Traina Thoughts: Darren Rovell Explains What He Was Thinking When He Made That 'One Shining Moment' Video
1. Say what you want about Darren Rovell, you can't deny that people respond to what he does or what he says.
Monday night, before tipoff of the national title game, Rovell dropped an AmericanIdol-audition-like video in which he sang (sort of) "One Shining Moment" while attempting to dance.
Naturally, there was quite a reaction to Rovell's attempt to entertain.
The video has more than one million views. Since that many people were tortured by Rovell, I reached out to him Tuesday morning with some hard-hitting questions about his performance.
SI: What possessed you to make the video?
Rovell: There was an hour-and-a-half still left before the game and Twitter was dead and I just had this image of people with their computers open waiting for something good. I thought I could fill that hole.
SI: Did you ever expect to get a million views?
DR: No. I didn’t think it would get a million views. The interaction with it was off the charts. But I think some of it clearly had to do with the fact that my hypothesis about a hunger for something good was right. Whether it was “good” is, of course, debatable.
SI: Would you have made the video if you still worked at ESPN as opposed to the Action Network?
DR: Yes, I would have made the video if I were still at ESPN. I don’t think my social presence has changed all that much since coming to the Action Network, aside from covering betting a whole lot more.
SI: What was the breakdown of positive and negative comments?
DR: I think it was about 90% negative, so slightly more negative than my average post. I can take it. I enjoyed reading what people had to say. I think what so many fail to understand, and this is totally fine, is I like the song and I wanted to sing it to the world. If the world doesn’t like it, oh well...
SI: Do you have any shame?
DR: Do I have shame? Of course I have shame. Like any human being I have shame for things that are shameful. Do I have shame for people who want to shame me for no reason? Of course not. I’m very comfortable in my own skin and enjoyed every minute of last night. I grabbed a moment in time and whether people bashed me or loved me I was worth talking about.
SI: What did your wife and kids say?
DR: My wife texted me with some emoji. She knows the person she married. And she’s more than good with it. My kids I didn’t see last night or this morning, but I will watch it with them tomorrow morning. They know that’s their daddy. My parents brought me up to march to my own drummer and I want to bring my children up in the same way. Live your own life by your own standards. Don’t let how society judges you to affect the path you want to take...
Rovell was a little more subdued on a recent edition of the SI Media Podcast in which we went in-depth on all things sports betting.
2. Budweiser's new commercial that pays tribute to Dwyane Wade is the best thing you will see on the Internet today.
3. Johnny Manziel announced Monday that he's now known as John Manziel. “I have a little update for you," he told Dan Patrick. “I actually go by John these days. So, I’m kind of just turning over the page and moving forward a little bit.” A quick check of Manziel's Twitter and Instagram shows him still going by Johnny on those platforms, so how official can this be if it's not social media official?
4. Dean Ambrose made his last appearance for the WWE after Monday Night Raw went off the air, so if you'd like to see the segment that didn't make it to TV, here you go.
5. Maybe start the game earlier than 9:20 p.m. ET?
6. The latest SI Media Podcast features an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, who talks about being a "rising star" in sports media, what she tries to accomplish when interviewing an athlete, using social media as a career tool, Oprah, moving from Georgia to New York City, and much more.
7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Came across this video of Dave Grohl covering Tiny Dancer while in a YouTube rabbit hole over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.
IN CLOSING: Said it Monday and I'll say it again: I feel awful for Chris Davis, who set the record for most consecutive at-bats without a hit at 47.
