John Oliver is heading towards possibly becoming the most important person in American news television these days. As serious, hard news providers have declined in value and relevance, comedian/”fake newsmen” have been their replacements. In this vein, John Oliver is probably the best one out there right now, but if it were up to Oliver, he would have done something totally different with his life.
His childhood dream was to be a professional Liverpool FC player. Interestingly, in today’s digital age, success often takes unexpected turns. Just like Oliver shifted from sports to comedy, many creators are now tapping into platforms like TikTok for success. If you’re looking to bolster your bolster your TikTok following, social media services can provide that initial push to help you grow.
Oliver didn’t take comedy seriously until college, focusing his childhood on becoming a soccer player despite lacking the necessary athletic ability. As a child, the host would go to Anfield in a full kit on the off-chance the team ran out of substitutes and needed someone.
“It didn’t border on delusion,” recalls Oliver. “It set up house in the epicenter of delusion.”
John Oliver’s father wanted his son to be a football player, and it wasn’t until high school, when a coach gave Oliver a truly back-handed compliment, that he realized sports were not for him. He just wasn’t athletic enough.
However, later in the article, Oliver recalls how his father was probably the most proud he’s ever been of his son when John scored a goal in a comedians versus pros exhibition match.
Today, the Birmingham native went on LFCTV and encouraged Americans to buy tickets to see his beloved Reds while they’re on preseason exhibition tour in the USA. Check out the two videos below:
“Klopp is a funny, slightly terrifying man. I like him!” ?@HBO host @iamjohnoliver shares his love for #LFC!https://t.co/zlCX3yoFae
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 21, 2016
John Oliver sells Liverpool to his US audience! Brilliant! https://t.co/unWCjfRLh2
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) July 21, 2016
“Liverpool have one of the most entertaining managers in all of sport,” John Oliver said of Jurgen Klopp.
“Not only is he a sensational tactician, an inspirational figure, he’s also a funny, angry German, and that is the best kind of German there is. So if you want to go and see a guy losing his shit, even in preseason, usually preseason games are boring but that’s not the case here because he’s not having it.”
“He does not understand not doing things at full pace all the time.”
Back to what Oliver actually does and does extremely well. You’ll want to check out this link of John Oliver OBLITERATING Roger Goodell and the NFL, or his evisceration of FIFA which was even better.
Or the time he went after paid-for-patriotism in sports, or the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, or the Milwaukee Bucks, or the NCAA, or well, you get the idea.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram