1. At last week’s NFL owners meeting, there was a proposal to add flex scheduling to Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime for Weeks 14 through 17. Sunday Night Football on NBC has long had flex scheduling late in the season, and this coming season Monday Night Football on ESPN will get flex scheduling for the first time.
It would seem a bit trickier to add flex to TNF, but the NFL is a TV business more than anything, and Amazon Prime clearly needs all the help it can get when it comes to building an audience, so there’s no easier way to help draw more eyeballs to the streaming service than by giving it meaningful games late in the season.
However, the proposal ended up getting tabled until May after it got only 22 of the 24 yes votes needed. There were eight no votes and two abstentions.
Many experts predict the proposal will pass in May, despite coming up short on the votes this time.
NFL insider Andrew Brandt predicted on Twitter how all this would play out.
Re NFL plan to flex Thursday night games late season:
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) April 3, 2023
Familiar NFL game plan.
Float it out there, get the negative reaction, including from an owner (Mara), decline to act on it in March.
Then, in the quiet meeting in May, pass it.
Just my sense...it will happen.
Amazon > fans.
Another top NFL insider told me this week he also expects the TNF flex scheduling proposal to pass in May.
And on this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina, New York Post sports media reporter Andrew Marchand also said he expects Amazon Prime to get flex scheduling.
Will flex scheduling come to Thursday Night Football on Amazon?
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 5, 2023
Watch the latest episode of SI Media with @JimmyTraina: https://t.co/nWBqk7vjcA pic.twitter.com/DYsoblJQSj
It will be interesting to see how hard the players push back if this happens in May. Some have already made it known that they don’t like the recent change that teams can now appear on Thursday Night Football twice in a season.
At the end of the day, how much or how little players push back won’t matter.
Last year the NFL signed new media rights deals with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and Amazon collectively for about $110 billion over the next 11 years. The NFL is going to take care of its broadcast partners no matter what.
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2. Jason Kelce’s wife recently gave us a hilarious breakdown of how he handled things when she recently gave birth to the couple’s second child.
View the original article to see embedded media.
On the NFL Network Wednesday night, the Eagles’ center gave us a breakdown of the breakdown.
This XO breakdown of @JasonKelce at the birth of his daughter is the content you didn't know you needed today 😂❤️ (@RealMikeRob) pic.twitter.com/hMggceA1ZR
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) April 5, 2023
3. Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell hit a walk-off home run against the Mets on Wednesday and then, in a pretty gutsy move, publicly called out his wife.
"When my wife doesn't show up to the games, usually something good happens. ... She's not here, so might as well do something fun." @SophiaMinnaert met with #Brewers rookie @GarretMitchell5 after his first career walk-off home run against the Mets. #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/zac4xFCQkL
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) April 5, 2023
4. It's amazing that all these years later, the Isiah Thomas–Michael Jordan feud continues. Thomas recently made some comments about Jordan on the All the Smoke podcast, so then Jordan’s friend Charles Oakley mocked Thomas when he then appeared on the show.
This prompted Thomas to drop the hammer on Oakley on Twitter.
I remember us kicking your ass a lot, some one please check my record vs any team he played on! Sit down be Humble https://t.co/1DmGKQe2Il
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) April 6, 2023
5. Aaron Rodgers seems to be doing all he can in the hopes of getting the Packers and Jets to finally agree on a trade.
Aaron Rodgers was seen shopping for some healing crystals as the Jets continue to try to make a trade with the Packers for the star quarterback. https://t.co/JSNnpinG42
— TMZ (@TMZ) April 5, 2023
6. A brand-new SI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped this morning, and it features a conversation with New York Post sports media reporter Andrew Marchand about the latest sports media news. Topics discussed during the podcast include:
- Pat McAfee’s broadcasting future why he may opt out of his current deal with FanDuel
- Two factors that led to big ratings for the women's NCAA tournament on ABC/ESPN
- Fallout from the WWE being sold to Endeavor
- Whether Charles Barkley will add another job to his schedule and team up with Gayle King
- The NBA’s television and streaming future
- Flex scheduling for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime
- Derek Jeter joining Fox
- The disturbing discourse on Twitter
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch the SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.
