Roger Bennett
Bennett in 2022
Born
Roger James Bennett

(1970-09-14) 14 September 1970 (age 53)
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Other namesRog Bennett
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupation(s)Journalist, author, radio presenter, film maker
Known forMen in Blazers
Spouse
Vanessa Kroll
​
(m. 2000)​
[1]
RelativesNick Kroll (brother-in-law)

Roger James Bennett (born 14 September 1970) is a British-American broadcaster, podcaster, and filmmaker. He hosts multiple podcasts and founded the Men in Blazers Media Network. In June 2021, Bennett released a memoir entitled Reborn in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to his Chosen Home which debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.[2]

Career

Bennett in 2022.

Men in Blazers

See also: Men in Blazers

The podcast began on the Grantland network in 2011 and quickly established itself as the most popular football podcast in North America.[citation needed] Regular guests included Matthew McConaughey, John Oliver, Will Ferrell, and bands like The National, HAIM, and Jason Isbell, all of whom came on the show to discuss their footballing passions.

After becoming a cult hit on ESPN during the 2014 World Cup,[3] the duo signed with NBCSN to create a weekly half-hour television show "Men in Blazers" which covers the English Premier League. It debuted on 15 September 2014, and is filmed in a studio in the SoHo area of New York City, which Bennett refers to as “The Panic Room.”

The show celebrates Premier League storylines week to week. Bennett interviews a celebrity in the final third of each episode. His guests have included Will Ferrell, Laura Linney, DeAndre Hopkins, Killer Mike, Rory McIlroy, Niall Horan, and Alex Morgan.

Other sports

Empowered by the popularity of the Men In Blazers football coverage, Bennett and Men In Blazers, along with his production partner, Jonathan Williamson, have gone on to create content on NFL, golf, where they cover the British Open and The Presidents Cup, and the NHL.

Men In Blazers on Ice

In 2019, Men in Blazers debuted Men in Blazers on Ice, where Bennett sat down with NHL stars to talk through their careers and the lessons they have learned along the way. The first season featured PK Subban[4] and Alex Ovechkin.[5] Season two premiered in the spring of 2020 and featured interviews with T. J. Oshie,[6] Auston Matthews,[7] Ryan O'Reilly,[8] Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper,[9] and Victor Hedman.[10]

Live tours

Every summer, Bennett and Davies tour the nation playing a stream of live tours which bring together footballing loving Americans in a theater setting with guests including Waka Flocka, Sam Darnold, and Julie Ertz. The tours were the subject of a "Real Sports" feature on HBO.[11]

Films

Thanks to the popularity of Men In Blazers, Bennett has been invited by numerous teams to film with their managers and players. He has created television specials with José Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Steve Kerr, Arsène Wenger, Mauricio Pochettino, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane, Virgil van Dijk, and Wayne Rooney. In 2018, Bennett made a 3-part NBC Sports television story on the history of Liverpool F.C., entitled “In the Shadow of the Kop”.[12]

The Promoted series

In 2017, Bennett launched an annual three-part television series on NBC, entitled ”The Promoted” where he visits the cities of every newly promoted Premier League teams to tell the story of their journey to the Premier League and the culture that surrounds the club. 2017's episodes were Newcastle United F.C.,[13] Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.[14] and Huddersfield Town A.F.C.[15] 2018 featured Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.,[16] Cardiff City F.C.,[17] and Fulham F.C.[18] 2019 had Norwich City F.C.,[19] Sheffield United F.C.,[20] and Aston Villa F.C.[21] 2020 included Leeds United F.C.[22] 2021 featured Brentford F.C.[23]

Podcasts

American Fiasco

In 2018, Bennett partnered with WNYC to create American Fiasco,[24] a 10-part series that followed the rise and fall of US Soccer's World Cup dreams in 1998, when the American squad believed that after successfully hosting the 1994 tournament, nothing could stop them from going to the next one and winning it all. The series was described as "part love letter to the American game, and part forensic accounting of the nation’s inability to fulfill its dreams in the global game." It reached Number One on iTunes in its debut week.[25]

Wayne Rooney podcast

After Wayne Rooney filmed a Men in Blazers Special with Bennett,[26] the duo went on to tape a regular monthly podcast, The Wayne Rooney Podcast whilst Rooney was in the United States.[27]

HBO podcasts

In July 2020, Bennett produced and hosted an eight-part podcast series for HBO.[28] Airing weekly, each episode featured an interview between Bennett and a member of the cast of Succession discussing the series in anticipation of its third season.

In September 2021, Bennett and HBO announced The Band of Brothers Podcast,[29] a 12-part interview series in honor of the 20th anniversary of Band of Brothers. Episodes featured interviews with cast and crew members, including Tom Hanks, Damian Lewis, and Ron Livingston.

World Corrupt

In October 2022, Bennett partnered with Tommy Vietor of Crooked Media to produce a seven-part podcast series tackling the corruption and human rights controversies surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.[30]

The Women's Game

Bennett has taped films with US Women World Cup winners including Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, and Lindsey Horan. In April 2022, Bennett and Men in Blazers launched The Women's Game, a podcast dedicated to the National Women's Soccer League and the global women's game.[31] Along with Bennett, the podcast features a rotating slate of current NWSL players as co-hosts. Season One co-hosts were Becky Sauerbrunn, Midge Purce, Megan Klingenberg, Andi Sullivan, Tierna Davidson, Alana Cook, and Nadia Nadim. The podcast also features interviews with a variety of guests, including San Diego Wave head coach Casey Stoney and Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman.

European Nights

In February 2022, Bennett launched European Nights, a podcast devoted to the Champions League and European football, which Bennett co-hosts alongside the New York Times Chief Soccer Correspondent Rory Smith.[31]

Tyler Adams: Road to the Cup

Beginning in April 2022, Bennett released a monthly 8-part podcast with Tyler Adams.[32]

Go! Go! USA!

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Bennett released the podcast series Go! Go! USA! with Ted Lasso creator Brendan Hunt, chronicling the history of the US Men's National Team.[33]

Books

Bennett has published books on a slew of eclectic topics including Bar Mitzvah Disco, a book on Bar Mitzvah photographs of the 1980s, which he wrote with his brother-in-law, Nick Kroll,[34]Everything You Know is Pong, which he wrote with Eli Horowitz about table tennis.[35] In June 2021, Bennett released a memoir entitled Reborn in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to his Chosen Home.[36] It debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller List.[37] It was listed as one of Amazon's Best Nonfiction Books of Year in Nov. 2021.[38] In 2022, he and Davies compiled a list of greatest international soccer players entitled Gods of Soccer: The Pantheon of the 100 Greatest Soccer Players (According To Us) ahead of the 2022 World Cup.[39]

Other projects

In 2010, he created the architectural design competition Sukkah City with journalist Joshua Foer.[40] Bennett is also co-founder of a record label, Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation, that has tracked down lost music from the 1950s and 60s and reissued it including BAGELS AND BONGOS[41] and BLACK SABBATH.[42] In 2018, he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post about Wayne Rooney[43] A lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox, Bennett threw out the first pitch on August 29, 2019.[44]

Personal life

Bennett married Vanessa Kroll, daughter of Kroll Inc. founder Jules Kroll, in 2000. His brother-in-law is comedian Nick Kroll.[45] Bennett is Jewish.[40] In 2014, he announced he would be becoming a naturalized US citizen based upon the United States men's national soccer team's progress in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Bennett became a US citizen on 1 June 2018.[46][47] Bennett is a longtime supporter of Everton F.C. Bennett is also a fan of the Chicago Bears, the Chicago White Sox,[48] and the Washington Capitals.[49] He has a dog named Martin Scorsese. [50] He is fond of Tracy Chapman and tweed.[citation needed]

Bibliography

  • ISBN 978-1400080441 - Bar Mitzvah Disco
  • ISBN 978-0307382627 - Camp Camp: Where Fantasy Island Meets Lord of the Flies
  • ISBN 978-0307394675 - And You Shall Know Us By the Trail of Our Vinyl
  • ISBN 978-0345517920 - The ESPN World Cup Companion
  • ISBN 978-0061690518 - Everything you know is pong
  • ISBN 978-0761169192 - Unscrolled
  • ISBN 9781101875988 - "Encyclopedia Blazertannica: A Suboptimal Guide to Soccer, America's "Sport of the Future" Since 1972"
  • ISBN 978-0062958693 - Reborn in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to his Chosen Home

References

  1. ^ "Weddings". The New York Times. 29 October 2000. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  2. ^ @nytimesbooks (9 July 2021). "Roger Bennett's "(Re)born in the USA" scores the top spot on our hardcover nonfiction best-seller list" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Mahler, Jonathan (25 June 2014). "At World Cup, Two Unknowns Are Surprise Stars". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  4. ^ "P.K. Subban discusses paving his own path on 'Men in Blazers' - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "Alexander Ovechkin gets personal on 'Men in Blazers' - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "T.J. Oshie discusses the Washington Capitals' pregame rituals on 'Men in Blazers' - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Auston Matthews discusses friendship with Justin Bieber on 'Men In Blazers' - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Ryan O'Reilly joins 'Men in Blazers' - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "Men in Blazers: Jon Cooper - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Victor Hedman joins 'Men in Blazers' - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "Men in Blazers | Real Sports w/ Bryant Gumbel | HBO - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  12. ^ ""In the Shadow of the Kop" series kicks off". sports.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  13. ^ Newcastle United: Promoted, 22 September 2017, archived from the original on 12 November 2020, retrieved 21 July 2020
  14. ^ Brighton FC: Promoted, 22 September 2017, retrieved 21 July 2020
  15. ^ "NBC Promoted Series - Huddersfield Town". YouTube. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  16. ^ Promoted: Wolves debuts today on NBCSN, 23 September 2018, retrieved 21 July 2020
  17. ^ @NBCSportsSoccer (30 September 2018). "We're just 10 minutes away from the debut of @rogbennett's Promoted: Cardiff City. Be sure to catch it NBCSN!" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Promoted", Fulham F.C., 2 September 2018, archived from the original on 9 November 2020, retrieved 27 October 2020
  19. ^ "NBC Documentary | Norwich Promoted". YouTube. Archived from the original on 18 September 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ^ "Sheffield United | NBC Promoted Documentary". YouTube. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  21. ^ Promoted: Aston Villa ready to reclaim rightful place in the Premier League, 29 September 2019, retrieved 21 July 2020
  22. ^ "Leeds United street art? 'Burley Banksy' on his inspiration | Premier League | NBC Sports". YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. ^ "NBC Special on Brentford". YouTube. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  24. ^ "American Fiasco: Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  25. ^ "iTunesCharts.net: 'American Fiasco' by WNYC Studios (American Podcasts iTunes Chart)". www.itunescharts.net. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Watch The Men in Blazers Show | NBC Sports". stream.nbcsports.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  27. ^ Blazers, Men In. "The Wayne Rooney Podcast Episode 3". Men in Blazers. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Succession - HBO's Succession Podcast". HBO. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  29. ^ Patten, Dominic (2 September 2021). "Tom Hanks Kicks Off 'Band Of Brothers' Podcast As HBO Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of Acclaimed Miniseries". Deadline. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Men in Blazers and Crooked Media partner for 'World Corrupt' FIFA World Cup podcast series". 30 September 2022.
  31. ^ a b "'Men in Blazers' Launch New Women's Soccer and European Nights Podcast".
  32. ^ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tyler-adams-road-to-the-cup-episode-1-powered-by-volkswagen/id908407811?i=1000558246857
  33. ^ https://meninblazers.com/2022/10/23/go-go-usa-with-brendan-hunt/
  34. ^ Bennett, Roger; Shell, Jules; Kroll, Nick (2005). Bar Mitzvah Disco. ISBN 978-1-4000-8044-1.
  35. ^ "'Everything You Know is Pong' By Roger Bennett And Eli Horowitz". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  36. ^ Bennett, Roger (29 June 2021). Reborn in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to His Chosen Home. ISBN 978-0062958693.
  37. ^ @nytimesbooks (9 July 2021). "Roger Bennett's "(Re)born in the USA" scores the top spot on our hardcover nonfiction best-seller list" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  38. ^ @rogbennett (17 November 2021). "Blown away to see Reborn in USA selected on @amazonbooks Best Nonfiction Books of Year. Genuinely humbled to be in…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. ^ Nawaz, Amna (21 October 2022). "Roger Bennett of 'Men in Blazers' on World Cup 2022 and the 100 greatest players". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  40. ^ a b Bernstein, Fred (16 September 2010). "A Harvest of Temporary Shelters". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  41. ^ Caramanica, Jon (21 August 2005). "Funny, It Doesn't Sound Jewish". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  42. ^ "The Secret Musical History Of...'Black Sabbath'?". NPR.org. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  43. ^ "Fallen star Wayne Rooney saved his soccer career — and D.C.'s team along with it". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  44. ^ "Roger Bennett on Life, the White Sox, and the Beauty of Sports". YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  45. ^ @rogbennett (15 January 2013). "My real life brother-in-law, @nickkroll has a show starting tomorrow night on @ComedyCentral 10.30 EST. He's like a male Mrs. Patmore" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  46. ^ @rogbennett (1 June 2018). "American Rog 🇺🇸 one of 162 New Americans Sworn in from 47 countries around the World. "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 🇺🇸🙌🍻" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  47. ^ @rogbennett (6 November 2018). "I've lived in United States for 25 years. This is first time I am eligible to do this. My greatest day as an Americ…" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 September 2020 – via Twitter.
  48. ^ "White Sox Talk Podcast: Roger Bennett's undying love for the White Sox". RSN. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  49. ^ "One-Timer: What Roger Bennett loves about Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie". RSN. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  50. ^ https://twitter.com/meninblazers/status/1517964142317027333

Further reading

External links