Over the past couple of days, social media has been filled with foreign tourists marveling over aspects of American culture and hospitality ahead of the World Cup. For CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan, this was a surprising development, especially for tourists visiting the South. On Friday’s edition of The Situation Room, Brennan told hosts Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown that “we would never have anticipated” such hospitality given the country’s reputation as being “inhospitable.” Brennan never clarified who she meant by “we.” Blitzer began by highlighting a specific X user, who simply goes by Freddy, “The World Cup, as we all know, a major cultural eye-opener for so many fans traveling to North America to watch all of this, including here in the United States. There's a German fan whose name is Freddy, who has gained a massive following online as he has tweeted about discovering quintessential American staples, including Bass Pro Shop, Buc-ee's, and Waffle House. Talk to me a little bit about the importance of sports in giving people a glimpse into American culture.”   CNN did a segment on Freddy, the German soccer tourist, and sports analyst Christine Brennan claimed "I saw some conversation, Wolf and Pamela, about how the rest of the world is looking at the United States and feeling that we are—it's a foreboding image and that we are… pic.twitter.com/Eh2zQ8x5Pr — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) June 12, 2026   Brennan conceded, “That is so fun. That's the flip side of the conversation we were just having, is that these tourists are still coming. The ones who can, certainly Europeans, people who love soccer way more than the United States. It's been a part of their lives for, you know, ever where for us, as Coy was saying, it's a newer game on the women's and men's side.” It is not just Europeans. Another viral sensation has been Algerians experiencing Kansas hospitality.  However, things kept going downhill when Brennan continued, “And so, that—I've looked at those tweets from him just, he's having a delight, and Americans are loving that too. And I saw some conversation, Wolf and Pamela, about how the rest of the world is looking at the United States and feeling that we are—it's a foreboding image and that we are inhospitable.” Returning to Freddy, Brennan concluded, “And here is a German tourist, and others as well, now on social media saying, 'No, no, the Americans are great.' So, what a shame that that's the image that the world has. Many have of us. But how wonderful again, that sports can bring people here and show people that the United States and, you know, the South is welcoming a German tourist in a way we would never have anticipated.” If Brennan is surprised that the country, but especially the South, is welcoming foreign tourists and teams, then that says more about her, the media, and propagators of anti-American stereotypes than anybody else. Perhaps this is because Brennan associates kindness with liberalism. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, she boasted about Team USA’s liberal values on things such as “LGBTQ rights” being proof “they're not like their dads or their grandfather.” Christine Brennan says of Team USA, "they are not like their dads or their grandfathers" because they're social liberals. Despite the chyron being about the protests in Iran, Brennan was mostly talking about other things pic.twitter.com/R3DMn8m4SB — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) November 29, 2022 Here is a transcript for the June 11 show: CNN The Situation Room 6/11/2026 11:20 AM ET WOLF BLITZER: The World Cup, as we all know, a major cultural eye-opener for so many fans traveling to North America to watch all of this, including here in the United States. There's a German fan whose name is Freddy, who has gained a massive following online as he has tweeted about discovering quintessential American staples, including Bass Pro Shop, Buc-ee's, and Waffle House. Talk to me a little bit about the importance of sports in giving people a glimpse into American culture. CHRISTINE BRENNAN: That is so fun. That's the flip side of the conversation we were just having, is that these tourists are still coming. The ones who can, certainly Europeans, people who love soccer way more than the United States. It's been a part of their lives for, you know, ever where for us, as Coy was saying, it's a newer game on the women's and men's side. And so, that—I've looked at those tweets from him just, he's having a delight, and Americans are loving that too. And I saw some conversation, Wolf and Pamela, about how the rest of the world is looking at the United States and feeling that we are—it's a foreboding image and that we are inhospitable. And here is a German tourist, and others as well, now on social media saying, “No, no, the Americans are great.” So, what a shame that that's the image that the world has. Many have of us. But how wonderful again, that sports can bring people here and show people that the United States and, you know, the South is welcoming a German tourist in a way we would never have anticipated. PAMELA BROWN: And thanks to Freddy for showcasing all of that. BRENNAN: Exactly.