SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And now it's time for sports.
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SIMON: The World Cup quarterfinals, and France just keeps Mbappe-ing along. And Arthur Fery's winning streak has ended at Wimbledon, but what a run. Howard Bryant joins us. Howard, thanks so much for being with us.
HOWARD BRYANT: Good morning, Scott Simon. How are you?
SIMON: I'm fine. Thanks, my friend. Listen, of course, Spain won 2-1, Norway versus England kicks off later - kick off - get it? - kicks off later today. Then Argentina and Switzerland in primetime. What are you looking forward to?
BRYANT: I am looking for you to be wearing your Viking horns, Scott, as Norway...
SIMON: Well, they...
BRYANT: ...Keeps...
SIMON: They're hard to fit over the radio headset here.
BRYANT: Exactly.
SIMON: But if we get to game time, I think I can probably do it. Although, I like England, too. England's a great story.
BRYANT: Same. I'm looking for a classic here. I'm looking for fun. I mean, I think that one of the things about all of the World Cup - and it happens in every sport, really - is that we talk so much about labor, and we talk about shutdowns, and we talk about contracts and money and trades and all these things. And then you get to the game, and you see how much joy the game gives you. And the players are the game. You look at what Norway has been and New York and New England and all the fans - how well they've traveled. And of course, England has their own legions that they're trying...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...To please because they haven't won a World Cup in 60 years. You go back to 1966, the last time they won it. So they've got some nostalgia, and they've got an underdog streak going there, too. And then, of course, you've got the wonderful Mbappe in France.
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: And they're the juggernaut, and they are the team that's expected to win. But on the other hand, as much as they are expected to win, the defending champs, Argentina - still very much alive, unbelievable match that they played against Egypt. Egypt was so close, and - but the champs are the champs, and they've got Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all time to contend with. And so I think everybody has something to enjoy here. Spain is great, as well. I just think that once again, as we - the more we go into these tournaments, and the more we think about them, the more we're reminded that for all the difficulties and the business of sport, that this is what it comes down to, people are happy.
SIMON: Yeah. Let me ask you about Wimbledon. Women's final is currently underway. The men's final won't have that, if you please, fairytale ending. Britain's Arthur Fery had quite a run, didn't he? And this fits into what you're saying. The best thing about sports is the stories they give us.
BRYANT: A hundred percent. And Arthur Fery is a great story. When was the last time you've got a world No. 114, a wild card...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...Who had to be invited to the tournament, to make the semifinal? And England has its own, as we've talked about - England's history. Like, for years, we've been talking about how they hadn't had a male champion win this tournament since Fred Perry. And finally, Andy Murray broke that streak in 2013 and then won it again in 2016. And Arthur Fery is a similar story, in - simply in that it's - you just don't see these things. He's a kid who's actually from Wimbledon Village. He's from SW 19. He's from the village...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...From the neighborhood. And to be able - I mean, that's like growing up across the street from Yankee Stadium and playing for the Yankees. To be that local really gave those fans - and Wimbledon's a phenomenal tournament, but he really gave those fans something to cheer about for two weeks. Unbelievable run. And it ended, but it was still, once again...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...One of the things that you just love to see. Great story.
SIMON: I want to ask you about Coco Gauff. Her Wimbledon ended with the loss of the women's semifinal to Karolina Muchova. Machova (ph)?
BRYANT: Muchova.
SIMON: Muchova. Forgive me - Karolina Muchova. Some people have not had what I'd refer to as a temperate reaction to her loss.
BRYANT: Yeah, it's funny, Scott. I mean, the people who love her the most are the ones who are the harshest. I mean, she had a great tournament. She's 22 years old.
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: She has been - she's got two championships already. She's got two finals. She is on her way to being one of the greatest of all time, she's not Serena Williams. She was never going to be Serena Williams. It's OK. Nobody is Serena Williams. And she's Coco Gauff, and she's a phenomenal player. She's a great player. She's going to be in the top five again. There's no reason to be anything but optimistic about everything she's done and everything she's going to do.
SIMON: Howard Bryant, thanks so much. Talk to you soon, my friend.
BRYANT: Oh, my pleasure, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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