Eric Shanks is standing behind Alexi Lalas, and the Fox Sports CEO says Ibrahimovic will stay central to the company’s soccer coverage for years to come. The backing lands while Lalas is still drawing criticism for the way he handles Fox Sports’ World Cup coverage.
“Lex has been the cornerstone of our soccer coverage for as long as I can remember,” Shanks said in an interview with Puck News. He added: “He’s the straw that stirs the drink, and he’ll be the cornerstone for many years to come.”
Fox Sports Keeps Its Core
Lalas is part of Fox Sports’ primary team of TV hosts at this year’s World Cup alongside Rebecca Lowe, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimović. That setup puts him in the middle of the network’s top tournament presentation, not on the edge of it.
Shanks also described the group’s atmosphere in blunt terms: “They’re having a ton of fun, whether it’s in the avocado room, which is our green room, or on air. We enjoy it, and it seems like the country is enjoying it.” Fox Sports is treating that chemistry as part of the product, not a problem to be trimmed.
Lalas and the Backlash
The pushback has been loud. labeled his presenting style “trollish, hyperventilating garbage,” while Zlatan Ibrahimović mocked him as “ignorant” live on air.
Eric Wynalda added another layer of criticism last month when he told The Soccer Media Podcast, “I think it’s been unwatchable at times.” He said Lalas had been told to “start a fight, say some things, insult some people, say something outlandish that no one will believe,” then argued that soccer viewers were too knowledgeable to fall for that approach anymore.
That clash leaves Fox Sports with a clear public stance and a quieter operational question. Lalas has said he plays a role that mixes “a shock jock,” “political commentary,” and “late-night television host,” and in 2024 he said there’s “an element of poking the bear and being provocative that I enjoy.”
