1. In a time when sports media is all about attracting younger viewers and dumbing down content, it’s good to see some oldtimers who have stayed above the fray get rewarded.

Puck’s John Ourand reports that ESPN has signed Pardon the Interruption hosts Tony Kornheiser, 77, and Michael Wilbon, 66, to new three-year deals.

It wouldn’t be accurate to call Pardon the Interruption “the little engine that could” because it’s so much bigger than a little engine, but PTI doesn’t get the attention that louder and more outlandish shows garner. Yet, PTI has been around for 24 years and still draws big numbers.

First Take and the Pat McAfee Show get most of the headlines at ESPN, but the network’s highest-rated daytime show is Pardon the Interruption.

Kornheiser and Wilbon aren’t making TikToks, they’re not fighting with people on social media, the show isn’t filled with hot takes and yelling, and episodes of PTI aren’t cut into a million clips that get plastered all over social media. Yet, here they still are with those new three-year deals taking them through 27 years of PTI—a run unlike anything we’ve seen in sports television talk shows.

There are probably so many younger people who think listing topics on screen for a talk show has always been a standard thing. Nope. PTI was the first to do it and everybody copied them.

Kornheiser and Wilbon were pioneers in the debate show format despite their show being far from what the typical debate show is like now. And that’s another reason to be in awe at what the duo have accomplished. They never changed, they never wavered, they never caved into what the trend was for sports TV.

So, tip your caps to Kornheiser and Wilbon and enjoy the next three years.

2. Speaking of someone who still has their fastball, how about Chris Berman giving us an “Emeka Peek Egbuka” last night during the “Fastest 3 Minutes” segment. Just beautiful.

3. It’s a glorious day because for the first time in the 2025 football season, I present to you the greatest segment in all of sports television: “Bad Beats” with Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve.

4. Giants outfielder Drew Gilbert has three home runs, 12 RBIs and a .242 batting average this season. You wouldn’t think a player with those stats needs to be on your radar, but Gilbert should absolutely be on your radar if you’re a baseball fan because he’s the best hype man in the game.

5. A new trailer dropped on Tuesday for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine, out Oct. 3, in which he plays a UFC fighter.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with The Athletic’s sports media reporter Andrew Marchand.

Topics discussed: Charles Barkley’s recent comments that he still doesn’t know what’s going on with Inside the NBA on ESPN; Fox and ESPN’s over-the-top college football coverage in Week 1; Lee Corso’s perfect ending; why ESPN dropped Doris Burke and added Tim Legler to its lead NBA crew; Major League Baseball’s television future; ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer product; Ryen Russillo leaving The Ringer and much more.

Following Marchand, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we go through some NFL win total over/unders for the 2025 season, look at Week 1 betting lines and discuss NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube.

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

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 59th birthday to Adam Sandler. This is a good occasion to re-watch his phenomenal tribute to Chris Farley.

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 Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon Contract Extensions Are Rare Win Considering What Sports Media Has Become.

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