Dwyane Wade Shows That Athletes Can Be Role Models: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union introduce daughter Zaya

1. The argument about whether athletes are role models has been going on forever and will continue to go on forever.

No matter your personal stance, the world would be a better place if everyone used former NBA star Dwyane Wade as a role model when it comes to parenting.

Wade and wife Gabrielle Union shared news this week that their child identifies as female. Wade and Union introduced Zaya to everyone via this tweet and video yesterday:

Wade also discussed the situation on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday, saying, "We are proud parents of a child in the LQBTQ+ community and we're proud allies, as well. We take our roles and our responsibilities as parents very seriously. So when a child comes home with a question, when a child comes home with an issue, when a child comes home with anything, it's our job as parents to give them the best information we can the best feedback that we can and that doesn't change because sexuality is involved in it."

What a powerful message for every parent out there: Love your kids unconditionally, support them, educate yourself, get past your own ignorance.

This is not the first time Wade has publicly spoken out about his role as a father. After cruel and heartless people criticized a family photo that Union posted on Thanksgiving, Wade stood up for his loved ones and sent a clear message on Twitter. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion)

I’ve seen some post-thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo. Stupidity is apart of this world we live in—so i get it. But here’s the thing—I’ve been chosen to lead my family not y’all. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love & a smile! ✌🏾

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 30, 2019

He also said this about the issues he’s had to deal with as the father of a transgender child during a December appearance on the All the Smoke podcast hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson:

"As we say in the hood, it's ignant. I grew up with the same perspective as a lot of these people out here that's a little ignant. I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'What if your son comes home and tells you he's gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain't about him. He knows who he is. It's about you. Who are you?'"

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A post shared by All the Smoke (@allthesmoke)

The significance of an athlete of Wade's stature publicly offering clear-cut, straight-forward support for Zaya cannot be overstated. 

Dwyane Wade is absolutely a role model when it comes to being a father.

2. A brand new SI Media Podcast dropped this morning, and it features two guests. 

First up, I spoke to Dan Orlovsky about his rising star at ESPN, the backstory on a key segment he did about Tom Brady becoming frustrated with his wide receivers, rumors about him taking an NFL coaching job, his broadcasting aspirations and *NSYNC vs. the Backstreet Boys.

Following Orlovsky, New York Post sports media reporter and columnist Andrew Marchand joined the podcast to discuss flex scheduling for Monday Night Football, MLB’s all-for-TV playoff changes, XFL, the ridiculous Gayle King–Lisa Leslie–Snoop Dogg controversy and more.

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

3. Trevor Bauer, hot on the heels of calling MLB commissioner Rob Manfred "a joke" for the proposed changes the postseason format, went on a tirade yesterday about baseball's strict rules regarding posting video and the lack of promotion for the sport. 

4. This was a cool moment last night when Ian Eagle, calling Sixers-Clippers for TNT, and his son, Noah, calling the game for Fox Sports West, got together before some pregame banter.

On a side note, this is 30 seconds of a play-by-play clinic put on my Ian Eagle.

5. More and more continues to come out about the Astros' cheating scheme, and it's all very bad. The Washington Post had a great story detailing how everyone in baseball knew for a longtime that Houston was up to no good, while The Athletic portrayed Carlos Beltran as a big, bad, bully who was the ringleader. And that led to this outstanding back page from today's New York Post.

6. Pretty awesome message here for Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: In honor of my *NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys argument with Dan Orlovsky on this week's SI Media Podcast, here's the better boy band performing an acoustic version of Nelly's Thong Song on last night's Tonight Show.

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