One of the most recognizable voices on the sports media beat is leaving his post after over 20 years.
Jimmy Traina, host of the popular SI Media with Jimmy Traina podcast and a longtime writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered the sports media beat for the better part of the last decade, announced on Wednesday that he will be leaving the outlet after more than two decades.
Some sports media news. pic.twitter.com/O28MtXm506
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) August 12, 2026
“After 20+ years, I have made the difficult decision to leave Sports Illustrated,” Traina wrote in a statement shared on social media. “It’s time for me to do something different & evolve with the changing sports media landscape. I will always be grateful to SI for all the opportunities and a life-changing run.”
Traina went on to say that he’ll discuss his departure on an upcoming episode of his podcast and he’ll pen his final column for SI on Friday. He also mentioned that he plans to continue covering sports media and “won’t be on the sidelines for long.”
It appears, however, that SI will be retaining ownership of the SI Media with Jimmy Traina podcast feed, as Traina mentioned that fans will need to subscribe to a new podcast after he departs.
Beyond his podcast and “Traina Thoughts” columns, many will remember Traina’s tenure at SI best for creating “Hot Clicks,” which ran from 2007-2013 and covered the gamut of announcer gaffes, weird internet trends, celebrities, and whatever else sports fans happened to be talking about that day.
In recent years, Traina has made himself a must-follow by regularly booking some of the biggest names in sports broadcasting for his podcast, including Charles Barkley, Mike Breen, Scott Van Pelt, Mike Tirico, and practically any other A-list sports media talent.
It’s unclear what’s next for Traina, but it appears as if the podcast will continue in some capacity, and he’ll continue to cover the sports media beat.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.