Yesterday was the World Cup final. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time — Ferran Torres in the 106th minute — and closed out what I think was one of the great sporting events any of us have witnessed in this country.
I'll be honest: I don't think anyone predicted it would do what it did. The feel-good stories alone were worth it — the Tartan Army taking over Boston, Algerian fans being adopted by Lawrence, Kansas, Spain finding a home in Chattanooga. Cape Verde drawing Spain in the group stage and nearly beating Argentina. The US team making the round of 16. And the interest that lingered even after America was eliminated.
On the business side, Fox paid $485 million for these rights. Sounds like a lot. It wasn't. They were delivering NFL-level ratings — 20, 30, 40, 50 million viewers combined when you add Telemundo. The next rights cycle starts at a billion, and ESPN, Netflix, and others are already circling.
Today's Daily Dose is my full take on what the World Cup meant — on the field, off the field, and what comes next.
Want the rest? Go All-Access.
You're reading a members-only piece. All-Access unlocks the full Sunday Seven, every Daily Dose video, and the complete archive — everything Andrew publishes, in one place.
Get All-AccessAll-Access gets you::
- Every Sunday Seven — the weekly long read
- The Daily Dose — 2–3 video takes a week
- Full archive access
- Reader Q&A in the newsletter