by 2022 is approaching and internet law says that if you have a corner you should give out awards at the end of a year. So Traina Thoughts has been distributing some gear in sports media for the past year.
SPORTS MEDIA STORY OF THE YEAR: NFL Broadcaster Shuffle
The NFL off-season brought a streamer move we’ve never seen before. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman return to ESPN and Troy Aikman after two decades together at Fox. Monday Night Football. Al Michaels removed from NBC Sunday Night Football Booth for Mike Tirico. Kirk Herbstreit adds a second gig to the football season (third if you count) College Play Day) by joining Michaels for Amazon Primes Thursday Night Football.
Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen were promoted from Fox’s B team to the network’s A team, replacing Buck and Aikman. And then the biggest bombshell fell on May 10 when Fox announced that it had hired Tom Brady to be chief NFL analyst when he retired. This New York Post’Andrew Marchand would later report that Brady had signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox.
Now that all the major players have signed long-term deals with their existing networks, don’t expect to see such confusion for a long time.
SHOW OF THE YEAR: inside the NBA
It would be too easy to say, “Listen, everybody knows”. inside the NBA It’s the best sports show on TV, and probably the best sports show of all time, so let’s honor another show that deserves some recognition.
But I’m not playing that game. Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal deserve their support and will bring them here.
As a result it is inside the NBA It’s still the best sports show on television. There was no drop in quality. Relevant as always. As strong as ever. And even though it’s been on the air for a long time, it doesn’t feel old.
They deal with serious matters when necessary, but they have fun every night. This moment was one of the best moments of sports television in 2022.
PODCAST OF THE YEAR: New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce
When you put together two hilarious people who are also brothers and current NFL players, it should come as no surprise that you get a highly entertaining and informative podcast. But it’s still impressive to see how well this podcast is doing. This season has undoubtedly helped each brother play for the arguably best team in their respective conferences. But the Kelce brothers don’t even need to rely on week-to-week in-game experiences to get the perfect mix of football chats, personal anecdotes, and fun debates.
INTERVIEWER OF THE YEAR: Taylor Rooks, Turner Sports, Amazon Prime
One day, Rooks has the Raiders’ tight end open up powerfully about Darren Waller’s drug addiction, and another day, he has a UFC fighter admit that he’s trying to gain weight by self-gratification.
Versatility is just one of Rooks’ strengths. He always asks the right questions, keeps his subjects relaxed, and opens them up more than you might expect.
BEST ADDITIONAL OF THE YEAR (FULL TIME): Pat McAfee, College Play Day
A lot of people want to see the very popular McAfee search games, but I would argue that it fits perfectly in its location. College Play Day. The college campus atmosphere, the ah-rah nature of the sport, the auditions, the panel banter—all tailor-made for McAfee’s personality and skills. It was impressive to see how McAfee fit in with the established team of Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Lee Corso.
BEST ADDITIONAL OF THE YEAR (PART TIME): Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on First Shot
When Hall of Fame radio host Chris Russo joins First Shot No one knew what to expect in March. Would Russo and Stephen A. have chemistry? (Yes.) Would Russo soften up the energetic and wacky act shown on SiriusXM every weekday? (No!) How would fans unfamiliar with Russo react to his loud voice, swinging arms, and constant mispronunciations?
Well, Russo is trending on Twitter most Wednesdays, clips from the show are constantly going viral and ratings First ShotWith Russo showing up every Wednesday, it’s over the past year.
BEST CHANGER OF THE YEAR: Jason McCourty, Good morning Football
Nate Burleson was so good at GMFB that it took a full season for the show to find a replacement. left for Burleson CBS Mornings before the 2021 season. GMFB used a filling rotation until they named McCourty their permanent host last July. For someone new to television, McCourty is extremely smooth. He also added an excellent new dimension to the show as an existing actor. It also took no time for McCourty to develop chemistry with co-hosts Jamie Erdahl, Kyle Brandt and Peter Schrager.
BEST SOCIAL MEDIA USE OF THE YEAR: Richard Jefferson, TikTok
If you still think TikTok is just videos of young people dancing, you should wake up. TikTok is everything. Sports are a huge part of the platform, and no one in the sports world uses it better than Jefferson, who has over 1 million followers from ESPN. He’ll spend most of his time pissing off people who make fun of him for being bald, but he also shares great NBA stories.
VIRAL SPORTS MEDIA MOMENT OF THE YEAR: ESPN’s Brian Windhorst
July 1, 2022. Brian Windhorst of ESPN, First Shot To talk about Kevin Durant, but it takes a detour. “There was a trade-off between the Utah Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets yesterday. A very strange trade. Very strange trade. You really have to be a Jazz or Nets fan to understand what I’m talking about right now. Royce O’Neale, the three-point defensive shooter, playing the role. , traded to Brooklyn for a future first-round draft pick. So you’re leaving, Royce O’Neale, what’s your business? Now why is that? Why would the Jazz do that?”
Windhorst continued, but whatever he said was irrelevant. I once said, “Why would Jazz do that?” A breast was born while pointing both index fingers into the air. Social media went crazy, Windhorst was trending all day, and the meme is still in use today.
Windhorst’s performance became even more notable a few days later when the Jazz traded Rudy Gobert and thus began the restructuring.
BEST MISTAKE OF THE YEAR: Al Michaels, Amazon Prime
at week 5 Thursday Night FootballThe Colts and Broncos played in one of their worst games of the season, with Indy winning 12–9 in overtime. Always cited as one of the best games each week for much of his career, Al Michaels wasn’t used to watching football this bad and often mocked his lack of offense by telling audiences exactly what they were seeing throughout the game. At one point, Michaels summed up the game in a way only he could: “It’s the kind of game you’ll have on CBS on Sunday as the fifth district.”
BEST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR: Ian Eagle, CBS/Turner
In October, news broke that Ian Eagle would begin his search for the Final Four when Jim Nantz left the role after the 2023 tournament. No one deserves this job more than Eagle, which is as good as searching for NBA games. Additionally, Eagle goes back a long way with Bill Raftery and their reunion at the tournament will be a huge win for college basketball fans.
