Deion Sanders shows love for Undisputed and First Take
You can count Coach Prime among those who like the recent lineup changes on ESPN and FS1.
Undisputed was launched in 2016 with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe. For the previous nine years, Bayless had been a regular on ESPN’s First Take.
Stephen A. Smith has been a full-time host on First Take since 2012. For better or worse, Smith and Bayless have completely transformed the genre of sports talk TV.
It wasn’t always this way. When First Take was launched in 2007, it was primarily just a tepid rebranding of ESPN’s Cold Pizza. Whether it was out of ratings necessity, or just a general aversion to foodborne illnesses, Cold Pizza was discarded and a new brand was launched.
Keep in mind, the concept of sportswriters yelling at one another had been around for years. Pardon the Interruption launched in 2001 and Around the Horn debuted the next year.
However, unlike most talking heads, Smith and Bayless understood the importance of entertaining and maximizing their opportunities.
After hundreds, if not thousands of guest spots for each of them, it all came together in 2012. The format switched to a head to head debate show that launched their careers to stratospheric heights.
When the band broke up, Undisputed was formed and First Take reloaded with Max Kellerman.
ESPN shifted their lineup with Kellerman out eariler this year, and Sharpe quits FS1 and heads to First Take, and Skip’s show adds three new co-hosts.
I don’t necessarily like or dislike any of these shows. They’re mostly just background noise but, I can appreciate their influence and acknowledge just how significant a role they play in driving sports conversations.
One person who’s clearly a fan of both shows is Deion Sanders. He’s definitely getting support from the Undisputed crew.
Coach Prime has had some classic experiences on both programs. I think this one was one of the most meaningful.