SI

ESPN and Pat McAfee Were Big NFL Free Agency Winners

‘The Pat McAfee Show’ hit all the right notes in covering the NFL signing frenzy.
Jimmy Traina|
Pat McAfee, Dan Orlovsky and Peter Schrager entertained viewers during the opening of NFL free agency.
Pat McAfee, Dan Orlovsky and Peter Schrager entertained viewers during the opening of NFL free agency. | ESPN

1. ESPN turned over its free agency coverage to Pat McAfee and his crew on Monday and it paid off big time.

McAfee, joined by Adam Schefter, Peter Schrager and Dan Orlovsky, were on the air from noon, when free agency opened up, until 3 p.m. ET covering the frenzy of signings. The show was a big success simply because McAfee never forgets that sports are supposed to be fun.

Given that Schefter basically breaks every signing, the show was smart to give the reporter a “SCHEFTY TWEET” graphic and Stone Cold Steve Austin glass break sound whenever there was a new signing. This perfectly added to the excitement of the day.

This led to Schrager joking that he wanted a graphic when he broke a signing during the show which led to some good television.

You also don’t get many shows on sports television where the host screams out the F word at the top of his lungs when there’s a transaction but that’s what happened when McAfee, a former Colts player and current Colts fan, found out Indianapolis had traded standout wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

And if the show was about to get too heavy with analysis, it wasn’t going to last. At one point, while Orlovsky was in full analyst mode breaking down what the Bears had done in free agency, he still got his chops busted by the rest of the crew.

The show worked perfectly because it hit on the right mix of news, analysis and fun. Fans got everything they needed from an information standpoint while also being entertained.

2. I have no idea if this is all in good fun or if it’s a legit controversy, but if it is real, then it’s one of the dumbest controversies I’ve ever seen.

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh refused to shake hands with Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena during a World Baseball Classic game on Monday. Was this a joke or was this some “we’re not friends, we’re enemies” nonsense? If it’s the latter, than Raleigh needs to chill because this ain’t that deep.

The video of Raleigh snubbing Arozarena is even more ridiculous than it sounds.

After the game, Arozarena “ripped” Raleigh after the game, but again, who knows if this is all a big joke or a true feud. I have to believe it’s a joke because this would be too dumb if it was real.

3. Sports Media Watch reports that Matt Vasgersian will call MLB’s opening night game between the Yankees and Giants on Netflix.

4. Tom Brady may be the greatest quarterback of all time, but he’s learning that this writing/blogging thing isn’t as easy as it seems.

The Fox broadcaster sent out his newsletter Tuesday morning and wrote about baseball broadcaster Tim McCarver passing away last week. The only problem is that McCarver passed away three years ago. Brady then sent out a correction and did what all writers do: blame the proof reading!

As someone who has made plenty of mistakes in writing a daily column over the years, although not one as bad as this, I could actually relate to Tom Brady.

Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Tom Brady

5. Memo to social media teams in all sports: When there aren’t any accomplishments to celebrate, just leave the graphic blank instead of adding things that really aren’t accomplishments.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with CNBC media and sports reporter Alex Sherman.

Sherman talks about the big deal with Paramount buying Warner Brothers Discovery and how that will affect sports fans. Will TNT events air on CBS? Will this cause streaming prices to increase? Will this affect CBS Sports Network?

Sherman also talks about how the NFL is about to have a major impact on all other sports when it comes to rights deals, the FCC looking into sports and streaming, the rise of Kalshi and Polymarket and much more.

Following Sherman, Sal Licata from SNY TV and The Sal Licata Show joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week’s topics include Sal’s non-vacation vacation, the WBC, the Yankees retiring CC Sabathia’s number, a ridiculous take from Bruce Pearl and more. In addition, I read some reader emails and Apple reviews.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Old-school 1980s NBA was the greatest.

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 X 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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