Skip Bayless won't go softly into that good night time.
Having been ousted from Fox Sports this summer season, Bayless appeared out of contact at occasions throughout an interview with Ben Strauss of The Washington Post. Nevertheless, the 72-year-old sports activities TV icon is trying to make a comeback, with new ventures together with a guide, a screenplay, and, after all, a brand new debate present.
First, let’s tackle the self-deception. Bayless knowledgeable Strauss that he was “astounded” that former Undisputed adversary Shannon Sharpe felt offended. Or that Bayless performed no position in pushing Sharpe off the present in 2023. A pleasant attempt, Skip. However, historical past can't be rewritten. Sources reveal that in their seven-year partnership, Bayless made it clear to Fox executives in Los Angeles that he was the Batman to Sharpe’s Robin.
Bayless, who earned round $8 million per 12 months in his ultimate Fox contract, acquired roughly double the wage of his co-host. He known as the photographs on this system. The uneven dynamic between Bayless and Sharpe escalated to the purpose the place they nearly got here to blows on-air. During their most heated argument, a commanding Bayless instructed Sharpe to put his spectacles back on—sounding like a principal reprimanding a disobedient scholar. No disrespect meant, proper, Skip?
Nevertheless, the intelligent Bayless didn’t climb from native newspaper columnist to nationwide TV character by probability. Bayless appropriately discerned why and the way Undisputed transitioned from a possible First Take competitor to tv flotsam—and the way he wound up on the sidewalk of Pico Boulevard.
Where Things Went Awry
Fox erred by supporting him as a substitute of Sharpe. The community backed the wrong particular person at a degree when Sharpe was gaining reputation and Bayless was waning. Today, Sharpe stands as one of many premier figures in sports activities media, internet hosting the Club Shay Shay podcast, showing on First Take, and conceivably taking on if Stephen A. Smith departs. My sources point out that Bayless actually faults Fox for not resolving the battle between him and Sharpe. Hence his astonishment that they didn’t battle to maintain the duo collectively.
Bayless can also be appropriate in asserting that it was a serious blunder for Undisputed to go on hiatus for 2 months following Sharpe’s departure. One shouldn’t mess with the viewing habits of morning tv audiences. That determination drove many viewers to Smith's First Take, they usually by no means returned. With Smith recruiting Sharpe to hitch him this 12 months, it was primarily sport over.
Bayless can also be correct in calling it an ill-advised technique to appoint him because the moderator on the revamped Undisputed. This perplexing determination primarily relegated Bayless to a supporting position on his personal program. Nobody needs a milder, extra accommodating Bayless facilitating a dialog. He thrives on being a provocateur, the morning TV troublemaker unleashing audacious scorching takes.
Nevertheless, Bayless isn't conceding defeat. He is ready to make an look on Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take at the moment. It seems he's embarking on a media marketing campaign to revive his status (His spouse, Ernestine Sclafani Bayless, is a well-regarded PR skilled). To borrow from Dylan Thomas, the patriarch of “embrace debate” intends to insurgent towards the fading of the sunshine. But has his viewers departed for good? Time will inform.
The terminated Undisputed was succeeded by The Facility, which premiered on Sept. 3. The chart above illustrates how video views on YouTube have advanced for the channel since its peak interval with Sharpe, the numerous decline throughout the hiatus, a surge with the brand new lineup, after which a drop to roughly half of the very best metrics. The viewership plummeted as Undisputed went off the air, and a contemporary roster, led by Emmanuel Acho, is endeavoring to rejuvenate inside that point slot below a brand new title and id.
