New 'Undisputed' leaves Skip Bayless speechless
If this is the new 'Undisputed,' its creator may spend more time fighting to be heard than he originally thought.
The FS1 show returned from a lengthy hiatus to find not one but three new hosts joining Skip Bayless on his never-ending quest to rile up the viewers with hot takes. Richard Sherman, Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin - former NFL stars with five Super Bowl rings and a bevy of individual accolades among them - took to the 'Undisputed" set for the first time with Bayless, who once roamed the locker rooms as them as an NFL reporter.
Monday was the debut of a rebooted show where instead of just Bayless and a single co-host bantering over what happened in sports the night before, there were now other voices to lend their expertise and opinions. It seemed as if the studio hadn't changed over the unexpected summer break because the usual set looked a bit more crowded, literally and figuratively.
The extra chairs and loud personalities made for quite the sight in one of the first interactions between the four men as they talked about the San Francisco 49ers' decision to trade their former first-round pick, quarterback Trey Lance, to the Dallas Cowboys. As Irvin, Johnson and Sherman debated the impact of the deal on incumbent franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, take a look at Bayless' struggle to get a word in against the former players.
While it's pretty hilarious to see Bayless have to hold his breath, sort of speak, it'll be interesting to see what roles each of the new hosts are trying to fill as the show goes forward. With Sherman's work for "Thursday Night Football" on Prime Video, perhaps "Undisputed" serves as another proving ground to fine tune his work as an analyst, not just discussing the actual on-field play but bringing his deep understanding of the game's finances as a still-active member of the NFL Players Association. Johnson has worked in some form of sports media for much of the past 17 years, and though he spent many years on television, his turn in radio serves him well in the debate forum. Irvin, of course, brings the "extra" that makes any moment go viral on social media, something that matters just as much these days for some shows as traditional TV ratings.
Bayless is bound to tick off his new teammates, and perhaps he may find himself making up for lost time on these segments against his other new colleagues Rachel Nichols and Lil Wayne. However, if FS1 plans to keep up the same energy as it had when Bayless was sparring with Shannon Sharpe, then it looks as if they've started on the right track.
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