Media
Soccer talk: Kyndra de St. Aubin
How Minnesota United found its new TV analyst
MLS’s Minnesota United made headlines this month when it hired Kyndra de St. Aubin as an analyst for its game productions. The move makes de St. Aubin the only female analyst in MLS and one of the few in sports media to do work on a men’s sport.
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The team’s co-owner who made the hire is Ben Grossman, who advises Fox Sports on its soccer coverage through his Selhurst Media Ventures practice. I asked Grossman to walk me through his decision.
■ Why did you make this hire?
GROSSMAN: I got to know Kyndra’s work extensively working with [executive producer] David Neal during the Women’s World Cup, when her great work earned her a role doing color on a semifinal that she had not been previously scheduled to call. When I got involved in Minnesota United, she was my first thought because I knew our fans would love that she was a fantastic analyst, a tireless worker and passionate about her Minnesota roots. She’ll be great on TV, and she’ll be great growing MLS and the game in our community.
■ How can you convince people that this is not a stunt?
GROSSMAN: Watch her first game for five minutes. End of conversation. Soccer is soccer. And Kyndra knows soccer, and she’s a great broadcaster, period. If people want to use this to say we are a progressive-thinking soccer club, that’s great. But all we did was pick the person we thought was most qualified to serve our fans for this particular role.
