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Finally, Someone Admits the Real Reason for Joining LIV Golf

Also in Traina Thoughts: A new "SI Media Podcast" drops; big night for NFL bettors; “Wall Streeters” is back and more.

Jimmy Traina

1. One of the more popular GIFs that gets used on social media is The Office’s Michael Scott emphatically yelling “Thank you.”

This was my reaction when I read David Feherty’s comments about why he left NBC to join LIV Golf.

Many times over the past few weeks, I’ve said on the SI Media Podcast that I couldn’t understand why all the golfers leaving the PGA Tour to sign up with LIV just wouldn’t say, “I’m leaving for the money.” Instead, we’ve gotten word salad, eye-roll-worthy explanations.

The longtime golf analyst, though, isn’t playing that game.

When asked by the Toledo Blade why he made the jump to LIV, Feherty said, “Money.”

Continuing, he said, “People don’t talk about it. I hear, ‘Well, it’s to grow the game.’ Bull. … They paid me a lot of money.”

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Feherty also cited the ability to have fewer restrictions on what he can say and the more freewheeling atmosphere at LIV for bolting from NBC.

“An opportunity to be myself again,” Feherty said. “It’s become more and more difficult, especially in sports broadcasting, to have any kind of character. Charles Barkley can say pretty much anything he wants, because it’s, ‘Oh, that’s just Charles.’ And it is just Charles. But I have become more and more guarded over the last few years.

“There are people waiting around every corner hoping to be offended by something. [Expletive] those people. Our lives are being shaped by small groups of mean-spirited people who have no sense of humor. We’re in danger of losing our national sense of humor because of this.”

While I agree with this sentiment, it’s important to understand that the reason Charles Barkley is allowed to be Charles Barkley is because Turner Sports stands by him and doesn’t offer a fake apology or suspend him every time someone is offended by something Barkley says.

There’s also an important difference in the situations between Barkley and Feherty.

Feherty is dealing with a trade-off. He will have a ton of money and he can say whatever he wants without getting in trouble with LIV, but based on recent numbers, hardly anyone will be watching.

2. A brand new episode of the SI Media Podcast dropped this morning. This week’s show features two interviews plus our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment.

First up is Linda Cohn from ESPN. Cohn, who recently re-signed with the network, talks about being at ESPN for 30 years and anchoring more SportsCenters than any other host in the show’s history. Cohn discusses how she got started in the business, being given an ultimatum after her first two years at ESPN, her love of hockey and much more.

Following Cohn, former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz joins the podcast. Gewirtz, who has a book coming up next week titled There's Just One Problem, shares inside stories from his time writing Monday Night Raw from 1999 to 2012 and talks about what it was like to collaborate with The Rock, Mick Foley, Chris Jericho and more.

The podcast closes with “Traina Thoughts.” This week, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY and I talk about Hard Knocks, a recent must-watch show from ESPN and why you can’t do back-to-back naps.

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

3. Just a reminder for my fellow degenerate gamblers out there: The Ravens play the Titans tonight. Baltimore has won 20 preseason games in a row. The Ravens have not lost an exhibition game since 2015.

4. Jared. Trent. Wall Streeters. Good Morning Football. Back and better than ever.

5. Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez thought he was off the air during Wednesday’s game when he admitted to being a big fan of the Shania Twain classic “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”

6. Yankees analyst Cameron Maybin got a case of the “phrasing” bug during Wednesday’s game against the Mariners. Maybin and his play-by-play partner, Ryan Ruocco, must have known instantly that Maybin’s phrasing was a problem because they went silent for nearly 20 seconds.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: This 2017 Alex Rodriguez–Derek Jeter CNBC interview came up on Twitter yesterday, and if you like train-wreck TV that is nothing but cringe, you will love watching 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 Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

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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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