SI

Traina Thoughts: Like Steve Kerr Said, Take Action Against Gun Violence With Your Voting Power

Steve Kerr on Florida shooting: "Vote people in who actually have the courage to protect."

Jimmy Traina

Anadolu Agency

1. So, I’m supposed to kick off this column with something sports related or weigh in on something media related or have fun with something an athlete tweeted or reminisce about the good old days of wrestling. That’s the usual Traina Thoughts schtick. Not today. 

Here we are again. ANOTHER school shooting in the United States of America. What took place yesterday was the 18th school shooting in the U.S this year. It is February 15. 

Let me repeat: EIGHTEEN school shootings in the first 44 days of 2018.

One of the 17 people killed during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla, was assistant football coach, Aaron Feis. 

According to the school, Feis was shielding students from the killer before he was shot. 

Several people from the sports world weighed on this country’s plague of gun violence after Wednesday’s tragedy. 

Content is unavailable

Even prominent sports media figures, who always have to deal with the pathetic "stick to sports" backlash, called for change.

Everyone above is calling for a change, but, sadly, chances are we'll just go through the typical cycle that takes place when a mass shooting happens in this country.

How about this time we actually do something about this epidemic? Make sure you are registered to vote. Today. Don’t wait. Do it now. It takes 90 seconds. Then, make sure in November, you vote during the mid-term elections. Do some research. If a politician is taking money from the NRA, don’t vote for them. It’s very simple. Use your power and do your part to change what this country has become.

Kerr said it best, “It’s not enough, apparently, to move our leadership, our government, people that are running this country, to actually do anything. That’s demoralizing. But we can do something about it. We can vote people in who actually have the courage to protect people’s lives and not just bow down to the NRA because they’ve financed their campaign for them.”

Listen to the man.

2.  It's not going to be easy today to transition into frivolous nonsense, but new Mets manager Mickey Callaway will help us do so with this quote from his session with the media on Wednesday.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo would like you to know he's a freak in a couple of places.

4. Bill Walton called last night's Warriors-Blazers game for ESPN and he had some amazing things to say about Steph Curry.

5. John Cena breaks the many stereotypes of WWE wrestlers in one photo.

6. Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas is using Twitter to court Kirk Cousins and he's laying it on pretty thick.

7. RANDOM WRESTLING VIDEO OF THE DAY: We need something light to make us laugh today, so we turn to The Great One.

Traina Thoughts is the best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts right here. And check out Jimmy Traina's weekly podcast, "Off The Board."

Subscribe: iTunes | SoundCloud | Stitcher

Image placeholder title
Image placeholder title
Image placeholder title

IN CLOSING: Christian Fauria, Patrick Connor, Bode Miller—we're on quite a streak of broadcasters getting in trouble. Who will it be today?

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/Extra Mustard