Why Mexico Is So Important to Fox Sports' Confederations Cup CoverageTheWrap

Mexican-Americans have been underestimated and undervalued by many, including by a certain U.S. president. But Fox Sports has a new term for the 35 million-strong community: target audience.

Fox Sports cable channels FS1 and FS2 are currently broadcasting the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, an eight-team tournament that is effectively a dress rehearsal for next summer’s World Cup. It’s even held in the same place: Russia. Fortunately for Fox, the vaunted “El Tri,” Mexico’s national soccer team, is doing well — and lifting ratings along the way.

“Mexico is really our second home team at Fox,” David Neal, Fox Sports’ vice president of production and FIFA World Cup executive producer, told TheWrap. “During this tournament, we’ve had [reporter] Francisco X. Rivera embedded with El Tri. Every day we want to do coverage of Mexico whether or not they’re playing.”

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And Neal said that coverage isn’t oriented toward older, primarily Spanish-speaking fans, Neal said, but soccer-mad millennials who may not even speak the language but have family or cultural ties to the Mexican soccer team.

“We did a focus group during the lead-up to Confederations Cup,” Neal said. “One of the things that resonated pretty clearly was that younger generation viewers in the U.S. consider themselves language agnostic. They’ll go wherever they get the best coverage, the most information.”

That’s why Neal is hoping Mexico’s run of strong play continues — all the way to Sunday’s final.

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“It’s the ideal scenario,” he said of Mexico appearing in the championship match, which will air live at 11 a.m. PT on FS1. To get there, Mexico has the formidable task of knocking off defending World Cup champion Germany on Thursday. (There’s also a third-place match that kicks off six hours earlier — not exactly ideal for the millions of El Tri fans living in the Western United States.)

But while hardcore soccer nuts will watch the tournament regardless of presentation and sleep schedules, Neal said Fox Sports has had to balance appealing to that core audience and finding ways to help more casual fans catch the international soccer bug, not just for the Confederations Cup but for next year’s main event: the World Cup — which Fox Sports is broadcasting for the first time.

To that end, Fox has brought on National Geographic Explorer Sergey Gordeev for pieces showing off Russian culture and scenery, and the network has already started cross-promoting the World Cup across its platforms. And Fox is broadcasting from studios in St. Petersburg and Los Angeles, with hosts including ex-U.S. national teamer Alexi Lalas, former El Tri stalwart Mariano Trujillo, German legend Lothar Matthäus and veteran coach Guus Hiddink — an international group, which Neal said was “by design.”

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“The difference between success and a bona fide hit is bringing in the casual fans,” Neal said.

The Confederations Cup has also given Fox another tool to promote its sports streaming app, Fox Sports Go. With weekday matches mainly airing during work hours in the U.S., fans wanting to surreptitiously keep up with stars like Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo from their smartphone screens have taken advantage of the service.

“The amount of traffic and interest [the tournament has] driven in Fox Sports Go has been noticeable,” Neal said.

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While Mexico’s strong play has been a boon for Fox Sports this month, the network is counting on the U.S. national team to drive interest from casual fans ahead of the World Cup. Fortunately, U.S.’ recent run of good form has made it more likely that they will make it to the main event — but Neal isn’t celebrating yet.

“I won’t rest easy until we’re officially qualified,” he said.

ESPN Stars That Jumped to Fox Sports, From Erin Andrews to Tom Rinaldi (Photos)

ESPN may be synonymous with sports, but plenty of stars have added Fox Sports to their resume. Have a look at some the big names.
Skip Bayless
The outspoken sports columnist and "First Take" analyst still ranks as ESPN's highest-profile defection when he bailed in 2016. He co-hosts "Skip and Shannon" with Shannon Sharpe on Fox Sports 1.
Fox Sports
Chris Broussard
The longtime NBA analyst joined Fox Sports in 2016. He's a regular panelist on "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" and co-hosts "The Odd Couple" with Rob Parker for Fox Sports radio.
ESPN
Colin Cowherd
The sports anchor fled ESPN in 2015 and now hosts "The Herd" on FS1. He also co-hosted "Speak for Yourself" alongside Jason Whitlock for a short period.
ESPN
Chris Spielman
A former NFL All-Pro, Spielman worked at ESPN for years but now has a gig as a game analyst for Fox NFL.
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Shannon Spake
An experienced sidelines reporter, Spake hustled for ESPN for 10 years but switched to Fox in 2016 where she covers NASCAR, college football and basketball.
Rob Parker
The former member of ESPN's "First Take" followed Bayless to his new show, "Undisputed," where he appears as a regular panelist, along with co-hosting "The Odd Couple" with Broussard.
Emmanuel Acho
After serving as a college football analyst for ESPN's Longhorn Network and ESPN2 for a couple of years, Acho joined FS1 in 2020 to co-host "Speak for Yourself."
Adam Amin
Amin, who moonlights as the Chicago Bulls' play-by-play announcer, left ESPN for Fox Sports in May 2020. Amin will call NFL games with fellow former ESPN-er Mark Schlereth this season.
Erin Andrews
Andrews has been with Fox Sports since 2012, following eight years with ESPN. She often gets the most high-profile sideline reporting gigs, including the Super Bowl and World Series.
Lindsay Czarniak
Czarniak left ESPN in 2017 and resurfaced at Fox two years later, where she hosts studio coverage for NASCAR and does sideline reporting duty for NFL games as part of the Amin-Schlereth broadcast team.
JP Dellacamera
Dellacamera followed soccer when World Cup rights moved from ESPN to Fox starting in 2018.
Mike Hill
Hill left ESPN for Fox in 2013 during the early days of FS1, where he guest-hosted "Fox Sports Live" and "Fox Football Daily." He currently hosts "The Mike and Donny Show" for Fox Soul.
Alexi Lalas
As with Dellacamera, Lalas followed the World Cup from ESPN to Fox.
Rob Stone
Another soccer defector, Stone also hosts college football and Professional Bowlers' Association coverage.
Charissa Thompson
Thompson was among FS1's debut hosts in 2013 with the short-lived "Fox Sports Live." She currently hosts' Fox pre pre-game NFL show "Fox NFL Kickoff."
Sara Walsh
Walsh left ESPN in 2017 and joined Fox a year later, where she serves as an NFL reporter and a studio host for NASCAR coverage.
Kevin Wildes
A longtime producer for ESPN, Wildes stepped in front of the camera when he moved to Fox in early 2020. He appears on FS1's morning show, "First Things First."
Marcellus Wiley
Wiley joined “Speak for Yourself” in September 2018 following years as part of ESPN's NFL coverage.
Joe Davis
Known as "the guy who had to replace Vin Scully" calling Los Angeles Dodgers games, Davis had a brief two-year run with ESPN and now does play-by-play work for MLB and NFL games on Fox.
Mark Schlereth
Schlereth was a mainstay on ESPN's "NFL Live" but will now get to show his broadcasting chops on Fox this season.
Brock Huard
Huard had a variety of TV and radio gigs with ESPN, and joined Fox's College Football team in 2019.
Jonathan Vilma
The former New Orleans Saints linebacker joined Fox in June 2020 to work on its NFL games after a few years as part of ESPN's college football crew.
Cris Carter
Carter first joined Fox Sports in 2016 and had hosted "First Things First," alongside Nick Wright since 2017, but it was a short tenure. He left Fox Sports in late 2019, reportedly after he had an outburst with higher-ups over not being part of the network's "Thursday Night Football" coverage.
CBS Sports
Jamie Horowitz
Initially a splashy hire that might have been responsible for many of these talent defections, his Fox tenure came to an unglamorous end when he was fired in 2017 over claims of sexual harassment. He has since landed at DAZN, which is led by former ESPN boss John Skipper.
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Jason Whitlock
Speaking of Whitlock, the ex-ESPN sportswriter's tenure with FS1 came to end in 2020 when the two couldn't agree on a new contract. He has since resurfaced at Clay Travis' Outkick The Coverage.
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Tom Rinaldi
Tom Rinaldi, who has won 16 Sports Emmy Awards and seven Edward R. Murrow Awards, has covered every major sporting event in his impressive career. Rinaldi is perhaps best known as the storyteller and interviewer at golf major The Masters.
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