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Ten Memorable Sports Media Moments From 2023

These were some of the best viral moments of the past year.

Jimmy Traina

This is the final Traina Thoughts of 2023. I want to thank all of you who have read the column this year. Some of you have been with me since the “Hot Clicks” days, and that just blows my mind away.

I also need to thank all of you who have listened to SI Media With Jimmy Traina in 2023. The podcast had a great year, landing some great first-time guests, including Charles Barkley, Pat McAfee and Bill Simmons.

I will have a new SI Media With Jimmy Traina for you next week. It will be the fourth-annual year-in-review roundtable with Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager and CBS Sports Radio’s Andrew Perloff, so make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast to get the show delivered right to you.

This week’s show is an all–“Traina Thoughts” mailbag edition with weekly contributor Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York.

Listeners of the podcast had questions about what Fox will do with Greg Olsen next year when Tom Brady joins the networks No. 1 NFL crew, whether Warner Brothers Discovery would pass on reupping with the NBA if it signed a deal with WWE, what the best role for Bill Belichick would be if he went into broadcasting, ABC and ESPN airing two Monday Night Football games at the same time, whether a documentary on sports broadcasters would work and much more. On the non-sports-media front, listeners asked about the best Christmas movie, reclining on airplanes, Family Double Dare or Family Feud, the Sopranos character who would have the best grievances on Festivus and more.

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

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel.

OK, now back to “Traina Thoughts.”

We’re breaking format today to remember 10 of the best viral sports media moments from 2023. 

1. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo reveals his weekend plans of drinking, betting and taking gummies on First Take and leaves cohost Marcus Spears in complete disbelief.

2. Dan Le Batard interviews former Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork and compliments him on his marriage. Wilfork then reveals he’s divorced.

3. Then–Raptors guard Fred VanVleet unloads on referees during a hilarious and expletive-filled postgame press conference.

4. CBS Miami reporter Samantha Rivera stiff-arms an unruly fan who tried to crash her live hit during the Stanley Cup Final.

5. New Commanders owner Josh Harris gives ESPN’s Joe Buck a totally miscalculated handshake during a preseason game.

6. Guardians radio play-by-play broadcaster Tom Hamilton calls a wild melee between Cleveland’s José Ramírez and Chicago’s Tim Anderson.

7. Sara Walsh, filling in for Jamie Erdhal on Good Morning Football, GOES OFF on spouses who spend all day on the golf course.

8. Stephen A. Smith breaks down the best foods to eat before having sex.

9. ESPN’s Rece Davis goes bonkers when a made free throw leads to free bacon for the home crowd at a Virginia Tech game.

10.  West Michigan Whitecaps play-by-play man Dan Hasty calls an at bat as if it was taking place at the Masters.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With 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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