Cris Carter believes Skip Bayless’ time in sports media is over. In fact, the Hall of Famer says Bayless relies on a debate formula that no longer works in the current day of successful sports media.
What We Know: Carter made the comments during an appearance on 4th and 1 with Cam Newton. He argued that Bayless built his career on loving or hating certain athletes, like Tim Tebow and LeBron James. The two first clashed at ESPN, where Carter often joined Bayless on First Take during the 2011 Tebow run. Later, they overlapped at FS1, though Carter says they rarely interacted there.
What They Said: (All quotes with 4th and 1 with Cam Newton):
Cris Carter says Skip Bayless time in sports media is over: “Skip Bayless does not have a voice in sports. You know the reason why he doesn’t have a voice? Because he took a lot of his stage time and put it to people that he decided to like or hate. When you decide I’m going to make a career out of wearing hats, smoking cigars. That’s a good look. But when you say I’m gonna make a lifestyle out of supporting Tim Tebow and banging on LeBron James, LeBron James cannot do anything right. So, you’re not a journalist. You already have the story written. It’s just a matter of what the narrative is going to be. It’s not serious sports commentary.”
Cris Carter says the formula that Skip Bayless has with debate doesn’t respect the other individual in the room: “Every argument that Skip [Bayless] is on, the argument is pre-baked. It’s a fixed fight. What round am I going down? You’re going down in the fifth. Okay, I’m gonna hit you with low. Give you a little shoulder and you’re gonna go down. They force you to take topics. That’s not real journalism. That’s not real conversation. You don’t have no respect for the ability of other people to think on their feet that you’re making people say something.”
Cris Carter on professional athletes held back by networks on debate programming: “We’re [professional athletes] over equipped for these fights. These dudes [journalists] ain’t been in the trenches. These dudes ain’t never been slapped, and ain’t never slapped nobody. It’s a fixed fight for us. But the way they produce the show, they got it fixed not in our favor.”
What Remains Unclear: So far, it is unclear whether Bayless plans to respond to Carter’s critique. Additionally, Bayless has previously said he got along well with Carter at FS1 in 2016. Currently Bayless has made his return to First Take with rotating Friday appearances. ESPN has not revealed any additional viewership data in regards to Bayless’ return to First Take this fall as of yet.
What It Means: Carter’s critique goes beyond one personality. He claimed networks force topics on former athletes and stack the deck against them. As a result, he sees the format as staged rather than real conversation. Moreover, for Bayless, Carter’s comments add to a long line of criticism from former colleagues. Whether or not the comments launch a further escalation of words between parties is unknown.
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