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On Wednesday morning’s episode of FS1’s Undisputed, host Shannon Sharpe, who was noticeably absent the day before, showed up with a few words for Skip Bayless. However, Bayless quickly shut Sharpe down.
While the pair have worked together for over six years on the sports network, it hasn’t been until recently that Bayless and Sharpe began to publicly spar beyond the bounds of sports debate.
It was only three weeks ago that Bayless took “personal shots” at the Hall of Fame tight end partner, whom he religiously downplays each day. As a regular viewer of the show, today, Sharpe was markedly more appeasing than usual.
After the brief exchange about the tweet, Sharpe would conclude the first segment asking Bayless about how he got his nickname, perhaps trying to endear him to his haters or curry favor with the man responsible for adding him to the show. Whatever Sharpe’s motivation, he appeared weak in front of a man who has made his name off of slandering superstar athletes such as LeBron James, Terrell Owens, and other household names.
Twelve years ago, ESPN’s Jalen Rose explained to Bayless he was “being insensitive” to athletes he never knew or understood. However, Bayless, an old dog, is still using the same old tricks.
Like an aged canine, the sour Bayless covers the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Cowboys incessantly to the dismay of many viewers, but his lack of diverse topics often shackles the partner, who objectively bursts with charisma every day.
Bayless continues to show his true character
Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Club Shay Shay, has been doing numbers since he began in 2020. Ever since his playing days, Sharpe has offered classic one-liners and memorable quotes, which endeared him to fans outside of the two NFL franchises he played for during his 14 year Super Bowl-winning career.
Beloved by many and respected by all, Sharpe’s short time on Undisputed has afforded him the same respect and admiration that Bayless’s 50 years of sports journalism has yet to afford him.
“I can’t even get through a monologue without you interrupting me,” Sharpe said.
Sharpe started the show trying to explain his absence from the Tuesday show, but a comment about Bayless’ controversial tweet sent the show off the rails. Many have labeled the tweet as him moving on from Damar Hamlin’s life-threatening hit without compassion and caring more about the game then Hamlin’s wellbeing.
Bayless was once again labeled as insensitive, posting the message mere minutes after the violent collision. A chorus of his Twitter followers condemned his words in an effort to return Damar’s humanity to the forefront of the discussion.
It remains to be seen whether Bayless will heed the mountain of criticism or continue denigrating the very stars he himself could never hope to become.