Chuck on today's climate: "We can’t even have fun anymore."
1. If Charles Barkley—CHARLES FREAKIN' BARKLEY—feels restricted in what he can say, we’re all in trouble.
The popular Inside the NBA host appeared on Washington, D.C.’s The Fan on Monday and talked about the Turner higher-ups putting an end to his long-running bit where he makes fun of the women of San Antonio.
“If you crack a joke the wrong way,” Barkley said, “they’re like, ‘Oh, no, no, no, you crossed the line.’ I mean, they won’t even let me talk about San Antonio anymore when I’m always talking about their big ole women down in San Antonio. They’re like, ‘Charles, we got one lady [who] wrote an article.’ “I’m like, 'First of all, I didn’t call anybody personally fat in San Antonio; I was just joking around. … We’ve been having fun with this for probably 10–15 years. We go to San Antonio; the people are having a blast with it. The people in San Antonio had T-shirts made up.”
Barkley continued to explain why he’s fed up with the current times.
“You can’t even have fun nowadays without these characters trying to get you canceled and things like that. … I’m trying to hang on for another couple of years until I’m 60 and then they can kiss my ass. I’m only working until 60. I’ve already told them that. I’m not working until the day I die. That’s just stupid. And if I don’t have enough money by now, I’m an idiot, anyway. They should fire me, anyway.
“That’s all we ever talk about behind the scenes like, ‘Yo, man, be careful going in this direction.’ I’m like, ‘Yo, man, we can’t even have fun anymore.’ We’ve had fun all these years and now all of a sudden in the last year and a half, everybody is trying to get everybody fired and it really sucks.”
The funny thing is that these quotes are from a filtered Barkley.
There’s a lot here, but what’s most disappointing is that Turner would try to stifle Barkley. This is the move most companies would make and it stinks that they don’t have the guts to deal with some negative feedback and ride out a storm.
Like Barkley said, this has been a recurring bit for years, with the women of San Antonio getting in on it and roasting Barkley for his size as well.
Again, this isn’t about Charles Barkley mocking the women of San Antonio. This is about organizations being too afraid of blowback for irrelevant or inconsequential things.
When you think about it, why would Barkley even stick around for another two years until he’s 60? The trend of trying to get people canceled is only going to get worse, not better. He doesn’t need this nonsense.
2. These numbers seem terrible to me. Prediction: The lack of vaccinated NFL players will become an enormous story line in August when the season is getting ready to return.
3. This is a great thread by former Major League pitcher Jerry Blevins on the sticky stuff controversy.
4. I think we can all figure out which place had the contaminated meat.
5. LeBron James was the only U.S. athlete to make this list.
6. The latest Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features a conversation with Jon "Stugotz" Weiner from The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.
The popular radio host discusses when he knew the show's days on ESPN were numbered, what the relationship was like between the show and ESPN over the years and nervousness about life after ESPN. Stugotz also talks about the intense loyalty of the Le Batard Show's listeners, and why he thinks the fans love the show so much.
Other topics discussed include the importance of keeping up with the changing media landscape, being a kid at heart, how his relationship with sports has changed, what listeners want the most, perks of being partners with DraftKings, the problem with the Nets, why he loves Chris "Mad Dog" Russo and much more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Dana Carvey's Joe Biden impression is simply tremendous.
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 Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.