As the NBA Finals wrapped up with LeBron James fulfilling his professional long goal to bring a championship home to the winning starved city of Cleveland, Skip Bayless ended his run on ESPN’s First Take with the same eloquent insight he made famous in the mid-morning timeslot.
He trolled James as an undeserving Finals MVP.
Kyrie last 5 games: 30 in win, 34 as LeBron disappeared, 41 in win, 23 in win (tone-setting 20 in 1st half), 26 & game-winner in Game 7. MVP
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 20, 2016
Did anyone expect any less?
First Take, the shining Death Star of the “Embrace Debate” format has now lost its Darth Vader.
Bayless, whose contract with the worldwide leader was set to expire this August, is leaving the network and reuniting with former ESPN executive Jamie Horowitz at Fox Sports One. The deal, reportedly worth $26 million over the next four years, highlights Fox’s cannonball into the debate pool.
Former ESPN personalities Colin Cowherd and Jason Whitlock now man the network’s afternoon “Take” with Speak for Yourself, which debuted opposite ESPN Sportscenter on June 13th.
With Bayless now on board, FS1 is priming itself as the new destination for hot takes and rebuttals.
How will this shift of talking heads affect both networks?
The immediate future of First Take may have already been decided.
During a Periscope broadcast on June 28th, Cowherd pronounced that the chair opposite Stephen A. Smith is Max Kellerman’s to turn down.
Well, it looks like it was an offer that Kellerman could not refuse.
WATCH: Our boy @Max_Kellerman is fired up to join the debate desk on July 25th!https://t.co/2yqJk2yV00
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 11, 2016
ESPN has confirmed that Kellerman will be joining First Take on July 25th. This Friday will be his last day hosting SportsNation.
Kellerman, the boxing aficionado who also serves as a color commentator for HBO World Championship Boxing, has been fixture in sports broadcasting since making his debut in 1998 as a studio boxing analyst on ESPN Friday Night Fights alongside MLB Network’s Brian Kenny.
His first opportunity to project range outside of the sweet science came as the original host of Around the Horn in 2002. He left the network in 2004 for Fox Sports Net and the semi self-titled sports commentary/debate show I, Max. The program was cancelled after a nine-month run.
Kellerman returned to his boxing roots in 2006 as part of the revamped HBO Boxing After Dark. That gig led to his addition to the HBO flagship boxing program and pay per view telecasts alongside Jim Lampley and Roy Jones Jr.
In 2013, Kellerman made his on-air return to ESPN as the host of the comedy-infused SportsNation with former NFL defensive end Marcellus Wiley and Clarissa Thompson (later Michelle Beadle). Kellerman and Wiley are no strangers to each other as they had previously co-hosted a highly successful midday sports radio show on ESPNLA since 2011.
The experience is there, and Kellerman’s background in the on-air debate game is apparent. As the host of Around The Horn, he served as the moderator while four sports pundits commented on the events of the day. On I, Max, Kellerman was on the debate podium with former Around the Horn co-conspirator and sports author Michael Holley. He even did time opposite conservative talking head Tucker Carlson during a stint on MSNBC after the demise of I, Max.
As for his style, Kellerman can be viewed as both very well-versed and very “in your face”. He is not afraid of making controversial comments, and during an on-air discussion about the Ray Rice domestic abuse incident in 2014, Kellerman admitted to once hitting his then-girlfriend and now wife of 20 years Erin after a college party. That sharing of a past indiscretion earned Kellerman a two week suspension by ESPN.
An in your face style.
Experience on multiple platforms.
Multiple tours of duty with the world wide leader.
Suspensions after controversial comments.
Kellerman looks more and more like a near-perfect match with Smith, though he was not the only on-air personality being vetted for the First Take seat. According to published reports, the other names on the short list to replace Bayless included Jorge Sedano and Will Cain.
Sedano has become one of the fastest rising personalities on the network’s roster since coming aboard in 2013. He replaced former ESPN host Mike Hill as the host of the Sedano and Stink radio show with Mark Schlereth and currently co-hosts Jorge & Izzy with NBA writer Israel Guttierez. As a devotee to the school of sports analytics, Sedano would have been a stark departure from Bayless’ emotion-driven style.
Joining the network in 2015 as a contributor to the magazine style E:60, Cain is no novice to the on-air debate game. The conservative commentator’s previous stops includes stints at CNN, Blaze, and Fox News. The potential for lively and entertaining debates with Smith based solely on Cain’s background could have proven to be a boon for ESPN. He seems like a suitable replacement for Bayless. His lack of sports experience, however, had the potential to be disastrous and a viewer deterrent for First Take.
Picture Dennis Miller in the Monday Night Football booth.
Or maybe not.
Make no mistake, however, the future of First Take now firmly rest on the shoulders of Stephen A. Smith and the chemistry that must be cultivated between him and his new sparring partner. Smith’s combative mic work with Bayless goes back to their days on a Sunday Sportscenter segment called “Old School/Nu Skool”. His addition to the First Take desk on a full-time basis was a natural fit.
Of course, Bayless was the focal point.
Now Smith is the one under center.
As for Bayless, he becomes the major free agent pickup for a network looking for star power. In the ever-growing theater of sports verbal combat, there is no bigger star than Bayless. A respected journalist from the world of print journalism, Bayless rebranded himself in the new millennium as the master of the hot take.
ESPN provided him with the platform on the “1st and Ten” segment with Denver Post vet and Around The Horn panelist Woody Paige on Cold Pizza. Once the segment became the show, Skip Bayless became the face of the Embrace the Debate movement.
Now, Bayless is poised to be the face of FS1’s hot take makeover.
When Fox Sports launched its national cable network back in 2013, the goal was always to position itself as the primary competition to the industry leader. The network has its share of valuable content such as Major League Baseball, UFC, and NASCAR. Now it needed the big name on air talent and the programming to support that talent.
With the early success of the TV simulcast of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, FS1 was confident that the Cowherd-Whitlock combination would lead to ratings success in the afternoon timeslot.
After its debut episode drew 94,000 viewers (in comparison, the 6/13 edition of the 6 PM EST Sportscenter drew 548,000), Speak for Yourself has averaged 60,000 viewers over its near month run.
Maybe it’s the chemistry that still needs to develop. Maybe it’s that fedora on top of Whitlock’s head. Maybe it’s missing the dynamic that Bayless and Smith (and even Paige), mastered.
Speaking of chemistry, who will be Bayless’ new lab partner?
Try NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe.
According to a report published by Awful Announcing, the Super Bowl winning tight end and former CBS NFL analyst is set to join Bayless on an untitled debate style show. Sharpe is no stranger to Bayless’ antics as he has served as a guest host on First Take.
There is no denying that the NFL talk between the two will be intense, but how entertaining or insightful will the hot takes be once the talk strays away from the gridiron?
The proposed two hour program, according to reports, is slated to debut in the fall as a lead in to The Herd, starting at 10 AM EST.
Sound familiar? It looks like Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith will be battling each other as usual, only this time, the fight will be for ratings.
Just like old times, huh?
