For those who didn’t get enough Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith on First Take, just know you narrowly missed getting even more of them on Monday Night Football.
On the latest episode of The Skip Bayless Show, the former FS1 and ESPN debate show host was asked whether he ever considered being a game commentator. The more important question should be whether a network ever considered Bayless for a game broadcast position. But it sounds like the answer was yes to both.
“Twice ESPN offered me three minutes on halftime of Monday Night Football with my man Stephen A. Smith,” Bayless recalled. “The first time, I turned it down to leave for FS1. The second time, I tried to return to ESPN, but Fox matched the financial offer because Fox had a matching clause and kept me there. Oh well, not meant to be.
“But do I think I could be a commentator in say a three-person booth for an entire NFL, or even an NBA game? Yes, I do. I do believe I could entertain you. I could enlighten you. I could at least make you think. And I also believe network bosses would be scared to death of me on live TV.”
Awful Announcing’s Brendon Kleen recently wondered who the next Tony Kornheiser in an NFL broadcast booth might be, referencing the last time a network opted to use an analyst who was not a former athlete or coach. Safe to say Bayless wasn’t on that radar.
But it’s interesting to learn ESPN twice considered using Bayless and Smith for their Monday Night Football coverage, much like Bob Costas used to have weekly halftime hits on Sunday Night Football. Although ESPN probably viewed Bayless and Smith as more of a performative debate segment to rile their audience, while Costas took a more journalistic approach to his essays for NBC.
This nugget of history from Bayless also comes at a time where Smith is lobbying for a role on Monday Night Countdown amid his current contract negotiations with ESPN. And if ESPN previously sought to put Smith on their halftime show, then it should give real credence to his desire for a chair on Monday Night Countdown.
