‘Some sacrifices you have to make’: Gee chooses World Cup over son’s wedding day

As the FIFA World Cup’s inaugural appearance in Seattle is just around the corner, KIRO host Gee Scott had some exciting news to share.

Gee was proud to announce on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio that he will be emceeing the FIFA World Cup in Seattle, but the news was bittersweet, as it means he will have to miss his son’s wedding.

“I’ll just let you guys know, I’m excited about the World Cup. I’ve been researching a lot about the World Cup, and the reason why is that I’ll be an emcee for the FIFA World Cup,” Gee said. “Some of you will probably never look at me the same after I tell you this. Not only is the first game on Juneteenth, but it is also the day my son gets married.”

A father’s once-in-a-lifetime opportunity collides with his son’s once-in-a-lifetime day

While being an emcee for six FIFA World Cup games is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, many may believe a child’s wedding day shares the same importance, or potentially exceeds it.

Gee said that there are times in life where there is a fork in the road, and you have to make a calculated decision, but at the end of the day, he is human and is sad to miss out on his son’s wedding day.

“There’s just some sacrifices that you have to make sometimes,” Gee said. “You know, you miss events.”

“Was there an option to not do the 19th and just do the other ones, or do you have to take all of [the games]?” Ursula asked.

“I had to take it all. I’ll say this, does it bother me? Yes, I’m human,” Gee responded. “It’s the biggest fear of missing out, it’s like having to go to work and missing the barbecue at your house. Or, more importantly, you had work, couldn’t get off, and you missed the birth of your child. Does it hurt? Yes. Is this something that I don’t even like talking about? Yes.”

Ursula asked what Gee’s son’s reaction to the news was, and if he understood the decision to participate in the FIFA World Cup events.

“He gets it. He understands. He’s a big thinker. I think my son probably understands, but I don’t expect anybody else to,” Gee said. “I look at it like this: The same people who will judge me for still working are literally the same people who talk bad about me when I didn’t bring in any income at all; they just want something to talk bad about.”

“Is it possible to change the date of the wedding? Make it Saturday the 20th?” Ursula asked.

“I think it’ll be easier to change the World Cup game,” Gee responded.

World Cup hotel bookings fall short, Gee says Seattle’s ‘unique’ culture may be part of the story

In light of recent reports citing the FIFA World Cup as a “non-event” amongst the hotel industry, Gee cited the United States’ poor status for travelers as a cause for hotels seeing 60% fewer reservations than anticipated.

“The World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet; it dwarfs the Super Bowl,” Gee said. “However, inside the U.S., soccer is just a niche. It’s not football, basketball, or baseball. I’m not trying to be disrespectful, I’m really telling the truth. Outside of the U.S., it is huge, and it will be the most-watched event. It’s not even close.

“Travelers coming here, they don’t feel the red carpet like they used to,” he continued. “Right now, the U.S. is, ‘Hey, I go there, I’m scared this might happen. Look at all the stories and the headlines that we’ve had over the last year and a half. That’s a real thing.”

According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, 80% of hotels across the 11 host cities are describing room bookings as a “non-event.”

“They are calling the Seattle area specifically a non-event compared to other places. I would say Seattle is a very unique place,” Gee said. “In Seattle, there are so many things to do, people don’t just get caught up. That’s why, if your football or baseball team isn’t winning, and people say, ‘Seattle folks are fairweather fans,’ no, they’re not. They just have other things to do. You go camping, hiking, or you could play video games with Paul. There’s a lot of competition.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.