The social media channels for ESPN's flagship news show are not off to a great start in their coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Twitter account for "SportsCenter" deleted an unfortunate tweet in which it asked followers to "imagine" stars from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL suiting up for the US Men's National Team.
The post included a amateur-looking doctored photo showing the heads of superstars such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and others superimposed onto the bodies of USMNT players.
The tweet was taken down after some swift backlash from soccer fans, who are often known to be touchy about the sport getting something less than top billing stateside.
Meanwhile there's renewed hope for the USMNT heading into this year's Cup, after it failed to qualify for the 2018 installment in Russia. The team is now led by forward Christian Pulisic, a rising star who plays professionally with Chelsea of the Premier League. Right-back DeAndre Yedlin is the only player on the roster with World Cup experience after seeing action during the 2014 edition in Brazil.
In any event, though the contested post was ultimately removed, fans and journalists were peeved at what they perceived to be the suggestion that the USMNT does not feature the best athletes that the US has to offer.
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