Skip Bayless was one of the biggest draws in sports media just a few years ago. Overall, he was a huge reason for First Take's early success. As the inventor of the show, Bayless is largely the catalyst for the media landscape we have today, for better or for worse (largely for worse). Skip knew that people love conflict. It's why news ratings are always higher during times of war, crisis, or natural disaster. Although sports are a whole different beast, conflict is the centerpiece of any athletic competition. Two teams or a group of individuals are fighting for the one thing that the other can't have. In a stroke of genius, Bayless was able to bring that conflict to sports talk television.
Skip Bayless Gave Us Stephen A. Smith
When Skip Bayless brought Stephen A. Smith to First Take, the show was in dire straits. While Bayless was captivating enough with his outlandish hot takes, he couldn't find a co-host as brazen as himself. That's where Stephen A. comes in. At the time, Smith had been ousted from ESPN due to what he describes as creative differences and perhaps even some interpersonal ones. There were network people who didn't take kindly to Smith. However, Bayless couldn't have cared less. He knew he got along with Stephen A. and had a hunch that bringing him in would boost ratings. In the end, Smith's arrival did more than just boost ratings.
The show got a whole lot of flack from athletes, coaches, and general managers alike, yet the program was a ratings masterclass for ESPN. It immediately became the biggest show on the network and while ESPN didn't love this, they couldn't say no to a cash cow, especially with streaming on the horizon. Bayless and Smith were a match made in heaven. Bayless was always trying to goad a reaction out of Stephen A. and Smith would always give him what he wanted. This subsequently led to numerous iconic moments that have fans feeling nostalgic for the LeBron Miami Heat era of sports discourse.
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The Move To FS1
By the time Skip left ESPN for a larger salary at FS1, Smith was arguably a much bigger star than he was. However, his hatred for LeBron and his hilariously misinformed takes were still enough to garner viewers. Not to mention, Bayless has a great ability to spot talent, and recruiting Shannon Sharpe was the best thing he could have done. They had immediate chemistry, and somehow, they were able to keep up with First Take, despite the latter being significantly more established.
It was a slow build for sure, but by 2019, it felt like Undisputed was a better product. Shannon and Skip were going viral every day and their chemistry was off the charts. "Drip Bayless" had become a household nickname and they were doing everything right. However, once the pandemic hit, it's like Skip hit the curmudgeon button and never stopped pressing down on it. His disrespect towards Sharpe became apparent. Every month, Skip and Shannon were becoming more like an old married couple than an actual partnership.
Subsequently, everything went to hell when Skip told Sharpe he was jealous of Tom Brady. It led to a loud exchange that many felt had Sharpe appearing weak. Then the Damar Hamlin incident happened and the writing was on the wall. Sharpe left for First Take and Skip was left to pick up the pieces he created.
A Catastrophic Failure
As we pointed out in our previous piece on Skip Bayless, Undisputed became a dumpster fire following Sharpe's departure. Keyshawn Johnson, Richard Sherman, and Michael Irvin came in to be Skip's rotating co-hosts. However, whenever they started debating, Bayless could not get a word in edge-wise. The show was more frustrating than entertaining. Not to mention, Bayless' schtick was no longer funny after he bullied Sharpe off the show. What once was a humorous character and villain within the sports world had become a crotchety, bitter, and downright nasty old man. Pair that with the bleach and ammonia chemistry of Johnson and Sherman, you were left with a horrific show.
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Even Paul Pierce Can't Save This
Months ago, Paul Pierce was brought in as a means to save Skip Bayless from himself. After all, this should have been perfect since they both have a strong disdain for LeBron James. However, Pierce has not been great for the show. The ratings have remained in a steep decline and Pierce has proven to be less than prepared to speak about today's NBA. If we wanted to relive the glory days of the 2008 Boston Celtics, we could just look up highlights on YouTube in our own time.
Having said all of this, it should come as no surprise that it was announced this week that Skip Bayless would be leaving FS1. After all, why wouldn't he? His contract is about to be up and his show isn't making enough money to justify his salary. To rub salt in the wound even further, ESPN came out and flat-out said that they were not interested in bringing Skip back. Between the ESPN bosses and Shannon Sharpe, Skip has burned too many bridges for that to happen.
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Why Skip Bayless Needs To Retire Now
After breaking all of this down, it has become crystal clear that Skip Bayless needs to retire when his contract expires. Don't be a hero, and certainly don't be an egomaniac either. It's over. It was a fun ride, but it's over. 10 years ago, hell, even five years ago, there was a real appetite for LeBron revisionism and LeBron contrarianism. However, James is a few years from retirement, and how fitting would that be for his biggest hater to ride off into the sunset before the farewell tour?
Beyond that, Skip has simply worn out his welcome in the industry. While Stephen A. has burned bridges, he has burned them with people who realistically wouldn't have been stars without him. If Max Kellerman was a real superstar, he wouldn't have needed First Take. It turns out he did. Sharpe, on the other hand, immediately left Skip and started exploding with Club Shay Shay. Shannon is a pop culture staple right now and that probably wouldn't be the case if he was still at FS1.
Sure, Skip's eye for talent is immense. But will the next big talent even want to work with him after how he treated Shannon? Without ESPN or FS1, where would Skip even go? Who would want to follow him there? The media landscape is so disjointed and barren that the only real avenue for Skip would be his own podcast. But why bother? It would just be him reliving stories from the glory days. No athlete wants to chop it up with Skip. And if they do, it will immediately be confrontational, which is something Bayless has proven to be firmly against.
At the age of 72, Bayless could just retire, call it a career, and leave it all behind. At this point, it's probably what he should do. In fact, it is what he should do. Sure, a couple of LeBron and Bronny tweets here and there might make us chuckle or get nostalgic for those classic rants. But other than that, Skip isn't contributing anything new to sports talk television. If anything, he's holding back a younger generation from revolutionizing the groundwork he laid all those years ago in Bristol, Connecticut.