There haven’t been any new episodes of Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed” since Shannon Sharpe left the show and there won’t be any new episodes until the end of August, as Skip Bayless said. announced Thursday. There would be a reason for that.
Per Front Office Sports, the daily talk show was put on hiatus because Bayloss and the Fox Sports brass were unable to secure a replacement for the NFL Hall of Famer after his exit last month.
Sharpe and Bayless were on the air together for seven years, with decent ratings if you can excuse the occasional hiccup. Finding someone willing to take on Bayless every day of the week was bound to be a challenge, but it now appears to be a long-term issue for the network.
Potential successors mentioned by FOS were Keyshawn Johnson and Max Kellerman, both recently fired by ESPN, as well as Fox Sports 1’s LeSean McCoy, Nick Wright, Emmanuel Acho and Joy Taylor.
Although “Undisputed” is a flagship show for FS1, there would be hesitation among contestants to partner with Bayless, especially when the longtime professional has the final say on all internal decisions for the show. It’s hard to enter the arena every day when your opponent is pulling the strings and making more money.
Bayless apparently didn’t enjoy the experience:
“Shannon’s exit went much faster than they expected, so they had no choice but to take a break,” a source said. did such for all his years at FS1 or ESPN. Not being on the air during all these NBA moves is killing it.
Meanwhile, Bayless tried to hype up the hype as a chance to revamp “Undisputed” for the better, though details remain scarce.
Bayless remains under contract with Fox Sports until 2025 after signing a four-year, $32 million extension despite overtures from ESPN to reunite with former partner Stephen A. Smith on “First Take.” Bayless is reportedly still interested in a reunion, though it’s hard to see how that will pan out in the near future.