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Kenny Smith: ‘Inside The NBA Is The Only Show On TV That Listens To Each Other’

“I think what makes me the best in the business is I see the peripheral.”

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There are many who believe that Inside The NBA on TNT is one of the best sports shows on television. So, what is the secret to that success? 

On the latest episode of the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Kenny Smith said it was the ability to listen. 

“I write shit down but if Jack [Stephen Jackson] says something that makes me go another direction, not even on that point, I’m going to stay with that because that’s where the topic is. We are listening instead of ‘I’m going to get this out about Kyrie tonight’…That’s the only thing that separates us. That’s a hard job to listen. You can’t just say okay, today I’m going to start listening.”

Smith said that it took a while for Shaq to figure that out. It was one of two ways Smith said he told the big man he could get better. 

“I went to him first and I was like ‘bro, the stories that you say in the green room are bananas, you’ve got to bring them to the show. The other thing is this is the first time in your life you ain’t the most dominant player. We might be better than you at this, so just be you.’”

Before he got to TNT, Smith didn’t want to be in the media. Now, he has confidence to say he is one of the best basketball minds on TV. He told Barnes and Jackson that he shaped a lot of who he is on television based on what was missing.

“I think what makes me the best in the business is I see the peripheral. When I walked in here, I can see the environment that’s created and I can feel the energy of what part of each team that you pull from just based off a five-minute walkthrough. Those are things I bring to the show. There was a player that had an unbelievable game, a great player. I was like I’m not sure if his teammates like him because I can tell by their reactions on the bench, what’s authentic and what wasn’t.”

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Final ‘Good Morning Football’ Episode from New York Studio Airs Before Hiatus, Move to LA

After today, ‘Good Morning Football’ will take a brief hiatus, then move to LA. But outside of host Jamie Erdahl, who else will join the show on the West Coast?

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Today marks the last Good Morning Football episode to air from its New York studios on NFL Network. After today, the show will take a brief hiatus, then move across the country to Los Angeles. But which of the shows beloved cast members will move along with it?

We already know host Jamie Erdahl will be there once she gives birth to her child. The newest GMFB show member gave an emotional send-off to the show’s New York studios before announcing she was headed for maternity leave and would see everyone in LA.

Host Kyle Brandt delivered this message late last night, saying that viewers should tune in to he and his colleagues and that “he has a lot to say.”

Earlier this week, however, host Peter Schrager delivered his own goodbye message — one that may sound like a man who’s not ready to move his family across the country at a moment’s notice:

However, no hosts outside of Erdahl have given confirmation that they’re either staying or going.

The NFL’s move to take the show from New York to Los Angeles has been widely criticized by fans and media members alike. Bill Simmons wondered if the move wouldn’t spell just the end of GMFB but the NFL Network as a whole. It has some wondering if this is the end of football’s best show.

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ESPN Coverage of Men’s NIT Tournament Quarterfinals Up 33% vs. 2023

Viewership of the Men’s NIT Quarterfinals on ESPN were up 33 percent compared to last year and featured two games that averaged over one million viewers.

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Even the NIT is riding the recent hot streak of live sports viewership numbers. According to data provided by ESPN, the 2024 NIT Quarterfinals are up 33 percent compared to last year’s tournament. Perhaps more surprisingly, two NIT quarterfinal games topped one million viewers.

The network’s Georgia/Ohio State matchup averaged 1.03 million viewers, while the Cincinnati/Indiana State contest averaged 1.02 million viewers. These two games were the most-watched NIT games since 2017 — including title games. Both Georgia and Ohio State have rabid fanbases, while many thought Indiana State was unjustly left out of the March Madness tournament, which could be a reason why viewers tuned in.

Much of the focus this season has been on the women’s game, thanks to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, led by Dawn Staley. ESPN just had its most-watched women’s college basketball season since 2008-09 because of the increased interest in the women’s game. The men’s game, however, hasn’t been heralded as much this season for whatever reason, mostly because numbers seem to be holding steady compared to previous years. However, if the NIT is posting viewership wins, that should bode well for the NCAA Tournament’s incoming viewership totals.

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Report: NFL to Put Christmas Day Doubleheader Up For Bids

Bidding is expected to start at $50 million among the current NFL media partners but some think the games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

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The NFL will reportedly put its Christmas Day games up for auction, allowing its current media partners to bid for the games. Now, it’s up to CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video to pay up for rights to one of these two marquee games.

According to Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy, preference will be given to linear networks, so Prime Video and Peacock may sit this one out. Bidding is expected to start at $50 million but McCarthy and his sources expect that number to rise. John Kosner, the former ESPN executive, thinks the new Christmas Day games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

The NFL announced a Wednesday Christmas Day doubleheader during its annual league meetings. The league originally said it wouldn’t force games on Christmas Day if the holiday fell on an odd day of the week, though as the NFL continues to put games on days outside of Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, we’re running out of days that don’t feature NFL football.

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