SI

Stephen A. and Chris Russo Have Been Magic, But Now ‘First Take’ Has a Problem

Also in Traina Thoughts: All-Star Game ratings; J.J. Watt’s latest act of generosity; Juan Soto’s controversial plane ride and more.

Jimmy Traina

1. It’s no secret that I’ve become a huge fan of First Take on Wednesdays, when Chris “Mad Dog” Russo joins Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim for two hours of arguing, yelling and fun.

I’ve written in Traina Thoughts about how much I’ve enjoyed the pairing. I’ve sent out tons of clips from the show via Twitter, and guests have come on the SI Media Podcast and mentioned how much I love the Russo-Smith pairing.

I’ve listened to Russo since the 1990s and will consume any content he provides because I find him extremely entertaining.

However, without Stephen A. Smith around to battle with Russo, it might not be worth tuning into First Take.

With Smith on the sidelines for a few weeks because of a combination of recovering from shoulder surgery and summer vacation, ESPN has used Russo on First Take with a rotating cast of personalities, and it’s been a disaster. Recent shows with Russo have just turned into:

  • Russo Praises an Old Athlete
  • Debater Person X Calls Russo Old and Out of Touch While Making Faces
  • Lather, Rinse, Repeat

It’s like this for what seems like every single segment.

Now, this felt natural and genuine when Russo was going head-to-head with JJ Redick. However, now, the game plan of trying to embarrass Russo by claiming all his references are dated, which has been used repeatedly by personalities in recent weeks, feels planned, forced, repetitive and inauthentic. Some viewers have also felt it came across as downright mean.

Some people watch debate shows because they actually care about the debate. Others, like me, watch a debate show strictly for entertainment and could not possibly care less about whether Player X is better than Player Y.

Having analysts come on to mock Russo for living in the past over and over and over is not entertaining. That stance would be effective if used sporadically.

The reason Stephen A. works so well with Russo is because he actually tries to debate and argue with Russo no matter how outlandish or ridiculous his opinion is, which leads to great content.

I’m also self-aware enough to know I’m in the minority on this, because every single time Russo is on First Take, he trends on Twitter and clips get shared all over social media, which is the goal of ESPN.

I asked Russo for his take (no pun intended) on my take.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that these athletes don’t know who I am,” said Russo. “These guys aren’t listening to SiriusXM and didn’t listen to Mike and the Mad Dog.

“So when they get a hold of me in that situation, they don’t know how to handle it. And the way to do it is to come up with the idea that football started in 2006 and college in 2005 and they don’t understand there was a hundred years of NFL, MLB and NBA.

“Their frame of reference is different. Plus, they know I can take it. And they know if they do it they can get attention. It doesn't bother me. If it makes them happy, fine.”

I asked Russo whether one of the problems with the “let’s tell Russo he’s out of touch on every show” playbook could be that First Take is made for Twitter, where that angle plays, and Russo does not use Twitter. (He has an account run by his producer.)

“I’m not gonna get worked up one way or another about Twitter. If people on Twitter kill me, I could care less. I’m not spending my day looking at Twitter.”

Unfortunately for those of us who only want to see Russo mix it up with Stephen A., Smith isn’t due back on First Take until Aug. 15.

Watch 'First Take' on ESPN with fuboTV: Start a free trial today!

2. Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game generated 7.634 million viewers for Fox. It was the least-watched MLB All-Star Game ever. Monday's Home Run Derby on ESPN drew 6.88 million viewers.

3. Speaking of the All-Star Game, the dumbest story of the week has to be about Juan Soto’s plane ride to Los Angeles.

The Nationals reportedly wouldn’t charter a flight for Soto, who is expected to be traded in the near future, so the outfielder had to—GASP!—fly commercial.

I like this story because everyone involved looks ridiculous. The Nationals look petty. Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, comes off as totally disingenuous by leaking the story. Boras is worth $300 million. If he’s so offended by Soto having to fly commercial, he could’ve taken care of the problem. And Soto makes $17 million, so there was no reason for him to fly coach instead of first class.

4. During a recent TV appearance, Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas did a bit where he played charades. This is what happened when his clue was LeBron James.

5. Well done, J.J. Watt.

6. This week’s SI Media Podcast features a fun conversation with the always entertaining Peter Schrager.

Topics covered include the changes to the Good Morning Football cast, inside stories from Sean McVay's recent wedding, Zach Wilson’s recent turn in the spotlight, which current NFL players would make good broadcasters, the death of comedy in movies, Succession and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: In honor of Juan Soto having to go through the horror of flying commercial ...

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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