Deion Sanders Leaving NFL Network for Barstool Sports Should Not Be Surprising News: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Love or hate Barstool Sports, you shouldn't be surprised it can lure big talent like Deion Sanders away from NFL Network.

1. If you spent any time on the internet Wednesday, you saw the news that Deion Sanders left NFL Network for Barstool Sports.

When I saw the news, I didn't really have a reaction because it didn't seem like anything earth-shattering to me. A sports analyst left one company for another. This happens every day. OK, maybe not every day, but you know what I mean.

But I was clearly in the minority thinking this wasn't a big deal based on internet and Twitter reaction.

I even reached out to one sports writer and asked what I was missing here. He said, "Because it's a very famous NFL player who has worked at legacy media joining a sports digital company that makes a lot of news."

As I explained, I thought Pat McAfee retiring from the NFL and joining Barstool in 2017 was a way more shocking turn of events. McAfee was a current player, and Barstool was still growing. But since that time, Barstool, despite all its controversies, has clearly established itself as one of the top media companies in the country.

You don't have to like Barstool. You don't have to read Barstool. You don't have to respect Barstool. But it's just a fact that it is dominating the digital landscape, podcast landscape and video landscape. Barstool's hires should not shock anybody at this point, considering their reach and popularity.

And in the case of Sanders, it makes total sense that he would leave NFL Network for Barstool based on two simple truths: If you want talk about the NFL, the worst place you can work is NFL Network. If you want be able to say anything you want, the best place to work is Barstool.

This "legacy media" vs. "new media" (or whatever label you'd put on Barstool) is so silly and tired at this point. People want to work at places that A) will pay them, B) will give them freedom, and C) have a huge fan base. It doesn't matter whether the company has been around since 1920 or 2020.

Again, I'm fully aware that people have strong anti-Barstool feelings, but if you are analyzing strictly the business side of sports media, you can't deny that many people in sports media would like to work for Barstool. 

And Prime Time just proved that.

2. This was the first sentence in Tuesday's Traina Thoughts.

"Obviously, these are not normal times, but I can't remember a season of Hard Knocks getting less buzz and attention."

Wow was I wrong on expecting a big audience for Hard Knocks on HBO this year.

Tuesday premiere averaged 273,000 viewers on TV. Lowest figure I can find for a Hard Knocks episode. No streaming figures yet.

Last year, Episode 1 for Browns averaged 705K on TV (879K with streaming)

— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) August 13, 2020

Karp meant the Raiders, who were featured in 2019, not the Browns, but he said the numbers are still accurate.

3. Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly, who got suspended for throwing at Astros batters a couple of weeks ago, went on Ross Stripling's podcast and explained to his Dodgers teammate why he hates the Astros so much.

“The people who took the fall for what happened is nonsense. Yes, everyone is involved. But the way that was run over there was not from coaching staff. … They’re not the head boss in charge of that thing. It’s the players. So now the players get the immunity, and all they do is go snitch like a little b----, and they don’t have to get fined, they don’t have to lose games.

“When you take someone’s livelihood … to save your own ass, that’s what I don’t like,” Kelly added. “Cheating? They cheated. Everyone knows they’re cheaters. They know they’re cheaters. It’s over. That’s done with. But now they mess it up by ruining other people’s lives, so they f---ed it up twice. … When you taint someone’s name to save your own name, this is one of the worst things that you could probably do. … That really friggin’ bugs me. I think I’ll be irritated forever.”

IT’S HERE!

Our exclusive interview with Joe Kelly drops at midnight!

Enjoy, Swingers. pic.twitter.com/WfQvlSpdMK

— Big Swing Podcast (@bigswingpodcast) August 13, 2020

4. Around the Horn panelist and L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke revealed in a must-read column Wednesday that he tested positive for the coronavirus. Plaschke detailed his battle with COVID-19 and described all of the health issues he's had to deal with along with explaining that he contracted the virus because he simply let his guard down for a little bit. 

5. The newest SI Media Podcast features a very fun conversation with Good Morning Football's Kyle Brandt. Topics covered include Kyle's time on the Real World: Chicago and meeting Real World legend Puck, Kyle's controversial tweet from a couple of weeks ago, the one thing he's had enough of while filming GMFB from home each morning, best side characters on The Office, Hard Knocks, my Hot Clicks days and more.

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

6. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Since the No. 1 issue in the United States of America appears to be shower heads, I thought this video would be appropriate today.

7. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: Here's one of the more exciting plays of Deion Sanders's baseball career.

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.