Shannon Sharpe is winning his divorce with Skip Bayless in a big way. But to this point, he’s refrained from laying the hammer down on his former partner.
Sharpe might be refraining from burying Bayless, but marketing executive Steve Stoute didn’t while appearing on the latest episode of Club Shay Shay. During the interview, Sharpe noted how digital media has given athletes the ability to be owners instead of just talent. And Sharpe himself has taken advantage of that ability since parting ways from FS1 last year, prompting Stoute to rant about Bayless.
“I watched your ex-host, Skip. I don’t even understand why all these other Black athletes even go on the show now. I don’t even understand what they’re doing!” Stoute ranted of Bayless and Undisputed. “To me, it’s so clear that he needs Black talent, athletes, rappers. He’s doing everything to prop himself up.
“And I know he’s getting paid over there and everybody else is getting pennies on the dollar. And I’m like, ‘Why would you do that!?’ Why would you go over there and do that? He clearly isn’t the guy. He needs you! Why don’t everybody leave the show and let’s watch him do it for a minute. That show would be dead, immediately.”
If Undisputed’s ratings continue down its current trajectory, then it’s safe to question whether the show is already in the process of dying without Sharpe. According to Sports Media Watch, Undisputed averaged a record-low 50,000 viewers last Tuesday Feb. 27. In comparison, First Take averaged 486,000 viewers on the same day. Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay, meanwhile has nearly 3 million subscribers and his Nightcap podcast has more than 1 million subscribers with both shows routinely eclipsing the viewership averages garnered by Undisputed.
Sharpe is well aware of what’s happening to Bayless in his absence. But after Stoute tore down Bayless, Sharpe looked away from the camera and quickly said, “Well, I like where I’m at now, so…”
Club Shay Shay proceeded to have a timely commercial break after Sharpe’s brisk comment regarding the current status of his former sparring partner on FS1. Following the commercial, Club Shay Shay moved to an entirely different segment, which raises the question of whether Sharpe or Stoute had more to say about Bayless, but chose to omit any additional commentary on the matter from the show.
Sharpe saying “I like where I’m at now” in comparison to Bayless is a humble understatement. It’s no longer a question of who won the divorce, but whether or not Bayless and Undisputed can survive the divorce.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com