Anthony LaPaglia and the Champions League Final
Yesterday’s Champions League Final had it all: superstars, controversy, drama, and the star of a prime time CBS show offering his observations at the intermission.
I was surprised when ESPN studios threw it out to Tommy Smyth and Without a Trace star, Anthony LaPaglia. It didn’t make any sense; this is ESPN, a network of the Walt Disney Company (who owns ABC), allowing a CBS star free time to plug his show. (Smyth even said that Jens Lehmann, having been sent off, was “gone without a trace.” Ugh.) I am so accustomed to seeing the cast of The O.C. or 24 appear on Fox’s NFL Sunday, that I expected the same in this case.
But LaPaglia did more than promote his series. He offered good insight into the game and managed to interact reasonably well with that indefatigably incoherent elf, Tommy Smyth.
Sufficiently intrigued, I spent a little time researching. The 47-year-old with an Italian name, who made it big on American television, was born in Australia. In the 1980s, LaPaglia minded the nets for the Adelaide City Football Club of the South Australian Super League. LaPaglia is currently part owner of Sydney FC.
The Sporting News did a nice interview with LaPaglia in December 2005. During the interview, LaPaglia took a shot at ESPN, the network that allowed him on the air yesterday, saying, “I remember not so long ago being so pissed off at ESPN because every time they’d mention soccer, which was rare, the commentators would be so dismissive and rude, and it would tick me off so severely. Now that America’s ranked in the top 10, suddenly they’re on board.”
This is good. Our game will not take hold in this country until soccer promoters in America realize that soccer is a product that needs to be sold—get this—to Americans. Americans love television; this television star loves soccer. The cross-marketing is brilliant and I hope we see more.
10 comments
Good to see the beautiful game getting more representation.
Thanks for this post.
Not only does he love soccer, but he also actually knows what the heck he’s talking about – something that is lacking in other commentators for this sport in the U.S.
Very nice article.
Now, if you could just get Oprah to become a soccer fan, you’d really capture America.
Eh, I’ll have to politely disagree about LaPaglia’s insights–at least in regards to his comment about divey Eboue clearly being fouled by Puyol. He obviously didn’t see the replay. Oh well. At least he has passion for the game.
Nice site, btw.
Eh, I’ll have to politely disagree about LaPaglia’s insights–at least in regards to his comment about divey Eboue clearly being fouled by Puyol
Yep, you’re right. I guess I was so excited that he didn’t sound like a dope when it came to the game. It wasn’t like he was talking about “making points” or “defensifying,” you know?
Nice site, btw.
Thanks, yo.
I wondered what LaPaglia was talking about, too. Tommy as an undecipherable elf! That’s funny. Balboa sounded like he was mailing it in or was nervous or something. I’ve heard him do better commentary for U.S. matches when he was commentator #2. Maybe we should tell ABC that a Champions League final one month before the World Cup is not the palce to be rolling out this new stuff. Also dig the site.
Let’s see:
1) One putz in the studio on his first ESPN assignment
2) Tommy Smyth pissing off the football faithful of America
3) Balboa evaluating talent 3 levels above what he competed against
4) A rambling, poorly recorded, sideline analysis in barely understandable broken english
5) A TV star brought on a halftime w/no explanation to provide expert (read: celebrity) “insight”
6) JP, you get a pass
All that says we are up for a very poorly covered World Cup
[...] Whatever the case, I’m happy that Carey is on board. Maybe he and Anthony LaPaglia will be our answer to Spike Lee and Jack Nicholson. [...]
[...] 15 months ago, we talked about Anthony LaPaglia’s love for the beautiful game after he appeared on ESPN during a Champion’s League game. At that time, I stated: [...]
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