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Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks has assured football fans that World Cup pundit Alexi Lalas is here to stay despite relentless criticism of his work as an analyst.
The former USMNT player is part of Fox’s core broadcast team for this year’s tournament, along with presenter Rebecca Lowe and soccer legends Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
During the tournament, Lalas was subject to relentless criticism online due to his brash performance style, which Guardian labeled as “trolling, hyperventilating garbage.”
Even his colleagues don’t seem to have much time for him. Ibrahimovic ridiculed Lalas live on air as “ignorant” and Henry humiliated him in a studio joke that instantly went viral.
However, in a new interview with the magazine Puck newsShanks called Lalas the “cornerstone” of Fox’s reporting.
Alexi Lalas has faced relentless online trolling over his performance as an analyst at this year’s World Cup. (Getty)
Lalas’ performance style was described by The Guardian as “trolling, hyperventilating garbage”. (AP)
“Lex has been a cornerstone of our football coverage for as long as I can remember,” Shanks said. “He is the straw that stirs the drink and he will be a cornerstone for many years to come.”
Asked about criticism of the former football trio, Shanks said: “They have a lot of fun, whether it’s in the avocado room, which is our green room, or on air. We love it and it seems like the whole country is enjoying it.”
Lalas drew criticism from more than just fans. His former US teammate Eric Wynalda also criticized Fox’s reporting last month, saying Football Media Podcast: “I think it was unwatchable at times.
“I mean, Alexi is, in a way, true to the Fox brand: This is what we need you to do, start a fight, say something, offend some people, say something outlandish that no one will believe, and we’ll see how many people fall for it. I think the American public has grown up now. I think our community, our football community, is too aware to fall for it anymore.”
In a recent article IndependentKevin E.G. The magazine’s Perry concluded that “the awkward dynamic that results from placing Henry and Ibrahimovic alongside an American whose ego vastly outstrips his talent is just that.”
Indeed, speaking with New York Times Of his on-screen role in 2024, Lalas said: “It’s an element of shock sport, an element of political commentary, an element of late-night TV personality.
“There’s an element of bear fighting and provocation that I like.”