Super Bowl Media Legend Ines Sainz is Still Working the Game and I'm Happy to Report She's Still Throwing Heat

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One of the go-to narratives that gets attention during the week of any Super Bowl is some veteran making possibly one last run at a ring. Some respected, grizzled warrior, maybe with flecks of grey in his temples or his beard. Knowing he's getting near the end. Not knowing whether or not he'll ever get another shot after this. Not just the obvious ones like Brady in 2020, Manning in 2015, Warner in 2009, Strahan in 2007 or Elway in 1998. But less celebrated vets like Andrew Whitworth and Eric Weddle two years ago. Or old timey players like Earl Morrall, Jim Plunkett and Johnny Unitas in the 70s. Legends are made by such stories. 

Well this Super Bowl doesn't have any players who fit that description. But that doesn't mean there isn't an inspiring story of longevity, of talent and wisdom triumphing over age, to be found. Behold TV Azteca paragon Ines Sainz. 

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It's hard to overstate Sainz impact on a smutty sports humor blog run by a handful of guys with laptops and big dreams. For at least one week out of the year in the mid-2000s, she never failed to deliver content that hit right in the middle of the 10-ring that Barstool and our audience were looking for. The kind of material that set us apart from the established outlets like ESPN, Sports Illustrated and the newspapers. And here she shows up on my radar after all these years. Still working Super Bowl week like it's 2006 all over again.

Source - For those not familiar with the 45-year-old Sainz, in the early days of social media and the Super Bowl, she became famous around the world for being the beautiful Mexican TV reporter asking questions at Super Bowl Media Day. She was bigger than the players who were actually going to play the game. …

Years have passed since her heyday and the height of her stardom, but Sainz remains a constant during Super Bowl week. Pretenders and contenders to her crown have come through those Super Bowl media doors, but here we are days away from Super Bowl LVIII and Sainz IS BACK on her throne reporting from the place that built the Sainz brand. 

"Now in full Mood Las Vegas (via Instagram translator)," Sainz wrote to her fans Sunday from a casino. 

22 years after her first Super Bowl appearance, the legend of the industry was in her element and she shows no signs of slowing down. There she was Monday night on the field at Super Bowl Media Day/Night. …

She was there in 2002 when Tom Brady … won his very first Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP trophy.

Think about that. She's done the impossible by outlasting the GOAT of longevity. If that doesn't put Sainz greatness in perspective, I can't imagine what possibly could. Other than her own posts:

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And she's still out there demonstrating the same potential she showed as a rookie. Running 4.3 40s. Throwing tight spirals into small windows. Showing all the athleticism, dedication, toughness, instincts and situational awareness that made her the best in the game. decades ago. But what she's NOT showing is any signs of letting up. To be this good this long, you've got to really want it. And clearly Ines Sainz hasn't lost that fire in the belly she showed back in 2002. 

This may yet be the final Super Bowl appearance for most of these guys on Sunday. But it won't be her last. Of that, I can assure you.