Your New Favorite Reality Show

Art by Olivia Flanz

A coach making shady comments about his own player, a mother blackmailing her decades-long friend, and the breakdown of a relationship that was so intimate it felt familial. It all almost sounds like the overarching season plot of an unforgettable reality show, right? Reality audiences love watching people come to blows. Think of how Kim and Kourtney go viral everytime they get into a fight on Keeping up with the Kardashians, or how many people tune in to watch the emotional break ups on The Bachelor franchise. With the previously mentioned element of blackmail, I think this show could seriously be a hit … if it was real. Here’s the catch. Everything that I mentioned in the first sentence genuinely happened last year behind the scenes during one turbulent World Cup campaign for the United States men’s national soccer team. 

When news broke of how Danielle and Claudio Reyna tried to get Head Coach Gregg Berhalter fired after he decided to limit their son Giovanni’s (Gio) playing time during the 2022 World Cup, it rocked the soccer world. Commentators flocked to social media apps to express their disbelief and shock. It felt like everyone had something to say about what had occurred: ESPN, the New York Times, the story even made waves internationally. Never before had the general population ever cared about the USMNT that much. Though sports fans can say that they were invested in this scandal because it perfectly embodies the stereotype of American soccer parents—petty, ridiculous, and Karen-esque—and at the end of the day, everybody loves some good old-fashioned drama. Claudio Reyna used to captain the men’s national team where Berhalter was his teammate (friends since childhood, Reyna was Berhalter’s best man); Danielle Reyna played for the women’s national team and was college roommates with Berhalter’s wife, Rosalind. There are old photos of Berhalter with Gio Reyna when he was a toddler, gazing at Reyna in a way that’s reminiscent of a proud father. All of these ties were severed in one instant because of a solitary decision. The story of the Reyna-Berhalter fallout was explosive and more importantly, real—something that is incredibly compelling to society. 

Have you ever watched a reality TV show and found yourself rolling your eyes at yet another fight because it just seemed so fake? It feels like that in sports sometimes, when  moments just feel so perfect it almost seems scripted. Take the New England Patriots’ comeback from 28-3 down to win Super Bowl LI, for example. Or Tiger Woods winning the 2019 Masters after a trying decade of disappointing performances, injury problems, and personal life matters. Or Brandi Chastain’s penalty to win the 1999 World Cup for the US on home soil in California. It’s too perfect. Yet, these were all real moments, and the emotions they made audiences feel appeals to human nature. Fans take comfort in magical moments like these, so it’s no surprise that sports are so beloved. We cherish the special games for the rest of our lives and cannot believe that we were fortunate enough to witness specific plays. 

In reality television, there’s an allure to  being able to see the drama in other people’s lives. It’s not dissimilar to sports, where fans murmur incessantly about the firing of coaches, and unhappy players leak private gossip about their teams to news sources. More often than not, the drama can be found simply in the game itself. Players go from zero to hero in an instant, such as when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy became an NFL starter after being the last draft pick; which could possibly make an entertaining biopic someday. Meaningless games at the beginning of the season become meaningful fast when playoff stakes start to loom on the horizon. A different side of the fandom comes out as championships start to feel palpable during “win or go home” games. Fans celebrate vigorously when their team wins and mourn apoplectically at losses. These vivid emotions can carry on for days at a time. What is it about sports that inspires humans to behave this way? 

A large part of this is our connection to the players. There are athletes who seem to simply transcend sports. Look at Sir Lewis Hamilton. The Formula 1 driver has nearly three times more followers on Instagram than the next highest-followed driver, Charles Leclerc. He has 10 million more followers than the official F1 Instagram account. It’s easy to understand why when you combine the success and dominance that Hamilton has seen with his cultural and political relevance. The British racer has become an icon in his own right through his distinguishable fashion style, his charity work, and his political and social justice activism. Athletes like Hamilton are a large part of why so many fans tune in every week to watch their favorite sports. Much like we love our favorite reality TV characters and wish for them to succeed, we care about the athletes we watch. 

In sports, there are heroes we love and villains we love to hate. We feel jubilant when the “good guys” win; we feel disconsolate when the “bad guys” prevail. At the end of the day, humans love a good story—and sports provide some of the best stories, because they’re real.