Jake Bates Is Living His Best World Cup Life While We’re Still Processing Last Season
The World Cup is here, and Jake Bates is exactly where you’d expect a soccer superfan turned NFL kicker to be. Completely locked in on both sides of the field.
The Detroit News caught up with our guy as the U.S. Men’s National Team prepared to take on Paraguay at So-Fi Stadium. When asked which Lion could join the USMNT roster, Bates didn’t hesitate. “That’d be me,” he said. “That’d be like a dream come true watching the World Cup and thinking, man, that’s going to be me one day.”
Plot twist, Jake. You became a professional NFL kicker for a team that’s actually good now. Not the worst consolation prize in the world.
A Kicker With Opinions
Bates also weighed in on which soccer player he’d add to the Lions roster, picking defender Chris Richards. Though considering Richards is nursing an ankle injury, maybe we keep our roster intact and healthy for now. We’ve had enough injury drama to last several lifetimes.
His World Cup predictions? The U.S. and Paraguay make it out of the Group Stage, Falorun Balogun leads in goals, and the Americans make it to the semifinal. Bold calls from a guy who knows what it’s like to deliver under pressure.
Balancing Two Obsessions
While he’s stuck in Michigan for OTAs, Bates managed to secure tickets to watch the USMNT take on Australia in Seattle next week. For the final Group Stage match, he’ll head back home to Texas.
“I have some friends from home that I used to play soccer with that I’m sure we’ll get together with,” he said.
There’s something perfect about watching a guy who kicked his way from making kicks to Ford Field now juggling World Cup fandom with NFL obligations. This is the kind of story that makes you believe in second acts and unexpected paths.
The man went from learning to kick to nailing kicks in Honolulu Blue. Now he’s breaking down World Cup matchups like he belongs in both worlds. Because at this point, maybe he does.
Are we witnessing the most interesting athlete story in Detroit right now, or is Jake Bates just getting started? Drop your take below.
