Now, we are not television executives, but we just watched FOX Soccer's Donald Trump USMNT commercial, and inserting a political figure who has come out strongly against Mexican immigrants and advocated for the closing of the border (whatever that means – hang a "hey this border's closed" sign on it, I guess?) into the middle of a rivalry match between the USA and Mexico for the purpose of hyping up USA fans wasn't the best idea of all time.
Considering the soccer-following population in the U.S. skews liberal and Hispanic and feels about the same about Donald Trump as they do about Genital Herpes (it just won't go away!), this idea was doomed from the start, and now we kind of want Mexico to win.
There's a backstory to the Trump video that we need to explain before getting to the FOX commercial, and it starts with another Trump video, a commercial for the same game, made by Mexican station TV Azteca.
Donald Trump USMNT Video: Mexico Fires A Warning Shot
We guess FOX got mad about that or something? Because they came out with this tone-deaf response.
(1/2) Remember when TV Azteca in Mexico posted this promo ft. Donald Trump for #USAvMEX? http://t.co/W1IsHPmCrR pic.twitter.com/IrbKUD6itF
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 9, 2015(2/2) Well, now watch this Trump pump up video for the #USMNT! Get ready. #USAvMEX kicks tomorrow on @FS1! https://t.co/1mfnfZiqTo
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 9, 2015We honestly have no idea what FOX was going for here. Were they trying to incite a little friendly banter between the two nations? Did they think the image of Donald Trump would make the American soccer-consuming public get pumped up for the match? Those are the only two defenses we can come up with that are even close to logical.
Suffice it to say, this is the most ill conceived marketing campaign we've seen since Bud Light's "removing the word 'no' from your vocabulary" bullshit. Former USMNT forward (and the only player to have won both MLS and Liga MX titles) Herculez Gomez puts it better than we could, though.
Go home FoxSoccer, you’re drunk #Fail https://t.co/ChfTL9bLA3
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) October 9, 2015Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
