When soccer calls, America watches

Trivia. What was the most watched TV show -among all U.S. broadcast networks- on the night of May 27 among all men ages 18-34?

Answer: the Mexican League Soccer final match pitching Pachuca vs. America, which was broadcast live by Azteca America and viewed by 2.2 million people in the United States.

In a statement the network said today that, following actual live start and end times, Nielsen revised its count to 2.2 million, up from the 1.9 million thought to have originally viewed the game. According to the new ratings, the Pachuca-America match attracted 1% more male 18-34 viewers than ABC’s May 26 NBA Conference Finals playoff match; 10% more than FOX’s Nascar Nextel Cup on May 26; over 40% more than ABC’s Indy 500 Race aired on May 26; and over 70% more than FOX’s Saturday Baseball Game of the Week on May 26.

As the originator of the missive said: “It may be time to reconsider America’s national pastimes.”

Geography lessons from Expedia.com

In a recent marketing pitch, Internet travel agency Expedia.com urges visitors to rush as there are only 3 days left to get “rock-bottom fares to Central and South America” flying with Taca.

The funny thing, though, is that the image Expedia picked to promote flights to Central and South America is a photo of the ancient Atlantes de Tula, the Toltec ruins located in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.

What’s more, once you scroll down the promotional newsletter, you’ll find Expedia is also inviting you to save while traveling to the following cities: Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and … wait, here’s the best one: Columbia. Not only none of the places mentioned above are cities, but Columbia? …

Some people would let this go without an itch, but not my friend Carlos, who actually sent Expedia an email pointing out the geographical inaccuracies in the newsletter. Expedia’s reply is only funnier than the original pitch:

“Thank you for contacting us about incorrect spelling. We regret that your experience with Expedia.com was not satisfying.”