As a cohost and take artist on FS1’s First Things First, Nick Wright knows his role within sports media is not everyone’s favorite.
But rather than run away from the criticism that debate show hosts take, the FTF host is facing the music. In an interview on the Check the Mic NFL podcast ahead of Week 15 of the NFL season, Wright defended the format sports debate and compared it to a sweet treat on a buffet that features the whole food pyramid.
“It is much like anything that tastes great, but you know isn’t good for you,” Wright argued. “It shouldn’t be your entire diet, but it would be a huge bummer if it wasn’t available.”
Wright acknowledged that certain hosts, like Skip Bayless, can be grating in their commitment to a certain opinion, while others may not always provide the requisite facts and support to back up their arguments.
But as a longtime enemy of JJ Redick and other anti-media voices within sports media, Wright also rebuked anyone who dismisses the generalist talk show format out of hand. Wright believes there is a place for shows like First Things First and more analytical content for different types of fans.
“In today’s media environment, if you want to learn about CPOE and ADOT, guess what? They exist,” Wright said, citing advanced NFL statistics. “That’s not what (debate hosts are) here for. We are here for deeply impassioned beliefs. And one of the reasons, if I may say so, that our show has done well and people enjoy it, is what doesn’t work in my opinion with the ‘shouty shows’ is if you take yourself too seriously and you don’t understand, what we’re doing is kind of ridiculous. And you also do need a factual base to build this argument from.”
Wright also pushed back on the idea that a show like First Things First does not speak to topics that sports fans actually care about or that it exists in its own very loud, contentious vacuum. Just the opposite, Wright argued: Debate shows can often cut through the noise to speak to what’s on a fan’s mind.
Wright cited two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson’s consistent postseason underperformance as just one example. With a pattern as long as Jackson’s, Wright believes a good, old-fashioned take can counter the inconclusive results a more analytical media type might come to.
“I like that there is a diverse array of media, and football fans these days can truly get exactly what they want,” Wright explained. “I do want to debate whether or not if Lamar Jackson loses and scores the fewest points he’s scored all year once again in the playoffs, what that says about him as a player. And you know why I want to debate it? Because I actually think that’s something a lot of sports fans (think about).”
When Stephen A. Smith was pressed on this by Dan Le Batard in 2023, Smith was defensive and accused Le Batard of hypocrisy. And while it’s fair to say that everyone in sports media engages in a fair amount of pretentiousness by doling out opinions for the masses, it’s a welcome sight when Wright is willing to engage with his own detractors more directly.
If debate shows were for everyone, their reign of supremacy would have continued, and podcasts would likely be far less popular. By comparing FTF to a dessert or a nice, salty appetizer, Wright sees the usefulness of his own job without missing the larger context that he sits within in sports media.
