I still can't believe this is happening, but since it's now on Facebook, it must be true: tonight, I'm appearing on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel to talk with correspondent Soledad O'Brien about the famous Mexican soccer club Chivas de Guadalajara and their laughable foray into MLS Soccer.
WHAT. THE. HELL?! How the hell did I squirrel my way into the best sports program on television, and one of my favorite series of all time? I'm still asking that question meself, and I still don't know how much airtime I'm getting, but I can tell you what the segment will be about.
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O'Brien's piece will examine whether Chivas' policy of fielding a Mexican-only soccer team for its Guadalajara squad can translate into success in the United States, a country that doesn't take too kindly to any perceptions of discrimination in the workplace. I was given the task of explaining the Chivas philosophy, along with trying to give an insight into Chivas' flamboyant owner, Jorge Vergara–let's hope that my description of him as a cross between Louis B. Mayer and George Steinbrenner made the final reel or megabyte or whatever the metaphor is nowadays. I haven't seen the full segment yet, but I can say O'Brien asked great questions, is a nice person, and that it will no doubt be a great piece given everything Real Sports does is gold.
Here's the preview, sans me:
Anyhoo, Real Sports airs TONIGHT on HBO, so set your DirectTV or cable or whatever to it. And if you don't care about Chivas, you will care about another segment they're airing: a profile of Kelly Slater. Enjoy!
Email: ga*******@oc******.com. Twitter: @gustavoarellano.
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