1. Howard Stern is not a sports fan. Howard Stern, though, is a legendary broadcaster. So, it would make sense that Stern would have strong opinions about broadcasting, even when it comes to the world of sports.
Stern shared an observation about baseball telecasts, specifically, during his SiriusXM show on Wednesday. He doesn’t understand why MLB announcers can’t just call it like it is when a player unexpectedly takes a foul tip to the testicles.
The main reason I’m telling you all of this is because Stern aired a very funny montage, put together by his staff, of various baseball play-by-play broadcasters using all sorts of long-winded descriptions to explain that a player took a shot to the groin instead of just saying the player got hit in, as Stern said, “the nuts.”
Enjoy.
2. Before the NBA Finals, media observers, including myself, pointed out that ABC/ESPN got a disastrous matchup when it comes to ratings in Oklahoma City–Indiana.
There was some odd backlash on social media by people who were upset that those of us in sports media pointed this out instead of just being happy and positive about the NBA Finals.
Well, I can assure you the NBA and ABC/ESPN care about the ratings and they must be miserable right now because America is just not interested in the Thunder and Pacers.
Game 1 drew 8.91 million viewers. It was the lowest-rated non-COVID year Game 1 of all time. Indiana’s last-second win as a huge underdog, though, did not help generate buzz for the series, because Game 2 on Sunday, which was an unwatchable game, pulled in 8.76 million viewers.
These again were all kinds of lows outside of the COVID years. Sports Media Watch has a full recap of all that.
In the recap, Sports Media Watch dropped this nugget that I highly enjoyed regarding Game 2 on Sunday:
“Outside of that anomalous circumstance, it was the least-watched since Cavaliers-Spurs opposite the series finale of The Sopranos in 2007 (8.55M).”
3. It might help the NBA if it scheduled the Finals games properly instead of dragging them over three weeks.
I thought Game 3 was yesterday until about mid-afternoon. At 6:20 p.m. last night, I got this text from a friend: “I legit thought the game was tonight until five minutes ago. The NBA Finals are always Tuesday-Thursday-Sunday. I’m totally rattled right now.”
This morning, I got this text from another friend: “I was so excited at work last night to watch Game 3. At 8:30 p.m., I turn on ABC and it’s a Wheel of Fortune show.”
And apparently there were many others in the same boat.
I checked to see if the game was on when the Tigers/Orioles game that finished at 9:20 last night to no avail.
— Christopher 〽️ Kull 🎹🎸⭕️🌵 (@CFTV) June 11, 2025
Yup. I checked twitter at 9:15 to see what the delay was 🤷♂️
— Anthony From Toms River (@AnthonyCrug) June 11, 2025
Turned on the tv last night and Pacers vs. Thunder was on….it took me a solid minute or two of watching to realize that I was on NBA TV and it was a replay of game 2.
— A⃣ n⃣ d⃣ y⃣ (@ndyGH17) June 11, 2025
Yup. Was shocked to see it wasn’t on
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) June 11, 2025
They leave you just enough time between games to forget that the finals is still going on
— Rami Lavi (@rami_lavi) June 11, 2025
4. Baseball fans love to complain about networks constantly airing Yankees games, but here’s why the networks will always air as many Yankees games as possible.
ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball has been on a heater the past four weeks, delivering big audiences and on pace for #SNB's most-watched season in 8 years. Via @AlexFeuz: https://t.co/XpnwNWesNP
— bill hofheimer (@bhofheimer_espn) June 10, 2025
⚾️ Kudos to @karlravechespn @dcone36 @PerezEd @Buster_ESPN and team pic.twitter.com/pELFXGG45a
5. I saw this tweet in the middle of writing today’s Traina Thoughts.
More money has been bet on Scottie Scheffler to win the US Open than on every other golfer combined as of this morning @ESPNBET.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) June 11, 2025
A minute later, I saw this.
Scottie Scheffler had to delete his Venmo after fans requested money. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/7yDCxjGP6S
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) June 10, 2025
6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with ABC/ESPN’s Richard Jefferson, who is calling his first NBA Finals alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke.
Jefferson discusses whether he has any nerves about broadcasting his first Finals, the status of his contract with ESPN, how he’s changed his style since becoming a lead analyst and whether the Pacers have a chance against the Thunder.
In addition, Jefferson talks about his vices, the LeBron James–Stephen A. Smith dust-up, the NBA’s replay system, mixing it up on social media with Bill Simmons, why he likes calling blowouts, whether the NBA is rigged, working with Ian Eagle, ESPN making him button up his shirts and much more.
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 Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: It was 10 years ago today that the wrestling world lost the legendary Dusty Rhodes.
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.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Howard Stern Calls Out One of the More Ridiculous Trends in Sports Broadcasting.
