OH, THAT OIKOPHOBIA: CNN Is Surprised The South Is Welcoming Foreign World Cup Tourists.
CNN did a segment on Freddy, the German soccer tourist, and sports analyst Christine Brennan claimed "I saw some conversation, Wolf and Pamela, about how the rest of the world is looking at the United States and feeling that we are—it's a foreboding image and that we are… pic.twitter.com/Eh2zQ8x5Pr
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) June 12, 2026
[CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan] conceded, “That is so fun. That’s the flip side of the conversation we were just having, is that these tourists are still coming. The ones who can, certainly Europeans, people who love soccer way more than the United States. It’s been a part of their lives for, you know, ever where for us, as Coy was saying, it’s a newer game on the women’s and men’s side.”
It is not just Europeans. Another viral sensation has been Algerians experiencing Kansas hospitality.
However, things kept going downhill when Brennan continued, “And so, that—I’ve looked at those tweets from him just, he’s having a delight, and Americans are loving that too. And I saw some conversation, Wolf and Pamela, about how the rest of the world is looking at the United States and feeling that we are—it’s a foreboding image and that we are inhospitable.”
Returning to Freddy, Brennan concluded, “And here is a German tourist, and others as well, now on social media saying, ‘No, no, the Americans are great.’ So, what a shame that that’s the image that the world has. Many have of us. But how wonderful again, that sports can bring people here and show people that the United States and, you know, the South is welcoming a German tourist in a way we would never have anticipated.”
Well, it’s not like CNN’s founder grew up in Georgia, went to prep school in Tennessee, and the original headquarters for his channel was in Atlanta or anything.
Related: The Japanese have discovered Texas Roadhouse:
UPDATE: Big Ten’s decision to play football signals darkest day in conference’s sports history.
—Christine Brennan, USA Today, September 16th, 2020.
Absolutely shocked that the woman who thought the decision to play football in 2020 was worse than Jerry Sandusky is now expressing bewilderment that the South doesn’t stone visitors to death https://t.co/rkeE4y0Lwp pic.twitter.com/efkLq7yfNz
— Three Year Letterman (@3YearLetterman) June 13, 2026
Which seems odd as by then, plenty of people had been taking part in mostly peaceful but “unexpectedly” fiery protests without an enormous death count. But then, in the summer and fall of 2020, some mass gatherings were worthy of praise, and as Brennan tut-tutted above, some weren’t:
