1. It’s been about six months since well-liked SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne and ESPN parted methods after the corporate requested him to take a 61% pay minimize.
On this week’s SI Media Podcast, I requested Mayne whether or not he felt the identical method about his departure at the moment as he did within the early months after it occurred.
“That’s arduous to quantify,” Mayne stated. “It’s an important query, however I don’t know if I can reply it. I believe I really feel higher about leaving as a result of I do know that all of it turned out O.Ok. for me and my household.
“On the time, I used to be kinda operating on excessive vitality. Gretchen [Mayne’s wife] known as it the ‘Kenny Mayne Ego Tour’ as I used to be getting all these podcasts requests and whatnot. She’s most likely proper. There’s most likely one thing to that. However I didn’t invite it. I wasn’t out saying, ‘Hey, put me on.’ Like I stated, I don’t have anyone fronting for me. Perhaps I’d be smarter if I did.
“I really feel fantastic with it and my story stays the identical. Really, there’s no malice. I’ve so many mates, I keep in contact with many of the identical ones, I play golf with a bunch of them nonetheless, I’m nonetheless in Connecticut. And I want them properly. I watch Monday Evening Soccer. I’m not boycotting ESPN.”
Mayne continued, “They’d have to clarify their facet. I can’t clarify their facet, I can solely clarify my facet, which was they made a suggestion for me to remain, and stated all the appropriate issues, ‘You’re useful, and we wish you to remain, and it might be powerful if you happen to left,’ and all that type of stuff. However they arrange a situation that I believe they knew, I used to be going to be like, ‘There’s no center floor to this, it’s this or depart?’
“So I left. And I don’t remorse it. They made a enterprise resolution that they wanted to chop again and make more cash for Disney, and I used to be one of many casualties of the wage cap scenario. Oh, properly.”
I then requested Mayne whether or not his disappointment stage with ESPN for not negotiating was the identical at the moment because it was in Might.
“Once more, I am going out of my approach to qualify my solutions. I’m not right here to bash ESPN; I’m not. They determined, whoever ‘they’ are, I assume it was Jimmy [Pitaro, president] and Norby [Williamson, executive vice president], the highest individuals, ‘All proper, right here’s our funds, right here’s what we’re paying totally different individuals to do various things. Oh God, he’s making this a lot? Let’s minimize him by 61% and have him hold doing late night time, you realize, Cubs-Marlins video games.‘ Or, come to the center if there’s a center floor.
“However they requested, ‘So that you’re positively saying no? You aren’t accepting this provide?’ I stated, ‘Properly, not because it stands.’ That’s type of an open door; I’d have possibly, possibly not listened to one thing. And I’m glad I didn’t as a result of what if they’d solely minimize it by 28% or one thing? I may need stayed, as a result of that was some huge cash.
“I’ve acquired 4 daughters, I acquired remarried, and we’ve acquired two every, so 4 collectively, two in faculty, one graduated, one’s gonna go. We’ve acquired overhead nonetheless. And I don’t really feel that outdated; I really feel I can nonetheless do extra issues. I’m not able to retire.
“It was the appropriate transfer for everyone. They saved some cash. I changed it with Caesars and the opposite issues I’m doing. Everyone did O.Ok.”
Did Mayne suppose on the time that everyone could be O.Ok.?
“I didn’t know,” he stated. “I had an excellent quantity of confidence and the incoming calls shortly led me to imagine that is gonna prove O.Ok. I had no concept that many individuals would care, interval.”
Many different matters had been lined with Mayne throughout his look on the SI Media Podcast.
• Getting in hassle with ESPN higher-ups over political tweets.
• Navigating post-ESPN life with out an agent.
• What he texted Aaron Rodgers after the Packers quarterback acquired COVID-19.
• Whether or not a day by day sports-themed comedy present can work.
• Bitcoin.
You’ll be able to hearken to the podcast beneath or obtain it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
You may as well watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
2. When you listened to final week’s SI Media Podcast with The Ringer‘s Kevin Clark, you realize we spent an honest period of time discussing Invoice Belichick and the great job he has carried out with the Patriots this season. It appears everybody else is beginning to take discover, too.
3. Talking of the Patriots, that is classic Invoice Belichick after the Falcons scored zero factors final night time.
4. At 4–6 and in seventh place within the Large 12, this video beneath is the spotlight of the Texas Longhorns season.
5. Final Saturday, Kansas upset Texas, 57–56 in extra time, due to fullback Jared Casey catching the game-winning 2-point conversion cross.
Now, Casey is starring in a must-watch industrial simply launched yesterday.
6. When you’re a WWE fan and missed this final night time, you may wish to test it out now. Celebrity Drake Maverick was certainly one of a number of roster cuts that got here down Thursday, and he shortly went viral for this response video.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Right this moment is the 10-year anniversary of Lee Corso’s biggest second on Faculty GameDay.
You’ll want to compensate for previous editions of Traina Ideas and take a look at the Sports activities Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You may as well observe Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.