Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett Emotionally Honors Grant Wahl’s Life and Career
Men in Blazers show host Roger Bennett honored Grant Wahl’s life and career after the beloved soccer journalist suddenly passed away at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Wahl passed away Friday while covering a match between Argentina and the Netherlands. His passing shocked the soccer world because he was only 48 years old. Qatari officials had detained Wahl after he tried to enter the stadium while wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ community because Qatar has laws that punish people who participate in same-sex relationships.
Mediaite’s own Colby Hall wrote an incredible story honoring his friend; you should check it out if you haven’t done so already.
On Saturday, Bennett was in San Francisco as he continued the “This Cup’s For You” tour around America, recording a live podcast for Men in Blazers with co-host Michael Davies in different American cities. This was the first show since Wahl’s passing, and Bennett opened the show to discuss Wahl’s life.
“I want to open by raising my third, first, Bud of the day to this moment,” Bennett said somberly. “Twenty-four hours old since we heard the news of Grant Wahl’s passing, and I just say it doesn’t make it feel any less shocking.”
“At 48 years of age, too soon, Grant was a good human being who strove to do good,” Bennett continued. “He loved football very, very much.”
Bennett described Wahl’s love for soccer and how it did not matter which stage of soccer he covered; he enjoyed his job as a soccer journalist.
“He was fired up about the NCAA playoffs, he was fired up about the Under-20 World Cup, he was fired up about the Boca River Derby,” Bennett added. “That’s who he was; he truly loved the game we love.”
Bennett explained it was not a joke when Wahl tried to run for FIFA president in 2011. He wanted to try and help make soccer better. Roger told a story about how he received a call from Wahl about wanting to become President of FIFA.
“I was on Morning Joe, and it was the South Africa World Cup, and they had the South African FIFA president who came on the show,” Bennett said. “And I got a call just before I went on, and it was from Grant Wahl, who I didn’t even know very well back then, and he wanted me to ask this gent if I could persuade him to nominate Grant to become FIFA President. And sadly, the answer was no.”
“That’s who Grant was; he was really a truly tenacious, persistent gent,” Bennett added. “A gent who was foundational for everybody involved in the U.S. game and one of the first full-time American soccer journalists.”
Bennett described how Wahl’s passing was so sudden and hard to understand.
“His loss is shocking for so many reasons,” Bennett continued. “The suddenness, the location, the context, it’s really unfathomable, and it feels unknowable.”
Bennett finished his remembrance of a Wahl with lyrics from an English band called Yard Act and their song “100% Endurance.”
“Death is coming for us all, but not today. Today you’re living it; you’re really feeling it. Give it everything you’ve got. Knowing that you can’t take it with you and all you’ve ever needed to exist is always been within you. Give me some of that good stuff, that human spirit; cut it with 100% endurance,” Bennett concluded as he held up his beer for a toast.
Watch above via Men in Blazers.
