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Dan Le Batard on Protests, Riots: 'You Don't Know What's Real and What's Not Real and It's Heartbreaking.' TRAINA THOUGHTS

ESPN's Dan Le Batard sums up the sadness and confusion of protests/riots

Jimmy Traina

1. Considering he's the only ESPN television personality who isn't afraid to get into politics on his show, you knew Dan Le Batard would be a must-listen on Monday. To no surprise he delivered.

Le Batard spent most of the show discussing the surreal weekend that just took place across this fractured country and the sad state we're in as a nation.

I know this two-minute clip hit home for me and I'm sure it will hit home for many of you who watched the events of the weekend unfold with anger, sadness and confusion.

"You can't believe anything you see and read because you see bricks in the street and you don't know who put them there," said Le Batard. "You don't know whether the people protesting really are protesting or they just want to start more violence. That's propaganda, that's Cuba. You can't believe the things that you are watching. You don't know what's real and what's not real and it just, it's heartbreaking." 

"America and its vibrant economy had to close down because of a disease that attacked the lungs for a few months and now that disease has been engulfed and swallowed by the disease that has ravaged the heart for centuries."

2. During a weekend in which we watched video after video of what was taking place across the United States in response to the killing of George Floyd by a policeman, the actions of one particular person stood out to me.

Former Raiders punter Marquette King (who also played in the XFL) put out a message Sunday morning asking people to help him clean up his neighborhood in downtown Phoenix.

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The videos and photos that followed were powerful, with King and others literally scrubbing away graffiti with sponges and picking up debris off the ground.

Even more powerful was King's message when his day was over. 

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Yes, this country needs big changes, but small changes and gestures like this help in big ways.

3. Like King, Bengals wide receiver Auden Tate, Bills wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud and Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers also spent Sunday cleaning things up at a Tampa strip mall. "You gotta start somewhere."

4. If you read one thing today, you should try to make it this piece from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

5. As always, President Barack Obama knows the words and message to send in a time like this.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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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.

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