The biggest sports debate personalities of 2023.
OriginalsBy Awful Announcing Staff on

This week, we’re celebrating the highs, the lows, the best, and the worst of the year with The Awfulies. We introduced our end-of-year awards last year, and we’ve expanded the categories even further this time, with the entire Awful Announcing staff voting for who they think should take home the coveted golden microphone. Keep an eye on category and winner reveals all week long. And be sure to let us know who your pick would have been for the winners.

For this edition, we focus on the most talked about, most polarizing, never-ending world of content which is the sports debate show. It was a landmark year for the genre with mainstays making pronounced shifts away from 1 v 1 debate shows of yesteryear towards a more fun, more dynamic, more bombastic entertainment focus. Who won and who lost? Let’s dive in…

Best Sports Debate Show of 2023

While this is a loaded field with many contenders, there were only a couple of shows that garnered multiple votes in our tally. The original debate show that started the entire movement, PTI, celebrated its 22nd anniversary this year and is still going strong. It deserves a nomination just for Tony Kornheiser returning to the studio! But in the end, there was a runaway winner.

Winner: First Take

For many years, First Take was the bane of our existence. But the show has slowly transformed over the years as it moved from being centered on Skip Bayless’ obsessions (LeBron’s clutch gene, TebowMania, etc.) to now offering a diverse array of personalities with Stephen A. Smith at the center. And although Smith gets most of the headlines, what has driven First Take forward this year are the people ESPN has placed around him. Shannon Sharpe’s move from FS1 to talk NFL on Mondays and Tuesdays was a huge coup, Chris Russo’s manic Wednesday appearances always deliver something viral, and host Molly Qerim, JJ Redick, Dan Orlovsky, Kimberley A. Martin, and others have made plenty of great contributions too. With month after month of ratings increases and record numbers, First Take’s growth shows no signs of slowing down.

Best Sports Debate Personality of 2023

With First Take winning the award for Best Debate Show of 2023, you can probably guess where this is going. Shannon Sharpe, Ryan Clark, and Marcus Spears all picked up votes as did FS1 host Nick Wright (the network’s only representative). But again the top two choices were clear from the field. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo came in second place as his First Take appearances have resurrected his career and brought his love of Bob Cousy and hyper-overactive style to the masses. But the unquestioned king of sports debate television is a no-doubter.

Winner: Stephen A. Smith

SAS has built an empire at ESPN and although he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory with the way he continued to throw dirt on the ESPN grave of former partner Max Kellerman, you can’t argue with the results he’s produced in Bristol. Smith hasn’t just grown First Take, but he’s also expanded his reach with numerous appearances across ESPN and cable news, growing his own podcast, and has made no secret of his further career ambitions. All of that is to say, he may not be residing in this category forever.

Worst Sports Debate Personality of 2023

While Smith and First Take dominated the “Best Of” in sports debate, there was one clear loser this year. Although a few other personalities were nominated (LeSean McCoy, Colin Cowherd, and Chris Russo, who received votes for Best and Worst Personality of 2023), this result was as predictable as Taylor Swift being on camera at a Chiefs game.

Winner: Skip Bayless

It was a no-good, terrible, very bad year to be Skip Bayless. The year started with an ugly feud that played out publicly with his long-time Undisputed partner Shannon Sharpe when Bayless got too personal with the Hall of Famer. Their partnership ended when Sharpe abruptly left the network and moved to ESPN after he had arguably outshone Bayless at his own game and became the bigger star. Then, after a summer-long hiatus, Undisputed returned with Bayless as star/moderator featuring a hodgepodge of former athletes – most notably Michael Irvin, Keyshawn Johnson, and Michael Irvin. In the new setup, Bayless has often lost control over his own program. At the end of 2023, Undisputed continues to lose ground to First Take with its ratings falling and occasionally dipping below 100,000 viewers. And when the show spends an entire two hours on the Cowboys and features Bayless doing the same gimmick he’s done for years, it’s easy to see why.

Check out all of the 2023 Awfulies winners here.