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By Brian Hews
Publisher | Follow X
July 16, 2026
July 16, 2026
After a local radio DJ spoiled a World Cup semifinal, I started wondering whether broadcasters have forgotten that not everyone watches sports live anymore.
By Brian Hews
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has shattered television and streaming records, but it has also highlighted a modern reality: not everyone watches live.
Millions of fans record matches, avoid social media, silence sports notifications and spend hours dodging the final score so they can experience the game later as if it were live.
That’s why a growing number of television and radio personalities begin sports discussions with two simple words:
“Spoiler alert.”
It takes five seconds.
Apparently, that’s too much to ask.
Earlier this week, my wife and I were driving home around 2:30 p.m. listening to the Booker and Stryker afternoon show on Southern California rock station ALT 98.7. Without warning, one of the hosts blurted out the final score of the World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England.
Just like that, the match I’d been looking forward to watching later that evening was over before I ever got home.
I later contacted one of the hosts and (strongly) suggested that a brief spoiler warning would have been a simple courtesy for listeners who hadn’t yet seen the game.
His response?
“We’re live. If you don’t want to know a soccer score, don’t turn on a LIVE anything.”
Nice guy….
But I think he’s missing the point.
Twenty years ago, when almost everyone watched games as they happened, revealing a score during a live radio show wasn’t much of an issue.
Today, streaming, DVRs and on-demand viewing have completely changed how people consume sports.
World Cup matches are played throughout the workday. Many fans simply can’t watch them live. Instead, they spend the day avoiding scores so they can enjoy the match later without already knowing the outcome.
Television networks routinely avoid revealing scores during unrelated programming. Many podcasts begin sports discussions with spoiler warnings. Even sports websites increasingly give readers the opportunity to avoid game results before clicking into coverage.
No one is suggesting broadcasters shouldn’t discuss sports.
The question is whether taking five seconds to say, “If you haven’t seen today’s World Cup match, spoiler ahead,” is simply good broadcasting.
To me, it’s no different than warning viewers before revealing the ending of a hit television series or blockbuster movie.
It’s not about censorship.
It’s about courtesy.
Broadcasters are, of course, free to reveal scores whenever they choose.
Listeners are equally free to decide whether that approach reflects the kind of relationship they want with their audience.
In an era when more people than ever watch on their own schedules, a five-second spoiler warning doesn’t seem like much to ask.
Sometimes, good broadcasting isn’t about what you say.
It’s about remembering who’s listening.
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