Fox Sports is desperate to find more use for Skip Bayless after the two sides recently agreed to a four-year, $32 million extension (a $2 million annual increase on his previous $6 million/year salary). Perhaps too desperate.
Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reports that “Fox Sports has had discussions internally about creating a faux courtroom show starring the 69-year-old Bayless.”
Yes, a Judge Judy-esque Skip Bayless show on FS1.
McCarthy adds that it’s “one of several solo ideas on the drawing board” for Fox Sports, and it’s unlikely the courtroom show would include Bayless’ Undisputed co-stars Shannon Sharpe and Jenny Taft. Fox Sports talents Nick Wright, Emmanuel Acho, Joy Taylor, Charissa Thompson, and Marcellus Wiley are suggested by McCarthy as possible debate participants on the show, with Judge Skippy deciding the debates.
Nothing has been finalized. The Judge Skip concept is one of several solo ideas on the drawing board for the controversial co-host of FS1’s “Skip & Shannon: Undisputed” morning debate show. If approved, it would air on weekday afternoons, said sources.
The embryonic “embrace debate” show would probably not include Bayless’ “Undisputed” co-stars Shannon Sharpe or Jenny Taft, said a source.
We had to double-check the date to make sure it’s not an April Fools’ joke, but it appears that this is a real idea being discussed by Fox Sports.
Again, it’s understandable that Fox Sports is trying to do everything they can to maximize the usage of Bayless after deciding to pay him $8 million per year for four more years. And this would be a very cheap program to produce, maybe even attracting some eyeballs initially because of people wanting to see take a peek at the hard-to-believe train wreck for themselves.
But let’s hope that Fox Sports ultimately settles on another idea. Like, just about anything else.
