Look, we all talk about getting that money, but this right here is some next-level hustle. Two regular soccer fans just secured a massive $50,000 (£37,800) bag each just to sit on their backsides and watch all 104 matches of the World Cup. Fox One hired Kevin Akoto and Austin Franklin as their official "Chief World Cup Watchers," but there’s a major catch: they gotta do the whole gig inside a giant glass box right in the middle of Times Square, with thousands of tourists staring at them like they're animals in a zoo.

This ain't your average living room, either. The corporate sponsors went all out and hooked the glass booth up with leather recliners, a matching brown sofa, two giant flat screens, a foosball table, and all the snacks and soccer gear you could ever want. Kevin, who used to sweat it out as a line cook down in Florida, keeping it real, said it’s basically what any 20-year-old soccer fan would put in their room if they had the cash. But instead of being in a quiet basement, they are sitting right in the center of the loudest block in New York City.

To get this gig, Kevin and Austin had to beat out thousands of other people who wanted to get paid to watch sports. For Kevin, getting out of a hot commercial kitchen to sit in an air-conditioned glass box is a major come-up. Austin, who already does the influencer thing out of Philly, is used to being on camera, but doing it 24/7 in front of a live crowd of tourists walking down Broadway is a completely different beast.

And don't get it twisted—this job is actually wearing them down. With six matches dropping every single day during the group stage, these guys are realizing that watching TV for a living is a straight-up marathon. Kevin admitted to the media that both him and Austin are feeling super tired and having a hard time keeping up with the relentless schedule. Austin agreed, saying that even though it’s a relatively easy job—literally sitting on a couch watching the beautiful game—it’s still exhausting and he’s gotta make sure he gets his eight hours of sleep whenever he can.

Luckily, the bosses aren't making them pull 24-hour shifts inside the glass tank. They get to leave the Times Square fishbowl at the end of their shifts to go sleep in a real bed and recharge for the next day's grind. If they had to sleep in that public box with NYC street lights flashing in their eyes all night, that $50k wouldn't even be worth the stress.

But the perks are definitely hitting different. These dudes are getting served gourmet food from whatever countries are playing on the screen. They actually got to watch Lionel Messi make history and break the all-time World Cup scoring record while they were tearing down some authentic Argentinian barbecue inside the booth. That’s a major flex, and probably the moment they realized just how crazy this opportunity really is.

On top of the free food, the energy outside the glass has been wild. Times Square is always packed with tourists, but during the World Cup, the global vibes are on another level. Thousands of passionate Brazilian fans flooded the plaza right outside their window, and a bunch of wild Norwegian supporters even pulled up and did their famous Viking rowing celebration right on the pavement. Austin said meeting all these fans from around the world and talking about soccer, culture, and how they view the US has been the best part of the whole experience.

But living in a fishbowl will make you lose your mind a little bit. Austin admitted that he constantly forgets he’s in the middle of Times Square with thousands of eyes on him. He’ll get so sucked into a match for 10 or 15 minutes that when he finally looks up, he’s startled to see Kevin next to him and a wall of random people staring through the glass. It’s a complete trip, showing how easy it is to tune out the madness when you're locked into the game.

When it comes to who’s taking the trophy home, the boys have different views. Kevin, repping his roots in the US and Ghana, is supporting both teams but putting his money on Spain to win the championship. Austin is rocking a Norway jersey, not because he’s got family there, but because he’s a fan of how Erling Haaland and the squad have been playing, betting on them to bring it home if things go their way.

Still, not everybody is sold on this being a dream job. Some of the folks watching from the pavement are skeptical. A 52-year-old Norwegian fan named Eimund Liland and his teenage daughter Camille looked at the glass setup and said the whole thing seemed like a bit of an "overkill." At the end of the day, getting $50,000 to watch soccer sounds like a movie, but doing it inside a human zoo in the middle of Manhattan is a grind that isn't for everybody.

Sources: * New York City Department of Small Business Services. (2023). Tourism and Public Space Management in the Times Square District. NYC.gov. * U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for Spectator Sports and Promotion. Department of Labor. * National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. (2021). Mental Fatigue and Performance Standards in High-Visibility Promotional Sectors. CDC Report.