SI

Here's One Reason Why Super Bowl Week Is Awful

Also in Traina Thoughts: Huge new streaming deal; what the deal is with Super Bowl halftime show; celebrating popular NBA broadcast team and more.

Jimmy Traina

1. I know I have no right to ever complain about my job. I write about the lighter side of sports each day and host a sports media podcast, so nobody wants to hear me pull a woe-is-me.

But if you'll allow it for one day, I'd like to give you some insight into one of the worst things about this job: My inbox. 

Each day, I get a slew of email pitches that range from the nonsensical to the ridiculous to the embarrassing.

This goes to another level during Super Bowl week when people have nothing to do for two weeks in the leadup to an event that is more spectacle than game. It’s just a relentless onslaught of ridiculous emails, pitches and offers.

I understand that the PR people sending these emails and have a job to do, but it just baffles me that they think any of this stuff would be a fit for my column or something I'd want to share with my readers. 

Well, today I'm going to make them a fit for this column and share with you some of the email pitches I have received this past few days just to show you why I can't wait for this week to be over.

Here we go.

Subject line: Interview with Vegas Chapel amidst Kelce & Swift Wedding Offer

Body of email: Hey, Jimmy. How are you? Ahead of the news that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were offered a free ceremony at the Vegas wedding chapel, we thought it’d be a perfect time to provide our exclusive interview with The Little White Wedding Chapel’s President, Melody Willis-Williams. Some relevant highlights for SI include: 

Advice for getting wed in Vegas over the Super Bowl weekend 

Some marital predictions ahead of the big game 

The expected uptick of Super Bowl weddings 

Would you like a copy of the interview transcript ahead of your Super Bowl coverage? 

---

Subject line: Kelce is subpar when it comes to attractiveness compared to the 49ers team

Body of email: Hi Jimmy, Kelce may have the heart of America's sweetheart, but he falls short regarding the looks department. With it being Super Bowl week, Wettfreunde, the one-stop shop resource for all things entertainment and sports betting, compared the rivalries for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas Chiefs, face cards by using each player's official portrait photo on the respective team website as well as two other pictures for each player were captured and compared with each other using image analysis AI. Here are some insights:

The 49ers scored 6.56 out of ten points in attractiveness compared to the Chief’s attractiveness average of 6.54 points. With a rating of 7.59 points, Isaiah Oliver and Christian McCaffrey are the hottest players  Travis Kelce is only in the middle of the Chiefs attractiveness rank with a rating of 6.32 points.

---

Subject line: What makes the Super Bowl so "super?" Temple University experts can discuss

Body of email: Good morning,Today, there is no disputing that the Super Bowl is very much a cultural hallmark of the United States. But what exactly makes the Super Bowl so "super?" Two Temple University experts, Bryant Simon, a professor of history, and Jennifer Freeman, an assistant professor of instruction in the Advertising Department, are available to discuss.

---

Subject line email: NEWS: 73% of millennials look at finances differently than their partner — Taylor and Travis should take note

Body of email: Today, Bread Financial released its annual findings uncovering that 28% of singles would go on a date for a free meal. Meanwhile, 48% of couples admitted to committing financial infidelity.

The research explores financial compatibility in couples and what financial attributes singles are seeking in a partner.

Some key findings:

‘Relationship Refund’: 23% of singles have requested money back for a date after the fact.

Cue Destiny’s Child, Independent Women Pt 1: Women (67%) feel more financially independent because they are single compared to men (56%).

Financial ‘ICK’ list: 35% of singles consider being asked to split the dinner bill while on a date a top financial deal breaker.

Once a cheater, always a cheater?: 48% of respondents admitted to committing financial infidelity and having hidden purchases from their partner.

Will Taylor and Travis butt heads when it comes to finances?: 56% of coupled respondents admit to having a different mindset than their partner when it comes to finances. Especially millennials (73%), admit they don’t look at finances in the same way as their partner.

---

Subject line: Swiftie Scorecard: Taylor Swift Fans Rate the NFL's Hottest Players

Body of email: Hi Jimmy, I have some surprising data from BetUS on who Taylor Swift fans think is the hottest NFL player that I think your audience will enjoy!

With Taylor Swift’s recently publicized relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce taking over news and social media feeds, experts at BetUs were curious to see which NFL players Swifties viewed as the most attractive so they surveyed more than 500 Taylor Swift fans asking them to rank NFL players on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being the least attractive and 10 being the most) to determine the ranking of attractiveness based on the average response of the respondent.

---

Subject line: POLL: You Beer-long With Me: Travis Kelce is The Man Americans Want to Have a Beer With

Body of email: WASHINGTON — Nearly one in four Americans (23%) watching Super Bowl LVIII named Travis Kelce as the player they would most want to drink a beer with, according to a recent poll conducted by Morning Consult and commissioned by the Beer Institute. Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes was a close second with 21 percent of the vote.

---

Subject line: Eras to End Zone Challenge: TikTok Star Victoria Browne Will Travel to Tokyo for Taylor Swift and Back to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl – Will She Make It?!?

Body of email: Hi Jimmy, The Big Game has been taken over by stories about whether Taylor Swift is going to the Super Bowl, and the travel journey to get from Tokyo to Las Vegas in time. It seems almost impossible for the average person, but... we’ve got one fan who’s actually doing it… let’s see if she makes it! Victoria Browne is a TikTok and Instagram star, CEO of a non-profit that supports student-athletes, a former D1 college athlete and a mental health advocate & speaker, named to Forbes 30 Under 30. Her video about Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version) went viral on TikTok and Instagram, garnering more than 2.8M views. The travel company, Priceline, saw Victoria’s video and when they found out that her husband was a huge football fan, since they’re all about getting people to their ‘happy place,’ decided to send them on the ultimate Eras to Endzone Challenge, from Tokyo to the Super Bowl. Victoria and her husband will fly from Los Angeles, to Tokyo, to Las Vegas to witness two of the biggest pop culture and sports moments this year.

---

Subject line: Last Minute Super Bowl Canna Essentials

Body of email: Hi Jimmy, I hope you’re having a great day. The Super Bowl is a few days away, and there’s a palpable excitement in the air for the first-ever Taylor Bowl and a little bit for the Chiefs vs the 49ers. However, there’s something else in the air: cannabis.

The cannabis industry has christened Super Bowl LVIII, the most cannabis-friendly Super Bowl ever, and companies have put out some products that are perfect for anyone watching the game, including a cannabis-infused wing sauce by OK Cannabis. 

---

I can't wait until Monday.

2. ESPN, Fox and Warner Brothers Discovery announced Tuesday that they will launch a streaming platform this fall that will include at least 15 networks and a slew of sports.

In an ironic twist, it will basically be like cable.

Here's all the sports you will get in the single streaming service:

Warner Brothers Discovery
Warner Brothers Discovery

3. This is a really good thread about how the deal works between the NFL, Apple Music and the artist performing at halftime of the Super Bowl, so click in.

4. Great stuff from MSG Network on Tuesday night with this video package highlighting Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier's 25-year run as the New York Knicks broadcast team.

5. Netflix has announced it will air a Hard Knocks-like show for baseball featuring the Boston Red Sox.

6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation about all the latest sports media news with The Ringer editor-at-large Bryan Curtis.

Is the Tony Romo backlash from viewers warranted? How has Romo performed in the playoffs? How will viewers react to Romo calling this year’s Super Bowl between the Chiefs and Niners?

How will things play out at Fox with Tom Brady replacing Greg Olsen next season? What are Olsen’s options? What can we expect from Brady going into television?

Other topics discussed include the impact Taylor Swift could have on Super Bowl ratings; ESPN causing a mess for itself by firing Jeff Van Gundy and hiring Doc Rivers; the Netflix-WWE deal for Raw; Stephen A. Smith's gameplan for the future; this year’s Radio Row highlights and much more.

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

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

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 59th birthday to the hilarious Chris Rock.

(Disclaimer: This video contains profanity and adult themes)

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

Published
Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

Home/NFL