I don't want to in any way sound like I'm trying to make light of this, or sound crass, or get a cheap laugh, but... I watched that Netherlands/Argentina game. It was straight up bonkers. It was crazy. Nuts. And absolutely thrilling. The idea that someone entrenched in the sport as deeply as he was might have had a heart attack while watching it doesn't seem all that far-fetched to me. So while I understand his brother being suspicious, I'm going to need to see a lot more than that. I HOPE that nothing sinister is in play. Beyond that... just a heartbreaking loss for the American soccer community. Terrible.
The same Fox that Grant walked from over its tone in Russia.The same Fox that barred Grant from having Landon Donovan on his podcast over Grant's criticism of Fox taking so much ad money from Qatar.Yeah.https://t.co/WyK1lRsdin— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) December 10, 2022
This was posted by LA Times Kevin Baxter, soccer writer who was in Qatar, with a little more detail: DOHA, Qatar — Award-winning sportswriter Grant Wahl, best known for his work with Sports Illustrated and Fox Soccer, collapsed in the media tribune at Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands World Cup game. Paramedics treated Wahl for approximately 30 minutes before removing him from the stadium on a stretcher. He was later pronounced dead Saturday morning at a Qatari hospital. He was 48.
Soccer writer Grant Wahl dies at World Cup match in Qatar | AP News Wahl actually sought medical treatment before the US/Dutch game. Bronchitis suspected; was negative for COVID.
He mentioned he was sick. 17 straight days of working weird hours in pretty hot weather with late nights, it messes with your circadian rhythm. That's all we know. If it is an issue with a defribrillator not being present in the press box, that's something FIFA needs to remedy. It's kind of cool to see people eulogize him in real time. (On a side note, I really despise those who add in "I did not agree with him, I was at the *** when I heard, or those who seek to capitalize on this) I know I am on the younger side of the MLS N&A, so a lot of my perception of Grant is based on young me reading Grant Wahl. For me, traveling on a plane meant going to the airport newstand and getting SI (back when it was a journalism publication). Most of the time, soccer was not a main story and one of the first places I would go would be the half page of soccer blurbs written by Grant. It was cool to have the guy who wrote the story about Lebron be the main preeminent soccer writer at what was the last true sports journalism magazines. It was funny to see how uncomfortable the Beckham experiment made certain people. I know there are a lot of people who helped grow the game via journalism, but he was big one
Están reanimando a un periodista que se desplomó en medio del segundo tiempo extra. Está a unos 30 metros míos pero los que están alrededor se agarran la cabeza. Llegaron los paramédicos.— Lucas Bertellotti (@LucasBerte) December 9, 2022
Este jueves falleció Grant Wahl, periodista estadounidense de una gran trayectoria.Desde TUDN expresamos nuestras condolencias y una pronta resignación a toda su familia. pic.twitter.com/557OSEZ4aB— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) December 10, 2022 Comenzamos con malas noticias desde Qatar, Grant Wahl falleció con 48 años de edad ⚫️El reporte de @A_EsparzaOteo desde el Hamad Hospital 🏥🔴 #LaCopaEsNuestra EN VIVO: @Unimas y @TUDNUSA 📺 pic.twitter.com/Lm6uRFJKe0— Republica Deportiva (@RepDeportiva) December 10, 2022 Still nothing from FOX Sports or FOX Soccer.
I just looked at my recording of FOX's night show to see if they said anything. i have no idea when they record it though, if they do it right after the live coverage ends they may not have known yet.
Right, that's why I said "if they filmed it right after the live coverage ended", by which I meant right after the coverage of ARG-NED.
Also, all these idiots on social media claiming something like this doesn't happen naturally at the same tournament Christian Eriksen is playing in.
I think they will have some sort of tribute. You see the respect from ESPN. Writing an article and talking about it during an NBA game. You see Spanish language channels reporting from the Hospital. So many tributes. Even Fabrizio Romano tweeted. The Mexican and Canadian soccer federations sent out a tweet. I understand Fox does not have a journalism component and their people locally in Qatar may not be awake, but for no one to acknowledge a former employee is weird. How Fox did not have the news about an American Journalist at a WC game minutes after it occurred or even a few hours later is weird.
It's lunchtime now and not even a tweet from Fox. Alexi Lalas posts a "What are we yelling about" every morning but nothing so far.
I had no idea Grant Wahl had died until a half hour ago when I checked the morning sports headlines. I appreciated the fact that he was dedicated enough to advance people's interest and knowledge of a sport that few people in the United States cared about prior to 1995. Very sad to see someone die at such a young age when he seemed to be in good health. I don't use Twitter, but FoxSports did have the story on its website. What's strange is the report there (and on CBS Sports) said he was 49, but the picture of him showing his lifespan date says 1974-2022. He just turned 48 this past Wednesday. Sorry about the loss to his family and the soccer community at large. He was one of the good ones.
Grant Wahl was a dedicated colleague and friend to so many at FOX Sports. We remain shocked and saddened by his passing, and extend our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to his wife, family, friends and colleagues. pic.twitter.com/PmWVdftKZl— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 10, 2022 Stoner was tearing up, but that was it other than Donovan alluding to Stoner's opener and it being tough. No byline was what I noticed this morning.
Tannenwald has continued to post tributes to Wahl. Watch this. Grant did so much to show the world that Americans can be part of the world’s game, and Henry was among the first big-time journalists in England to listen and appreciate what this country can contribute. https://t.co/fMbtgri4zZ— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) December 10, 2022 The battle of teams with the same colors will be empty at least for a while. 14 minutes til kickoff between Morocco and Portugal and the stadium isn’t even 50% full. Thats my educated guess.It seems you can bring everyone from the upper section to the lower bowl and only then you will fill the closest sector.— Nico Cantor (@Nicocantor1) December 10, 2022 1601589684789923841 is not a valid tweet id A lot of empty.
I just spent the first 7 minutes surprised that Moracco was dominating open play before realizing I made the mistake that I knew I would make.
You can tell he is still very bothered. His positioning on the last shot that was not on goal was bad too. He's panicking.