Earlier this week, the Manning Brothers dropped a hilarious skit in which they interviewed various celebrities to join them as a co-host for ESPN's ManningCast this football season. The Manning brothers have a fantastic, must-watch alternate commentary track for Monday Night Football for the past two seasons and are preparing to do so again for the 2023 season. However, it appears that they might be looking to follow the trend of First Take and Undisputed and add a third permanent co-host to their team.
One of the celebrities to try out for the role during the skit was legendary rapper Lil Wayne. While his cameo is very short in the actual skit, a longer version of his audition was also posted. “Weezy F. Please say the Weezy, please say the F. Please say something. I’m so ready. You’re gonna love it. I’m gonna kill it… I’m a millionaire, I’m a Young Money millionaire," Wayne says in the extended version. He also drops a little freestyle to show off his versatility. “I’m a Louisiana boy, I’m with the Manning boys and this is the ManningCast and I got a family pass.” Wayne guested on the ManningCast last year.
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Lil Wayne Continues To Break Into Sports Media
It's unclear if the Mannings are actually looking for a third host, or if this was just a little bit of promotional material for their return to ESPN2. However, it's the latest connection that Wayne has to sports media. Last week he made his debut as a guest analyst on Undisputed after Skip Bayless turned their friendship into a business partnership. Social media had an absolute time with it, especially after accounts like NBACentral referred to him as "NBA analyst Dwayne Carter".
However, is the ManningCast a safer bet for Wayne's media career? Last week, Front Office Sports reported that Undisputed had an absolutely dismal premiere week. 131,000 tuned into the season premiere of Undisputed, now anchored by Bayless, Richard Sherman, and Rachel Nichols. The following day, viewership dropped 8.4% to 120,000 viewers. Furthermore, viewership fell off a cliff on the third, falling another 35% to 78,000. A big problem for many viewers was that Bayless stepped back from the role of host to that of moderator, instead letting his newfound team do most of the debating.
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