Thankfully, we haven't heard too much noise lately from the Bristol underworld kingdom of First Take. Tim Tebow's NFL career being on life support and the brilliant play of LeBron James have worked against two of the show's long-standing pillars – that Tebow is a winner and James is not. Instead of building a show on a solid foundation of insight and analysis, ESPN built First Take on the shifting sands of Skip Bayless and his brand of carnival barking and now the show will wander through the wilderness until Bayless finds another pantomime villian or hero to sink his teeth into.
But make no mistake, First Take is still an abomination and this must still be recognized by the public at large. The New York Post did just that as First Take earned the dubious distinction of being named one of the 20 worst shows on television by the tabloid. Keep in mind this declaration is coming from the New York Post, which isn't exactly a beacon of journalistic integrity, so it should carry double the dosage of shame:
"This is what happens when you cross two of the most obnoxious, self-serving, loudmouthed blowhards in sports media — two hours of Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, from ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn., yelling about the topics du jour. Smith is more buddy to NBA stars than journalist. The contrarian Bayless makes mindless “predictions” for no identifiable reason other than to fuel arguments. The banter is more “Real Housewives of Bristol” than insightful sports commentary."
This list isn't entirely trustworthy because it calls Community "meta-junk" which is insanity because we all know Community is one of the best shows on television. #sixseasonsandamovie
Regardless, seeing First Take right where it belongs amongst other terrible shows like Maury, Dance Moms, My Cat From Hell, and the fourth hour of the Today Show is quite satisfying. Of course, the current calm before the storm surrounding First Take is a bit too eerie for my liking and is probably a sign that ESPN is planning on adding a live third hour or something. Jets camp is right around the corner after all.
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