Skip to main content

New on SI: NFL Makes Terrible Television Decision: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Amazon will be your only option for watching a late-season 2020 NFL game

1. Get off my lawn. O.K., Boomer. You're old. You just like to complain. Blah, blah, blah.

Save all of those unoriginal and uncreative responses, because no matter what you say, the NFL's decision to give Amazon an exclusive late-season Saturday game absolutely stinks on every level.

Sports Business Journal's John Ourand

reported today that Amazon has renewed its streaming deal for Thursday Night Football through 2022. However, there was a twist. Amazon is also getting exclusive rights to air one Saturday regular-season game.

The game will be shown on regular television in the local markets of the two teams playing, but everyone else in the country who likes to watch TV the old fashion way and not via streaming is screwed. Amazon.com will be your only choice.

I know many of you reading this right now are saying to yourselves, "What's the big deal? Just watch it on your laptop or Apple TV or Amazon FireStick or run a USB cord, etc., etc." It doesn't work that way. Just because those are easy options for YOU, it doesn't mean those are easy options for everyone. If you don't think this shuts out a decent number of people from watching the game, you have to get out of your bubble.

And we're not talking about an October Jaguars-Titans Thursday night game. The Saturday game Amazon has exclusive rights to air will come in the second half of the season, so chances are, it will have playoff implications. And if you don't stream, you can't watch it.

I understand that we're becoming a streaming world. But there are still millions of people who don't stream. To rob them of watching a late-season NFL game because Amazon is paying the league God knows what is nothing but a slap in the face to fans.

In other words, typical NFL and Roger Goodell.

2. I loved the response I got to Tuesday's Traina Thoughts, in which I proclaimed that the best sports scene in movie history was in Swingers. Many readers were in agreement, which is always a shock, while others sent in some outstanding choices of their own.

3. With the NCAA tournament, I'm actually stunned this figure isn't higher.

4. Phil Jackson won 11 NBA titles as a head coach, but SiriusXM's Chris "Mad Dog" Russo is not impressed (and he's right). 

5. Sopranos stars and the hosts of the new Talking Sopranos podcast, Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa, joined the latest episode of the SI Media Podcast. We went in-depth on many aspects of the show: the writing, whether things were ad-libbed, the deaths of Bobby and Christopher, Pine Barrens and much more. The guys also defended the Knicks and James Dolan.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

6. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 66th birthday, Jerry Seinfeld. Thank you for one of the best TV moments ever.

7. SPORTS HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: If you think bat flips have become a big deal in recent years, just remember that nobody bat flipped or admired his home runs more than the great Rickey Henderson.

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 Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

Popular posts from this blog

New on SI: This Day in Sports History: Bo Jackson Drafted First Overall

On April 29, 1986, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jackson with the first overall pick in the NFL draft after being told by the Heisman Trophy winner that he would not play for the team. Multi-sport athlete Bo Jackson was announced as the No. 1 pick of the NFL draft 34 years ago today, despite his own wishes.  On April 29, 1986, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jackson with the first overall pick after being told by the running back that he would not play for the team. Later that year, Jackson was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round of the MLB amateur draft and chose to sign a three-year, $1.07 million contract to play professional baseball.  Jackson was turned off by the Buccaneers after owner Hugh Culverhouse told the Heisman Trophy winner he was cleared by the NCAA and SEC to take a visit on his private jet. The NCAA later told Jackson the trip had not been cleared and that he lost his remaining college baseball eligibility due to the violation. Jac...

New on SI: Report: Seahawks in Talks with Falcons Over Julio Jones Trade

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson has reportedly held phone conversations with Jones over a potential move. The Seahawks are reportedly in discussions with the Falcons over a trade for seven-time Pro Bowl receiver Julio Jones, according to ESPN's Dianna Russini . Jones and Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson have also reportedly held phone conversations over the possibility of playing together.  Russini reported on Thursday  that Jones is set to be traded as early as this upcoming week and that the Falcons have already received an offer of a future first-round pick on the table. The Seahawks don't have a first-round pick in 2022 after sending it to the New York Jets in a trade for safety Jamal Adams last offseason. Jones, 32, will enter the season with the third-most catches of all active receivers behind Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Brown. On Monday, the former first-round pick out of Alabama confirmed his exit from Atlanta on Fox Sports 1 after requesting a trade e...

New on SI: NFL Kickers Have Historically Bad Week With Record-Tying 12 Missed PATs

It's been a historically bad week for NFL kickers, with 12 missed PATs through the conclusion of Sunday's evening games. View the original article to see embedded media. Kickers in many ways have a thankless job. Make a kick, and often times nobody really cares. Miss one? Well, people won't stop bringing it up. The 2021 season has already established a new high-water mark in kicking with Ravens kicker Justin Tucker's NFL record-setting 66-yard field goal to beat the Lions in Week 3. Two weeks later, though, we might have established a new low point. Prior to kickoff on Sunday Night Football  between the Bills and Chiefs, kickers had missed a whopping 12 extra points in Week 5. That ties the league's Super Bowl era record set in Week 11 during the 2016 season, the year after the NFL moved PAT's back to the 15-yard line. Rams kicker Matt Gay got the train rolling on Thursday when he missed his first PAT attempt of the game in the third quarter. That set a ...