So, Breel Embolo became the first player sent off after a VAR review in the recent World Cup quarterfinal. You’d think that kind of groundbreaking moment would get the attention it deserves, right? But no. Instead of condemning the game’s inconsistencies, corporate media like CNN and ESPN are shoving celebratory narratives down our throats. They’d rather paint a picture of VAR as a miraculous tool for justice than acknowledge its massive flaws in real-time decision-making.

Meanwhile, outlets like Fox Sports lean on sensationalism—turning Embolo’s historic dismissal into a headline, all while ignoring the context surrounding it. Was it a fair showing? Was VAR the hero they claim it to be, or just another piece of tech that complicates a game we all love? Don’t expect CNN or NBC to ask those questions. Their narrative is to push a glossy image of tech triumphing over human fallibility, a fantasy that conveniently ignores the true drama of the sport.

The truth is, this incident is a symptom of a bigger problem in soccer: the excess of technology versus the beauty of the game. Are we becoming so enamored with our screens that we forget about human instinct and judgment? If so, buckle up, because we’re in for a wild ride down this slippery slope, driven by corporate interests rather than what fans actually want: genuine competition with all its gritty unpredictability.