumped on here, just about like how 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:40.280 how you because I could go on and on about 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:42.760 how I've listened to John really from the beginning, and 0:11:42.800 --> 0:11:45.400 from the beginning for me, I was like, wow, even 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:47.199 when you know you're talking about oh, I'd. 0:11:47.040 --> 0:11:48.840 Said that, and oh my gosh, you know I've said 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.520 things that I never would say now and what was 0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:52.000 I thinking? 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:53.240 Even listening to you? 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:55.760 Then it was like, oh, he knows what he's doing, 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:58.280 and Keila, you shared an interesting perspective on it. 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:03.240 Just of research that you do. I mean the when 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:06.400 I listen as a fan to all of your work, John, 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:09.679 I'm always so impressed with just all of the factoids 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.280 that you pull out about not just the stars and 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:15.800 not just the starters, but like anyone and everyone on 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:18.720 that field, which is such an important part of storytelling, 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:21.520 and there's so much preparation that is involved in that. 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:24.240 Can you talk about your process and you know how 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:28.400 you're able to just pull out factoids at the drop. 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:28.680 Of a hat. 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:31.720 Process for this has really been going on for multiple 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:35.280 months because I wanted to get ahead of it. I've 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:38.280 made the mistake of getting to crunch time for tournaments 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:40.160 and like I'm not sleeping in the week's leading up 0:12:40.200 --> 0:12:42.360 and that I'm kind of a physical wreck. So I'll 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:44.600 show you what I've been working on before I started 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:46.880 this is this is what I have for Croatia right now, 0:12:46.920 --> 0:12:49.480 which is, you know, twenty six players on the roster. 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:52.480 Each one of them has a sticker, and on each 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:56.360 sticker there's the biographical stuff, but then there's also a 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:00.400 what would be their twenty second life story I want 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:04.360 to say about them, you know, trying to give context 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:08.680 to every possible eventuality for every possible player. I love 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:13.679 that part. It's it's it's overwhelming. We're preparing to see 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:18.040 eighteen different teams in the group stage, twenty six per squad. 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:21.000 That's over four hundred and fifty players, and you kind 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:22.800 of have to have it done before the tournament starts. 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.960 You don't have time between games to do anything else. Yeah. 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:30.440 I actually get more joy talking about the players you 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:32.960 don't know than talking about the stars. I have to 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:39.600 I have to correct myself a little bit sometimes of Okay, yes, 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:42.560 I would love to talk endlessly about Christian roll don, 0:13:42.600 --> 0:13:44.120 but also I need to make sure I'm talking about 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.280 Christian politic too, like that's you do have to play 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:49.840 the hits like that's why they're there. And also I 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:54.240 have to hold myself back from overdoing it. Sometimes I've 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:58.240 made the mistake at times of too much storytelling, too 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:01.400 many Because I love it, I fascinating, I want to 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:05.000 celebrate the journeys that every single player has gone on 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:07.200 to get to this moment. They're playing in a World Cup. 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:11.080 That's incredible. And being able to rain myself in and 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:13.960 pull myself back to not overdo it is the bigger challenge, 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:17.840 but I love it. That's when you know, at whatever 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:21.080 point I get to where I'm not enthusiastic to do 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:24.040 all the preparation work, that will be the red flag 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:25.880 that it's time for me to stop doing this. But 0:14:25.960 --> 0:14:30.240 I still love the blank sheet of paper and Okay, 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:33.120 what's the story of this team, what's the story of 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:37.080 this game? And then being able to try to give 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:39.480 a little bit of that to viewers who, especially a 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:42.160 World Cup. You know, they're not watching this spore week 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.360 in week out. They don't know who these guys are. 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:45.840 I love that part of it. 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:49.280 We love that you love it because the stories that 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:52.160 we get about it doesn't matter if it's the star 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:54.160 of the roster or it's somebody that might get some 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:56.520 minutes and then make a difference. I mean, I know 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.040 if that twenty sixth player will just you know, they 0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:01.000 get in the game, you're going to have something on 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:02.520 them and it's going to be interesting and it's going 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:03.800 to draw me into the game and all of a sudden, 0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:06.200 I'm going to be invested in that person and want to. 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:09.160 See what they do. But I'm looking here at your schedule. 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:15.640 That shout out. Shout out to Nicole Wilcox Strong. She 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:16.320 still has that. 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:18.080 My long suffering wife. 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:23.560 Oh yes, your wonderful wife. She and I love this. 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:24.520 I love that she does this. 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:27.120 She posts your schedule so we all know what you're 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:28.560 doing and how we can find you, and then we 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:30.960 can turn the volume up because you're you're. 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.320 Going to do an outstanding job something like this. 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.320 I mean, I was just looking and you've mentioned it 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:39.000 eighteen different teams, and I was trying to do the math. 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:41.800 Keelee knows right before we got on. You start with 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:44.800 you have all the US Games and Group Stage USA 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:49.360 Paraguay in la at six pm, and then the next 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:53.040 day you have Brazil Morocco at three pm in New York, 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:55.880 and then the fifteenth. 0:15:55.520 --> 0:15:56.240 You got one day. 0:15:56.360 --> 0:15:58.640 I hesitate to call it a day off because I 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:00.000 know that's not what it's going to be. 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:04.000 And we call it yes, And. 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:07.520 Then you have Spain Cape Verde in Atlanta. How do 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:09.360 you manage a turn like that? You said that you 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:11.200 have to do the homework before you start. But if 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:14.760 you're in La calling a six pm game, and then 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:17.760 I mean that's some kind of red eye. But then 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:20.360 I mean, gosh, you're just like pulling up to game time. 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:21.480 Do you even sleep? 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:24.000 That's the biggest thing between games is can you get 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:26.360 sleep and can you get to the hotel gym and 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:29.600 just kind of sweat and allow your brain to reset 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:32.160 for thirty minutes. That's a really big part of it 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:35.160 is the self care aspect. Again, we have the benefit 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:38.480 of experience. This is very much like the Russia World 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:41.920 Cup of twenty eighteen where Calligain get to the airport 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:44.000 flight to the next city. Calligaine get to the airport 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:47.240 flight of the next city. Very unlike in Qatar, where 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:50.040 we called a game every day, but it was the 0:16:50.080 --> 0:16:53.160 furthest drive from our hotel was forty five minutes. So 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.480 that's where doing the prep ahead of time is big. 0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:59.320 That's where keeping it simple is big, because it does 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:03.360 start to bleed together. You know. There's a couple of 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:05.680 them where we have one where we do a Tuesday 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:09.520 night of next week, eight pm Central time kickoff Argentina 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:13.080 Algeria Kansas City, and the next day at three pm 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:16.200 Central is England Croatia in Dallas, and then that night 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:18.400 we are we get in late that night to Seattle, 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:21.959 so you know, we'll see if we can still do this. 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:24.280 That we were a lot younger when we pushed ourselves 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:27.040 to this extent back in Russia. But I love it. 0:17:27.040 --> 0:17:29.320 That's what we say to our bosses, like push us, 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:31.760 push us as hard as you possibly can. It's a 0:17:31.800 --> 0:17:34.520 World Cup. When are we ever going to get this opportunity? 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:37.280 The bigger thing that would upset me is if we 0:17:37.280 --> 0:17:39.040 were sitting around like I wish we had a game 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:41.280 to call today, you know, because we love this and 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:44.479 the games we're not calling, we're going to be watching. 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:47.159 And by the way, that's just the group stage, and 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:49.600 then the knockouts are going to be even crazier because 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:52.000 one of the things that's wild with the expansion of 0:17:52.040 --> 0:17:55.560 the tournament, when we reach the end of the group stage, 0:17:56.359 --> 0:18:01.439 we will have played as many games totally as the 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.920 last World Cup in its entirety will already be past 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:07.400 sixty five games and we haven't even started the round 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:10.719 of thirty two. And that's something that one of our 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:13.840 top executives. The other day was saying to Stu we 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:16.399 had a kind of a group dinner, and he said, 0:18:16.440 --> 0:18:19.320 I know what it feels like the morning of the 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:21.639 Super Bowl and then that night when it's done. I 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:23.800 know what it feels like the morning of the World 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:25.760 Series Game one, and what it feels like at the end. 0:18:26.200 --> 0:18:29.000 I don't know what it feels like day nineteen of 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:32.919 this World Cup. No one has ever attempted something on 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:37.280 this scale as an American sports broadcaster, so we've been 0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:40.359 given every resource possible, but there is an awareness that 0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:41.919 none of us know what this is going to be 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:44.760 like until we're in the middle of it. And that's 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:46.119 a very exciting challenge. 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:48.359 So I got to ask you, because I feel like 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:51.199 you might know better than anybody honestly, with all the 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:52.760 knowledge you have on every single one of. 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:54.560 These teams, who do you think is going to be 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:55.040 in the final? 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:01.119 I've learned not to bet against a mess just in general. 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:02.800 Doesn't mean they're going to win, But I'm not going 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:06.159 to put my money against him. That Argentina they know 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:10.000 what they're doing. Do they have the legs? I don't know, 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:13.680 but there's a savviness to what they do Spain has 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:17.040 a scary amount of depth and they have a winning mentality. 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:21.119 France have an even scarier amount of attacking talent and 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:24.760 they've been to the last two finals. I think Portugal 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:29.120 are really well placed because they they have the horses 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:33.160 to do the running around Christiano Ronaldo and allow Cristiano 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:36.080 to just stand in front of the gold score. And 0:19:36.160 --> 0:19:38.879 I think I'm such a big fan of Roberta Martinez, 0:19:38.920 --> 0:19:42.040 their manager. He is the ultimate it's fine, we got this, 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:44.359 don't worry about it, guys, and he keeps everything cool, 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:48.560 which I think is really important. I have much less 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:51.040