S01.E06: Right Said Fred

[Athena]

 

John talks about California Chrome and the Belmont Stakes, FIFA and the 2014 World Cup, and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

[trow125]

And the kitties. (Here's a sneak preview of tonight's show, courtesy of LWT's fabulous Instagram feed.)

[Fremde Frau]

I wonder if cats know that they own the Internet.

[Mindymoo]

I howled so loud during the Right Said Fred ending of tonight's episode that I scared my kitties. That was absolutely hilarious and brilliant. This show is firing on all cylinders for me. Bravo, John Oliver. Excellent show tonight. Very enlightening on the FIFA situation, too.

[wisteria]

As far as I can tell, this is the first time he has (sorta) reused material from The Bugle. He and Andy did several bits about Bashar Al-Assad's love of LMFAO a few years ago. Of course, The Bugle didn't have the added bonus of Right Said Fred, which made this one pretty damned awesome.

[Sharpie66]

I am sending the FIFA clip to my soccer-loving coworker tomorrow morning. He is going to love it.

[RapBert]

This show has become one of my favourites. Amazing on all levels.

[Dandesun]

You know, I've known that FIFA was a hive of scum and villainy but I honestly didn't know it went to THAT level. Wow.

 

But, at the same time, like John... I'm so excited for the World Cup to start!

 

The Right Said Fred song was amazing.

[iMonrey]

I didn't think this week was a very good one. Reminded me of the first episode; I just wasn't interested in the stories. I don't care about horse racing, and I don't care about the World Cup or Fifa, so two thirds of the show was kind of wasted on me. The final segment was good but by the time they got to it I had lost interest. Just goes to show, the stories they choose really make or break the episodes. I understand John probably doesn't want to rehash stories that Jon Stewart has already covered, so sometimes he's going to do stories on subjects not a lot of the media are talking about. Six episodes in and I've loved about 3 of them, so it's turning out to be kind of hit or miss with me. Still love John himself, though.

[peeayebee]

I kinda agree with you, iMonrey, though I felt that the FIFA story was very well done and informative. 

[possibilities]

I thought the FIFA story was great, but it really did prove that nothing will make me care about competitive soccer, because I was bored even while I was thinking he was doing a good job and it was a worthy story.

[Athena]

I really enjoyed the FIFA piece. Like John, I have mixed feelings about the World Cup, but I get excited every time. It's just awful to know that FIFA is the worse sports organisation on earth though. Though, the IOC could give it a good run sometimes. 

[Victor the Crab]

I was never a fan of Right Said Fred. But they deserved massive props and respect for reworking their famous song in order that they could take a shot at Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

 

As someone who's a soccer fan, and is a member of a supporters group, I was not the least bit surprised about the segment on the corrupt band of thieves and bandits at FIFA, led by their head thief, Sepp Blatter, whom I nicknamed "Gall" for obvious reasons. But there were some things about Ollie's piece that I was not aware of. Like FIFA not having to pay any taxes on any World Cup event/merchandise during the tournament in the host nation. There have been rumblings here in Canada about trying to host the 2026 World Cup, but that in itself should make people here think twice about getting in bed with these crooks.

 

And I was saddened to hear that China's youth were into Friends. Why young Chinese people, why?

[Kromm]

While not at the tippy top of Oliver's already impressive run, nevertheless that was quite entertaining.

I really enjoyed the FIFA piece. Like John, I have mixed feelings about the World Cup, but I get excited every time. It's just awful to know that FIFA is the worse sports organisation on earth though. Though, the IOC could give it a good run sometimes. 

I'm going to 100% assume that this show will still be airing when next the IOC comes into the news.  And counting on Oliver to rip them an asshole SO wide you could drive an Olympic Torch relay through it.

[roamyn]

Okay, the Assad bit was good, but the Right Said Fred stuff was BRILLIANT!

[Captanne]

I absolutely adore the European spin this show is taking.

 

We here in the US will have to admit other countries exist whether we want to or not.  How better than to have a  great, fun comedian make it palatable with the power of the TDS/TCR franchise and HBO behind him?

 

Love it.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Captanne

[Captanne]

BTW, I couldn't possibly care less about soccer.  I mean, really.  No less than I do is possible on this planet or any other.  *yawn* However, the rest of the world does care.  And Oliver is making Americans sit up and pay attention -- which is hilarious and wonderful all at the same time.

[ALenore]

BTW, I couldn't possibly care less about soccer.  I mean, really.  No less than I do is possible on this planet or any other.  *yawn* However, the rest of the world does care.  And Oliver is making Americans sit up and pay attention -- which is hilarious and wonderful all at the same time.

 

 I agree with this.  No, I don't care about soccer either, but the fact that millions, maybe billions of other people do is significant, as is how much corruption and even human deaths are caused by FIFA was shocking to me.  I mean,  I've heard about bribes and corruption to get football stadiums built in the U.S, but I've never heard about anything on this scale. 

[ganesh]

I love soccer and plan to watch every match of the World Cup, so I was aware of how awful FIFA is. In Qatar, for 2022, workers are literally *dropping dead* over there because overworking in the 140 degree heat. This was being reported for a while, so it's good JO covered it. 

 

What are you going to do? Not have the WC? They know it. 

[VCRTracking]

Speaking as an American here's my theory on our indifference to futbol.  Soccer is fun to play when you're a kid where you just run around the grass and there's really no pressure to score. If you miss it's not a big deal. Then when you get older you realize they spend all that energy to just basically fail most of the time, and when you do finally score all get it is only one point. 

Edited June 10, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Kromm]

Next time the IOC is in the news, I'm sure Oliver will burn their asses too, and unlike FIFA it will be a slightly more recognizable situation to many American viewers.  "Slightly" only because it's still a strange corrupt cabal of cartoon-villain-like Europeans (sorry European friends reading this--I'm describing the impression they give, not the reality of most of you) running the show, but it's ones we've seen in our news before.

 

Really the only difference between soccer and the Olympics, and how they're (mis)managed on the International scale, is that Soccer is propped up by the insane devotion of billions, while Olympic sports are propped up more by government egos/national pride.

[possibilities]

Here's the thing about the FIFA piece that leaves me blah. He didn't say why or how they got to be so intractibly empowered. With the Net Neutrality piece, he said what happened and what to do about it. With FIFA, it's all: "People are dying, but we'll accept that because we love the game." How did it get this bad? Is there no movement to fix FIFA? What does he want us to do, just cheer for the WC and shrug off the corruption? He mentioned the protests in Brazil, but more in passing than anything else. Then it was on to Qatar, rah rah!

Edited June 10, 2014 by possibilities

[lucindabelle]

The part that had me rolling was when Chris Matthews kept saying "Tip O'Neill" and then "tip Tip Tip Tip Tip." Hilarious editing!

I actually agree with California Chrome's owner but had a good laugh at his expense anyway.

[Captanne]

Unpopular opinion that will come as no surprise:  I am also completely indifferent to the Olympics.  Although, I admit that I actually dislike the Olympics as opposed to my mere indifference to soccer.  (I grew up in a family who thought that the Olympics and their "we bring the world together and leave politics aside" attitude was the positive height of hypocrisy or delusion, take your choice.)

 

If Oliver takes the IOC to task, I'll be fine with it.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Captanne

[Fremde Frau]

I'm just grateful that parts of this show are on YouTube. If not for that, I'd be without Oliver. They haven't hit every segment out of the park, but their high points are really fucking high, and they are only going to get better. And I just love John's energy and his dimples and his general sense of joy at doing what he does. I respect that there are very good reasons why Jon has a heavier, more cynical presence in his monologues and that a whole new world of expression will open up to Stephen once he leaves his character behind, but please, TV gods, never take John's joyfulness away from me. He is a true delight.

[Athena]

Here's the thing about the FIFA piece that leaves me blah. He didn't say why or how they got to be so intractibly empowered. With the Net Neutrality piece, he said what happened and what to do about it. With FIFA, it's all: "People are dying, but we'll accept that because we love the game." How did it get this bad? Is there no movement to fix FIFA? What does he want us to do, just cheer for the WC and shrug off the corruption? He mentioned the protests in Brazil, but more in passing than anything else. Then it was on to Qatar, rah rah!

 

It's very difficult to explain and unravel the inner workings of FIFA. It really is similar to a dictatorship in that there is almost no transparency and the people in power realized money can be made off the most popular sport in the world. It probably started off slowly and the longer FIFA were in power, the more corrupt they have been over time, all behind closed doors.

 

John isn't kidding about the sport being a religion for people. It affects people emotionally. If change were to happen, they would also be affected by how to do it. It can be very difficult for people and organizations to cede or change an international body that is almost as old as the IOC. Taking the religion analogy further, I guess it's similar to how the Vatican and the priest system took money from Europeans through most of its history until Martin Luther and the Reformation resulted in being creating separate Christian traditions and churches. I actually hope that one day, different national football bodies would create an alternative FIFA. This would have to be an international body and a lot of organisations would have to come together to do this.

 

A lot of us would like FIFA to be reformed or gutted or something, but creating an alternative international event/body would also not be easy. Taking the World Cup and international matches away from football fans is something I can't quite imagine.

 

 

Speaking as an American here's my theory on our indifference to futbol.  Soccer is fun to play when you're a kid where you just run around the grass and there's really no pressure to score. If you miss it's not a big deal. Then when you get older you realize they spend all that energy to just basically fail most of the time, and when you do finally score all get it is only one point. 

 

Interestingly, one of the reasons football is popular is that it is cheap. You only need a ball. It's a big bonding experience between children who grow up with it especially when you're so poor that the game is one of the only entertaining things in your life. It is difficult to score and do well in, but that's what makes it so addictive for those that play and watch it. A lot of stars of the sport come from very humble beginnings, and it's a very "American dream". They can make it big and become rich and famous playing a game they love.

[ganesh]

You don't even need a ball! You can just tape together a bunch of crap and you can literally play anywhere. 

 

I don't think people realize the actual skill and physicality that the players actually possess. This isn't the place to sell anyone on soccer. It's not a religion to me, but I'd rather watch a good soccer game than anything else. 

[roamyn]

Here's the thing abt sll those stadiums being built in Brazil:

Money was taken from education, health care & publuc housing budgets to build them. Schools were actually DEMOLISHED! For stadiums built for ONE event.

My SIL is from Sao Paolo and she was giving us the background of all the violence and rioting.

Just think of what's going to happen when the Olympics venues start being built for Rio.

[Kromm]

Did anyone else notice the front page of Google lately?  

 

 

Which leads to this Happy-Fun-Time Picture of Brazil and it's "celebration".

 

[Captanne]

Interestingly, one of the reasons football is popular is that it is cheap. You only need a ball. It's a big bonding experience between children who grow up with it especially when you're so poor that the game is one of the only entertaining things in your life. It is difficult to score and do well in, but that's what makes it so addictive for those that play and watch it. A lot of stars of the sport come from very humble beginnings, and it's a very "American dream". They can make it big and become rich and famous playing a game they love.

 

 

I can see this as absolutely true.  American baseball has the same roots (and, I venture to guess, cricket.)  All you needed was a stick, some sort of ball and something to mark the bases -- you could even just dig holes in the dirt for that.

 

Most games probably arise that way and it's the ones that continue to be able to be played that way -- frex, stickball in the streets, soccer on a sandlot, basketball on a driveway -- that become much beloved no matter how "pro" they go.

 

Soccer, however, I find has turned into a hoodlum sport (thanks to my Welsh and Scottish heritage?) and I can't stand the culture.  The sport itself bores me to absolute tears.

 

What I love about John Oliver's reporting (and if you go back to my earlier posts, about the show in general) is the decidedly European spin.  And you can't do a European news show with the World Cup right around the corner without talking about it.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Captanne

[Fremde Frau]

One thing that strikes me about the latest episode on FIFA is how much of it was straight reporting; it was punctuated by jokes, but he seemed primarily intent on informing his audience. That would be an interesting direction for them to go, if LWT were to straddle the news/entertainment line more directly than TDS or TCR, offering these kinds of humorous mini-documentaries, as it were, on various international topics.

[Dandesun]

It's stunning to me that Brazil has built these stadiums were they really have no right to be. When the World Cup came to the US in '94 all the games were played in stadiums we already had. My family and I went to every game that was in Palo Alto and it was awesome. (We got to see the US play Brazil on the 4th of July. It was awesome... until Tab Ramos caught an elbow to the head and had to be taken to the emergency room... that was pretty awful.) But there weren't any new stadiums built. I can't imagine that going over all that well.

 

Germany in 2006 didn't build any new stadiums that I know of, either. They may have used the World Cup as an excuse to update some of them but all of those stadiums are used by Bundesliga so they were already there, and already had a team to maintain them after the World Cup. So I'm more than a little confused as to why Brazil is having to build new stadiums when I know they have a standing league. FIFA requires the stadiums to be used to be able to house 40,000 spectators but why spend so much on stadiums that aren't likely to get used again?

 

Much like the IOC, FIFA wants to promote themselves as more worldly than they probably are... so they grant countries the gift of this ginormous world event because they've 'never been there before' or 'they're boosting the economy' by having all of this construction take place but FIFA is getting away with so much and the infrastructure of some of these locations aren't nearly strong enough to withstand the demands.

[Grammaeryn]

Hang on, FIFA has insisted that Budweiser will be sold at the game in Brazil. Won't there be a ton of deaths from that? I've seen sober soccer mobs, ye gads... I wonder if anyone has tallied how many deaths can be directly linked to FIFA?

Edited June 11, 2014 by Grammaeryn

[Traveller519]

While maybe not to the FIFA levels of global transgression, the North American Major Sport Leagues aren't much better for doing things that are ridiculous that we live with because we really enjoy tuning it all out to watch the games.

 

The new NFL scheduling is a perfect example. Very few people like the concept of Thursday Night games outside of Thanksgiving. Teams are on a short week, it messes with Fantasy Football scheduling, people have other things going on during their weekday evenings, and until recently, you could only watch those games if you got NFL Network. But the league wants to increase exposure so it plays those games every week. And the ratings support them continuing to expand that. Or moving regular season games to England to broaden its exposure.

 

Meanwhile the NFL operates as a not-for-profit, while paying it's Commisioner $44.2m in 2012, has swept injury information under the rug, continues to raise prices while limiting player involvement in increased profit share, and we as a fan base complain. But we let that quiet down when we turn on the games.

[Captanne]

I'm not sure that comparing the NFL (which is a sport franchise severely localized to one country and doesn't have the massive murderous record Oliver says FIFA does) is apt.  They have their own problems, to be sure -- and I'm no NFL apologist.  

 

It would be interesting to see Oliver and Team do a comparison, wouldn't it?  Now that he's a transplant and married to an American?  

 

Maybe they will around the Superbowl.  I'm sure LWT will give the NFL hell during the season.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Captanne

[Kromm]

I'm not sure that comparing the NFL (which is a sport franchise severely localized to one country and doesn't have the massive murderous record Oliver says FIFA does) is apt.  They have their own problems, to be sure -- and I'm no NFL apologist.  

The NFL issues are less in the nature of them trying to personally line their pockets at the expense of entire nations (not that the NFL execs aren't well paid or that they don't get plenty of licensing money), and more about them bending over backwards for owners, encouraging a culture of thugdom amongst their players, being rife with performance enhancement drugs, lockouts and labor issues, and a million other small things.  It's chump stuff compared to the likes of the IOC or FIFA--big money, true, but also a lot more constant scrutiny, so they've never been able to get THAT bad.

It's less cartoonishly over-the-top evil and more of the everyday banal watered down version.

[Captanne]

Not to mention the whole concussion issue.  (College football is playing into the NFL culture, and OMG, the "et ceteras" are legion.)

 

But I don't think the NFL rivals FIFA on its massive, global scale.

 

Maybe Oliver will address that?

 

PS:  I'm a DC native and am tip toeing around the name of our franchise.

[ApathyMonger]

As far as I can tell, this is the first time he has (sorta) reused material from The Bugle. He and Andy did several bits about Bashar Al-Assad's love of LMFAO a few years ago. Of course, The Bugle didn't have the added bonus of Right Said Fred, which made this one pretty damned awesome.

 

I liked the "beautiful language" nod after speaking German too.

[Constantinople]

Another commentator echoing John's critique of FIFA
 

Every four years, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, a Swiss bank that occasionally stages soccer games, alights on a country for a month or so to plunder as much bullion as possible.
 
Slate: How FIFA Made Brazil Hate Its Own National Team

[Kromm]

Top FIFA officials arrested in Switzerland, will face corruptions charges in U.S.