Joe Machnik, PhD, is one of the leading authorities in soccer and a familiar face on top-level broadcasts, including the World Cup and national team competitions. He’s in the National Soccer Hall of Fame and he’s been involved in the game since the middle 1950’s. But according to Machnik, much of his fame is thanks to the PhD degree he received from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
“My career has just been a snowball that keeps going and going,” he said. “But without the PhD it never would have happened, and I never would have been known as Dr. Joe.”
A lifelong East Coaster, Machnik found the University of Utah by chance. He was coaching soccer and teaching at the University of New Haven, which required faculty to pursue a PhD. But despite night school at NYU and Columbia, Machnik didn’t see a clear path toward a degree.
“A friend of a friend was out here at the University of Utah and said they’re so welcoming, you should give it a try,” he said. “My friend and I and our families drove across the country in the summer of 1971, rented a house in the foothills and started the degree program. It was just fabulous.”
Two summers later, Machnik had his degree in recreation/leisure studies. When he returned to the University of New Haven, he found the athletic department in turmoil. With his new PhD, Machnik assumed duties as the athletics director. Then the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) came calling.
The newly formed Major Indoor Soccer League hired Machnik as Referee-in Chief and Director of Operations, a role he held for five years, officiating hundreds of MISL games. In 1996, Machnik was hired by Major League Soccer (MLS) as Vice President of Game Operations and Director of the Office of Officiating Services. He retired from MLS after 15 years of service.
All that experience doesn’t even include Machnik’s tenure as a player and coach. He is believed to be the only person to play in the NCAA Soccer Tournament, coach in two NCAA Finals and referee a NCAA Championship Final. He played and coached at Long Island University before moving to the University of New Haven.
That would be enough of a career for most people, but Machnik wasn’t done yet. FOX started two sports networks (FS1 and FS2) and began a search for original talent for soccer broadcasts. He took a screen test and passed, opening the door to his current gig of rules analyst on top competitions.
“I was surprised when I got the call—I was already retired and it added a whole new phase to my life,” he said. “I’ve traveled quite a bit as a result, including Qatar, Russia and the women’s world cup in Canada.”
Soccer fans will recognize Dr. Joe as the rules expert and analyst chiming in on controversial calls. He uses his years of expertise to interpret rules and dissect official decisions for FOX Sports’ soccer coverage. Today he works out of his home studio and is connected to the producers while the game is broadcast.
“I might see something the announcers don’t see since I look at the game with different eyes,” he said. “If I do, I’ll let the producers know we have an issue, and that they might want to bring me in. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.”
A good example came in the last FIFA Women’s World Cup with a controversial call in the Final, a nailbiter between England and Spain. The referee missed a handling offense so the video assistant referee (VAR) recommended that she come to the replay monitor to see additional angles.
“When I saw the replay, I said that the referee will have to give the penalty, and she did,” Machnik said. “Perhaps she hadn’t called it originally because she was so close to the play and didn’t have the best angle. Often the best angle in the penalty area is from behind the goal. These are high stakes calls in the finals with your biggest audiences.”
Machnik’s analysis is essential in a game where the rules can become convoluted. Although soccer only has 17 laws, the lawbook is 225 pages long and the interpretation of the laws is unique.
“There’s a clause at the beginning of the lawbook that says if something is not clear in the laws of the game, the referee has to use common sense,” he said. “Basically, it answers the question of what the game should want or expect. Hopefully I can help clarify that with my insight.”
A career in pro sports sounds like the dream, and Machnik knows it’s a difficult field to crack. For students who are set on working in the pros, his advice is based on more than 60 years of experience.
“Everyone wants to do it, so you have to have patience and show you’re good at what you do,” he said. “You must also be easy to work with—this is the real key.”
A PhD isn’t required to work in sports, but Machnik cemented his reputation as an expert thanks to his degree from the University of Utah.
“There’s a lot of discipline and sacrifice in getting a doctoral degree,” he said. “You take the risk, do the hard work and get the rewards.”