Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless refute narrative they’ve destroyed sports media

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless didn’t ruin or destroy sports journalism as others have accused them of, but they didn’t help it either.

Smith and Bayless reunited Friday afternoon from Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl LX on The Arena: Gridiron. It marked the first time in nearly a decade that Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless appeared on the same show in person. They’ve made podcast appearances together remotely, and they’ve met in person off camera. But this was the first time they had been on the same show with microphones on and cameras rolling since Bayless left First Take for FS1 ten years ago.

Maybe it was a treat for Smith and Bayless to be back on set together. But it wasn’t a treat for their detractors, who still claim Smith and Bayless ruined sports media by spawning a culture of debate television through their success on First Take. And to those detractors, Smith and Bayless pushed back on the “BS” Friday afternoon.

“I still hear people say that you and I ruined sports media, that we destroyed it with our style. I think we revolutionized it.”@RealSkipBayless & @stephenasmith break down how they changed the sports media landscape. pic.twitter.com/Kvilu11sT3

— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) February 6, 2026

“I still read, I still hear people say that you and I ruined sports media,” Bayless said. “That we destroyed it with our style or whatever it is. That it’s ‘Screamin’ A. Smith and Skip Baseless.’ That’s all we ever heard. And if I may say so myself, I think we revolutionized it. And the ratings would say we were pretty good. And I would say that no one has ever quite matched the chemistry that maybe God about gave us. It’s hard to find, you can’t teach it, coach it. It just worked. And it was entertaining, and it was enlightening, it was just fun.”

“You’re right,” Smith interjected. “And I think it’s a lot of BS when it comes to that stuff because you got a lot of jealousy, a lot of envy, because people look at what we’ve been able to achieve and they’re like, why them? Why not us? I often say, you look at me at First Take, where were you when I was a high school reporter for the New York Daily News? Where you when I was covering high school sports for free?”

Smith’s background as a reporter shouldn’t absolve him of criticism as a TV personality. Similarly, there are inflammatory political commentators who once entered the media space as sensible journalists. What they were earlier in their careers doesn’t change who they are now. Despite their critics, Smith and Bayless deserve credit for learning to create content that sports fans were interested in consuming, even if part of their intrigue stemmed from rubbernecking.

The downside of First Take is that it influenced a generation of media personalities who learned to prioritize takes and opinions over news and facts. First Take spawned the “embrace debate” era of sports media, and it also shaped the concept of prioritizing drama over news. But it’s undeniable that First Take helped to open the door for a new market of shows and sports entertainers who are still thriving today. You don’t need to be an expert, trained journalist, or former athlete to work in sports media. You just need to have an opinion. And for that, you can either thank or fault Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless.