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With Skip Bayless out at FS1’s Undisputed later this summer, according to Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post, the question now is what’s next. There probably won’t be much demand for the fading enfant terrible of sports TV who’s now barely able to draw 50,000 viewers opposite Stephen A. Smith’s juggernaut First Take on ESPN.
But could Smith throw Skip Bayless a bone?
What if the 56-year-old Smith took pity on the 72-year-old Bayless, his old TV partner, and invited him to join his rotating cast ensemble on First Take? It would be the coup de grace in Smith and First Take’s long rivalry with Bayless and Undisputed. And it would be sweet revenge for Smith’s new partner, Shannon Sharpe, who was pushed out of Undisputed in 2023 after seven years as Bayless’s TV partner.
After all, it was Bayless who went to bat for Smith in 2012, pushing ESPN uber-producer Jamie Horowitz to hire Smith as his full-time “embrace debate” foil on First Take. At the time, Smith was wandering in the TV wilderness after being let go by ESPN in ’09. And Bayless and Horowitz were looking to take First Take, then airing on ESPN2, to the next level. When Horowitz asked Bayless whether he had a best friend in sports media like Michael Wilbon to Tony Kornheiser, Bayless advocated for Smith.
Once Horowitz put Smith and Bayless together on Wednesdays, they instantly clicked. They were the perfect yin and yang for the hot-take format. First Take ratings exploded, with the show moving up to the flagship ESPN channel. Bayless and Horowitz then jumped to Fox Sports for big money in 2016 to launch their own new version, dubbed Undisputed, and hired Sharpe as Bayless’s new debate opponent.
But that was then, and this is now.
What started out as a head-to-head competition between the dueling “embrace debate” shows eight years ago is now a one-sided competition. In June, Smith’s First Take averaged 451,000 viewers, up 7%, while Bayless’s Undisputed averaged 56,000 viewers, down 64%. One of the crucial turning points came last year when FS1 pushed out Sharpe after he clashed repeatedly on-air with Bayless. Smith pounced, pushing ESPN to hire Sharpe. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has been a huge addition to First Take and is now positioned to inherit the show if Smith leaves next year for late-night TV or politics.
Since splitting up in 2016, Smith and Bayless have remained good friends, referring to each other as their “brother from another mother.” They’ve even talked about reuniting at some point either on ESPN, Fox, or their own independent platform, according to my sources.
Since his days growing up on the streets of Queens, Smith has always been fiercely loyal to his friends. What about the 56-year-old Sharpe? Don’t forget Bayless did him a solid by picking him for Undisputed when he was unemployed back in 2016. Success is the best revenge. His feud with Bayless has cooled off, too. Since leaving Bayless’s suffocating presence, Sharpe’s career has exploded, with ESPN recently giving him a contract extension. Sharpe might enjoy taking his old nemesis apart on First Take.
“We are set with the current First Take rotation, and wish Skip the best on his future endeavors,” an ESPN spokesman told FOS.
Replacing Bayless is not the only challenge facing Fox. Colin Cowherd’s contract is up next year. I could see Cowherd returning to ESPN, especially if Pat McAfee doesn’t last in his afternoon time slot.
Bayless’s four-year, $32 million deal with Fox expires next year. Fox did not return Front Office Sports’ calls and emails seeking comment. One source tells me: “Fox made the wrong call choosing Skip over Shannon. But when Stephen A. was out of the business, Skip brought him back. Will Stephen A. return the favor? Especially when Skip needs a hand now?”
Michael McCarthy’s “Tuned In” column is at your fingertips every week with the latest insights and ongoings around sports media. If he hears it, you will, too.
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