Skip Bayless’ new debate crew is taking shape, but the early internal reviews are not looking good.
Shannon Sharpe’s replacement to sit across Bayless on “Undisputed” is set to be a group of guests that include rapper Lil Wayne, former ESPN host Rachel Nichols, former NFL star Richard Sherman, and potentially another former ESPN analyst in Keyshawn Johnson.
However, according to a report by Front Office Sports, folks inside Fox Sports are not enthused by the selections or with the approach to copy ESPN’s “First Take,” which rotates a cast of characters to debate with Stephen A. Smith.
DON’T MISS: Skip Bayless will debate on ‘Undisputed’ with ex-NFL star he's publicly argued with
FOS’ report cited a few anonymous sources, one of whom said that the current talent Fox is set to have across from Bayless is proof that they’re having “trouble finding major talents to work with Skip.”
Another source also told FOS that Fox’s decision to look at talent outside of its current roster is not also not being received well by those already with FS1.
But some of the folks internally -- like Nick Wright, Joy Taylor, and Emmanuel Acho -- are already experienced debaters. And Bayless wants to ensure that his light is not dimmed by anyone debating him, which was what led to his falling out with Sharpe.
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But the current lineup doesn’t boast many experienced sports debaters.
Nichols is a tenured host on ESPN, CNN, and now Showtime, but has never really been the analyst or debater. Lil Wayne is a world famous rapper, but is more a buddy of Bayless than a sports debate adversary. Sherman has a fiery personality and has some notable experience debating Bayless, but he’s still relatively raw in the media game.
Ultimately, Bayless reportedly has the last word on who he sits across once the show returns on August 28.
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