Fox Sports CEO defends World Cup hydration breaks

Fans rage as Fox Sports boss calls for permanent hydration breaks in soccer.

What happened. Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks told Variety that mandatory hydration breaks should become a permanent fixture in soccer, citing fewer blowouts and tactical benefits.

• World Cup final drew 38.9m viewers on Fox, a US record.
• Fox aired full-screen ads during hydration breaks, angering fans.
• Shanks also defended analyst Alexi Lalas against fan criticism.

“I think it has made the games more close”

— Eric Shanks

Fox generated over $666m in World Cup ad revenue.

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