Category: Media

Stephen A. Smith Didn't Like Bob Myers Suggesting He Tears Teams Apart
10 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Stephen A. Smith Didn’t Like Bob Myers Suggesting He Tears Teams Apart

The Boston Celtics hosted the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Sunday night. During the "NBA Countdown" pregame show, Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Mike Wilbon, Bob Myers and Josh Hart discussed Mavericks coach Jason Kidd saying that Jaylen Brown was the Celtics best player. While the panel didn't have much to disagree on during the segment, it did lead to an interesting moment between Smith and Myers.

Myers was talking about how Kidd's comments might be an attempt by the Mavericks coach to divide the locker room, as Myers pointed out that's what happens when a team is on top. The former Golden State Warriors general manager also pointed out that more than ever, people are trying to tear teams down and suggested that Stephen A. Smith was one of the people who might be doing exactly that.

Smith took exception and blamed social media instead.

"The Celtics are on top, right," said Myers. "And anytime you're on top people used to come at Curry and Durant. They'd come at you in the media. They come at you on the street. And the point is—and Josh knows this—what matters is your locker room. The fabric of that locker room and what they can withstand. That Knicks fabric, you had that this year, but it is hard to find. We tear teams apart more than we ever have. Maybe on purpose, maybe not, maybe that guy down there."

That's when Smith jumped in to defend himself by saying, "Not me. Not me. Not me. That's social media. That's not me."

While the rest of the panel laughed, Myers joked about how he must have been mistaken. "Maybe you might," Myers asked. "That's somebody else? I thought it was you for a second there."

This marks the second time in a week that an ESPN colleague has called out Smith on-air after Monica McNutt put him on the spot on First Take for not using his platform to promote women's basketball before the Caitlin Clark era. When that happened, Smith took serious offense. And he clearly did not enjoy this moment either. We'll have to wait and see if he lets this one go tomorrow. It would certainly be interesting to hear him explain how he doesn't play some part in this exact kind of thing.

Bob Myers, ESPN, Josh Hart, Malika Andrews, Media, Mike Wilbon, NBA, Social Media, Stephen A. Smith
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Woj Vs. Shams Becomes Fascinating Subplot of Lakers Coaching Search
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Woj Vs. Shams Becomes Fascinating Subplot of Lakers Coaching Search

1. The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports. The news of who will get their head-coaching job is big. It’s important. It’s significant.

For sports media nerds like myself, though, the subplot to the Lakers' coaching job is much more fascinating. And that subplot is the battle between ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

There isn’t a reporter vs. reporter duel that gets more attention from sports fans than Woj vs. Shams.

The Woj vs. Shams grudge match came to the forefront early Thursday morning when Wojnarowski broke the news that the Lakers are targeting UConn’s Danny Hurley as their next head coach.

Just two days ago, Shams reported that the Lakers were closing in on JJ Redick as the top candidate.

Now, at the end of the day, who breaks the news is hardly that important. There’s no shame in Shams getting this one wrong. Sometimes sources aren’t accurate or a team changes its mind. Basically, s--- happens.

What made this particular Woj vs. Shams incident stand out is that ESPN’s biggest gun, Adam Schefter, even weighed in to send a message, whether it was intended or not.

Again, whether intended or not, that sentence about Hurley being at the forefront of the search from the beginning is a direct shot at Shams.

Like I said, who ultimately breaks the news of the Lakers' next coach isn’t going to change anything. But Woj coming in to throw a bomb all over Shams's earlier report makes for very entertaining tweets and memes.

2. A brand-new episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped this morning and it features an interview with The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, who shares information and gives updates on the biggest news in sports media.

Topics covered include the latest developments with the NBA's future TV deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon and where things stand with Warner Bros. Discovery/TNT. Marchand also reveals what he thinks NBC's plan is for a lead broadcast team, what will happen with the Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal, whether Barkley could end up at ESPN and why the relationship between TNT and the NBA deteriorated.

Marchand also discusses the Pat McAfee–Caitlin Clark controversy, the media's coverage of Clark and the WNBA and Tom Brady's future at Fox.

Following Marchand, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY joins me for our weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week's topics include new sports TV shows that are on the radar and the Yankees' dominance. Plus, we read the latest Apple reviews for SI Media With Jimmy Traina.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

3. In Tuesday’s Traina Thoughts, I wrote about the ridiculous notion by some people that you need to know about the WNBA’s history in order to opine on the WNBA.

Just as nonsensical as that take is this take.

Nope. You absolutely do not have to watch non–Caitlin Clark WNBA games if you do not want to. No sports fan or talking head has to watch anything they are not interested in. You are not required to have a “deeper sense of the league” to opine on general topics in any sport.

4. Pat McAfee WAS a punter, so it’s not totally shocking he’d have a good leg, but this was a hell of a pass.

As for J.J. Watt’s soccer prowess, well….

5. If you missed the news last week, it was announced that ESPN sold two college football playoff games to TNT. College football released its postseason schedule on Wednesday and now we know why ESPN would pass up on airing a pair of playoff games.

On Saturday, Dec. 21, TNT will air two first-round playoff games at noon and 4 p.m. ET.

It just so happens that two NFL games will take place at the same time.

Texans at Chiefs will air at 1 p.m. ET on NBC while the Steelers visit the Ravens at 4:30 p.m. on Fox.

6. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s enjoyment of gummies is not new, but he has now brought a new phrase into our lives with “G squared.”

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: The longtime ABC news program, 20/20, debuted on this date in 1978. This seems like the perfect reason to post this clip that every old-school wrestling fan knows well.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN, Lakers, Media, Shams Charania
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Joe Buck and His Feet Found a Continuity Error In the 1997 Film 'Titanic'
31 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Joe Buck and His Feet Found a Continuity Error In the 1997 Film ‘Titanic’

James Cameron's Titanic came out in theaters on December 19, 1997. It made billions of dollars at the box office. It was released on VHS in September 1998 and DVD in August 1999. For nearly three decades it's been one of the most enduring pieces of popular culture, based on one of the most famous events in history. For 26 years it's been referenced, parodied, celebrated and rewatched. It's hard to believe there's a way to talk about this movie that hasn't already been covered.

And yet Joe Buck may have done it.

On Friday afternoon Buck was watching Titanic, as most people are wont to do. Near the end of the film, while Buck sat in a chair next to his neatly made bed, the former longtime voice of the World Series and current voice of ESPN's Monday Night Football, posted a video to his X / Twitter account pointing out a continuity error.

It turns out Buck really doesn't like how James Cameron sunk that boat and he could no longer keep it inside. So he made a video explaining his issues with the way this famous scene was shot. He did this while recording his television from across the room. Buck is completely off camera. Except for his feet.

"This shot doesn't make any sense," Buck says. "It's going in and now it's flat? Now you see the back of the ship. Going... There's no continuity there. This thing is going in nose down. The Titanic piece that is written there—hould be up in the air. Going in. This way. Instead all of a sudden it goes this way? What? It's always bothered me. One more time. It's going in vertically. K? The back of the ship's in the air. So if you're going to have the writing of the Titanic—it can't be that way! Now it's flat into the water? Now watch, it's going to be flat again... with the back. No! That would have been pointed up the other way. It would have been pointed away. Terrible."

We are not here to litigate the movie Titanic, which made $2.2 billion dollars in theaters on a budget of $200 million and was the highest grossing movie of all-time until Cameron released Avatar more than a decade later.

What we are here to litigate is the gratuitous shots of Joe Buck's feet in this video. Do you know how distracting something has to be to take people's eyes of Kate and Leo here? His toes have more screen time than Bill Paxton. If you were ever looking for an argument against vertical video, this is it.

Football season can't come soon enough. We need Buck and his bare feet grinding game tape, not crushing plot holes.

At the very least we need socks.

ESPN, Joe Buck, Media, Movies, NFL, Titanic
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Disney+ to Stream Caitlin Clark's WNBA Debut As First Live Sporting Event
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Disney+ to Stream Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Debut As First Live Sporting Event

If you think Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark's rise over the last four years—from Des Moines-area high school basketball star to one of the most transcendent college athletes ever—has been the stuff of Disney movies, you are not alone.

Disney+ will debut in the live sports space next Tuesday by airing Clark's WNBA regular season debut, ESPN told The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday.

The Fever are slated to open their season against the Connecticut Sun, one of four games scheduled for the league's first day. A second matchup between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces will also air on Disney+.

These two games will be the first traditional live sporting events to air on Disney+, barring a pair of themed animated telecasts of NFL and NHL games.

Clark was selected with the No. 1 pick by Indiana in the WNBA draft out of Iowa on April 15, part of a heralded rookie class that includes Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese and Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink.

Caitlin Clark, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Media, WNBA
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Lands NASCAR TV Gigs With Two New Outlets in 2025
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Lands NASCAR TV Gigs With Two New Outlets in 2025

One of NASCAR's most recognizable personalities will have two new television homes in 2025.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will provide commentary for 20 races split evenly between Amazon and TNT next season, the two outlets announced Tuesday morning.

“It is such an exciting time to welcome TNT Sports back to NASCAR,” Earnhardt said in a statement. “I remember watching the races on TNT back in the day, and it’s so nostalgic to see them return to the sport and be a part of their team.”

TNT previously aired NASCAR races from 2001-14, during Earnhardt's career. Amazon, on the other hand, is a newcomer to stock car racing.

“I’m honored to be a part of Prime Video’s entrance into NASCAR,” Earnhardt said in an Amazon statement. “It is an exciting opportunity to have the chance to give our NASCAR fanbase yet another way to watch the sport. It will be exciting to see the innovation that Prime Video is going to bring to our sport and the fans.”

Earnhardt previously worked as a commentator for NBC from 2017-23.

Dale Earnhardt Jr, Media, NASCAR
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ESPN Analyst Bashes Duke’s Kyle Filipowski for How He Handled Court-Storming Situation
27 Feb 24 Jimm Sallivan

ESPN Analyst Bashes Duke’s Kyle Filipowski for How He Handled Court-Storming Situation

ESPN NFL analyst Chris Canty added his voice to the debate around court-storming in college basketball in the aftermath of Duke’s loss to Wake Forest over the weekend.

While fans stormed the court at the LJVM Coliseum, Blue Devils star Kyle Filipowski suffered an ankle injury when a Wake Forest fan ran into him, renewing calls for the ban of on-court celebrations in the wake of upsets across the sport.

“Let’s also pretend like the players don’t have to have some more awareness in those moments as well,” Canty said Tuesday on ESPN’s Get Up. “What we saw from Kyle Filipowski, he looks like he’s going on a walk through the quad on campus, where you see that there are fans that are storming the court. He has to have more awareness of the situation and have urgency about getting the hell off the court.”

Although Canty believes Filipowski could have picked up the pace to exit the floor, he didn’t absolve the fans of blame.

“Now, I think that they have to do a better job of creating a plan and having that in place,” Canty said. “And I get that we don’t want to put the onus on the visiting team. But that has to happen.”

Get Up host Mike Greenberg was taken aback by Canty’s comments, but the former NFL star didn’t back down.

“As a player, you’ve got to have awareness. And I know we always talk about with in-game situations,” Canty added. “But you also have to have awareness of the environments that you’re in. And with that situation over the weekend, I don’t think Kyle Filipowski showed that level of awareness.”

Despite the controversy, court storming remains in the game for now, with the only ramification being fines administered to the home school.

That won’t be enough to keep rabid fans from celebrating a monumental upset on the hardwood, especially considering most of the fans in question are students.

However, it’s likely that something will be done to ensure that an incident like the one fans saw Saturday in Winston-Salem doesn’t happen again.

Breaking, College, College Basketball, Media, Wire
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