When you do something for an extended period, it’s hard to let it go. For years, I remember hearing conversations about the “old guard” not willing to put down the sword. “You’ll have to take this microphone from my cold, dead hands,” I used to hear when contemplating a roster move at a radio station I once ran.
Change isn’t easy. Some changes we plan for, most we don’t. When I saw the news that Skip Bayless was launching a new podcast for the upcoming NFL season, I thought about change. The 73-year-old captain of the embrace-debate movement is stepping into another venture as fall approaches.
So, is Bayless simply unable to let go—or is he the greatest showman sports media has ever seen?
I can already hear the pushback: The greatest showman in sports media? John, you must be out of your mind.
What Is Sports Media Today Without Skip Bayless?
But let’s be honest—sports media has always been about entertainment. That’s why the format has been successful for many generations. From columnists challenging local teams and personalities to the invention of sports talk radio, debate in sports has been happening since before any cable company or streaming platform you use to consume the content on.
Skip Bayless understood there was a hole to fill in embracing debate on ESPN. Since then, sports debate is everywhere—podcasts, radio, television, and so much more. Sure, you can hate what has become of sports television since the dawn of Skip Bayless on ESPN. You can’t deny its influence, though.
Without Skip Bayless, there is no Stephen A. Smith on First Take.
Without Skip Bayless, there is no Shannon Sharpe at the levels he is right now.
Dan Le Batard once said that he hates what sports television had become because of what Skip Bayless had a hand in morphing it into. Without Skip Bayless, where would Dan Le Batard be?
What Skip Bayless was in the very beginnings of this millennium was the basis for what ESPN has become today. It’s about entertainment first, games second. That entertainment revolving around the games created a destination for the sports fan ecosystem to feast however they may want at any time of day.
There’s History in the Journey
Before television, Bayless was a journalist: a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, an author, and a sports talk show host. He shared the air with some of the country’s top sports talk talent such as Jim Rome and Chet Coppock.
In 1989, Bayless was a regular on The Sports Reporters on ESPN. His voice in print and broadcast carried weight in the sports media landscape up until 2004, when change was in the air for Bayless.
The last twenty years for Bayless have also experienced several changes.
He left ESPN in 2016 after crafting the foundation for First Take. FOX Sports quickly signed him to launch Undisputed on FS1, where he debated with Shannon Sharpe, Lil Wayne, Keyshawn Johnson, and Paul Pierce, among others. Bayless knew how to command the dance floor, no matter who the DJ was.
His finale at FS1 was silent. No goodbye show, no final sendoff—just a tweet saying he’s excited for what’s coming up next.
Bayless went independent, producing his Skip Bayless Show on YouTube in search of creating a digital network for a YouTube channel. He understood the trends of how sports fans were consuming content and embraced change again.
Embracing Change in the New Age
Now, a year after leaving FS1, Bayless is announcing a new joint venture with fellow content creator Gilbert Arenas for the football season—a collaboration of a podcast published three times a week featuring Gilbert Arenas, Jay Gruden, and Aqib Talib.
Don’t judge a book by its cover. This podcast could have the workings of some solid-gold debate that Bayless has owned for generations—yet another opportunity for embracing change.
In the last two decades, Bayless has gone from the top personality at the largest sports network in the world to an online content creator still garnering attention and a following no matter the platform.
That’s talent. That’s skill. That’s showmanship.
For anyone in traditional media hesitating to leap into digital spaces, Bayless offers a blueprint. Despite already being one of the most recognizable figures in sports media, he’s never stopped trying new things or finding new ways to connect with his audience.
Yes, he may now be outside the target demographic. But even at 73, Skip Bayless is still one of the most relevant pundits in the game—and still commanding the kind of attention most creators only dream of.
Ask yourself if you’ve done the same.
Change isn’t easy. If broadcasters are not providing content in digital spaces outside their own traditional methods yet, use Bayless as a model for how to approach the craft. No one in sports media has stayed as relevant, for as long, in as many formats.
If you were the greatest showman in sports media, why would you ever let it go?
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
