Skip Bayless is strongly denying Stephen A. Smith’s account of the origin story of First Take and it’s success.
Smith went on JJ Redick’s podcast, The Old Man and the Three last week and discussed First Take. He mentioned on the program that it was he, Smith, that was recruited in a parking lot on ESPN’s campus to team with Bayless. If you were to believe Smith’s accounting, that partnership is what saved a stagnating show.
“Skip Bayless was doing his thing with First Take having… various other people debating against him,” Smith said. “And then in 2012, they weren’t satisfied with the numbers — the ratings and the amount of revenue that was being generated.”
That’s big issue number one with Bayless. On the most recent episode of his podcast, Bayless was shocked at that assertion.
“WHAT?!” Bayless said on the most recent episode of his podcast. “I cannot tell you how wrong that was. It was so recklessly inaccurate. It was such a shocking fabrication.”
Bayless appeared angered and saddened as he read Smith’s comments.
“I’ve done all that I could to take this as far as it can go,” Smith alleges Bayless said to him. “I need you, please. Just give me three years. I think we’ll knock it out of the park.’”
“I thought, ‘how could my brother Stephen A. turn on me like that?’ On me? Seriously?” Bayless said on the podcast. “Stephen A. was suggesting that he saved and then made First Take. How can you save and make a show that was already as big a billion-to-one success story as ESPN had ever seen? The ratings and the revenues were impossibly great when Stephen A. joined me in 2012.
“With Stephen A. as my partner, First Take would never touch the NFL Monday ratings that it hit in 2011 pre-Stephen A. And I had taken First Take as far as I could? Seriously? I was just getting started. The rocket had just launched the year before in 2011.”
“Stephen A., how dare you,” bemoaned Bayless.
