Skip Bayless is the most recent television analyst to decide to leave ESPN. The First Take co-host will leave the network when his contract is up.
Disney is taking another massive hit on one of the biggest television shows in their media conglomerate. On Tuesday, First Take co-host Skip Bayless has reportedly decided to leave ESPN when his contract expires with ESPN in August.
Bayless’s final appearance as co-host on First Take will be the afternoon after the end of the 2016 NBA Finals. He has been with ESPN for the last 12 years, offering interesting takes on one of ESPN’s biggest shows, First Take, with co-host Stephen A. Smith.
First Take has a bit of a controversial reputation. Bayless and Smith are fantastic at generating buzz around the sports world with their sometimes contrarian takes. Along with ESPN’s perennial staple, SportsCenter, First Take had been carrying ESPN 2 for some time. It’s a tough loss for ESPN to lose Bayless.
Bayless will certainly land elsewhere after his contract expires with ESPN in August. He was a Grantland Rice Scholarship recipient while attending Vanderbilt University in the 1970s, and has worked for several major media market publications in his 40+ years of sports journalism.
Outside of his work with ESPN since 2004, Bayless is best known for his work with the Dallas Morning News. He would frequently bring up his unapologetic allegiance to two of his favorite Texas-based professional sports teams in the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
Were Bayless and Smith two of the most antagonizing television personalities on ESPN these last few years? Absolutely, but their chemistry on First Take was undeniable. That was huge for ratings and buzz for the network. ESPN needs to act quickly to find a suitable replacement for one of their more popular shows.
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