# Why are Skip Bayless, etc. not liked? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 19, 2019, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019 "2019-10-19T23:42:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2019, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/1 "2019-10-19T23:42:33Z")
Sports media became popular in the 1980s and 1990s, and got more revolutionary in the 2010s with Twitter opinions and so forth. Fox Sports commentators Skip Bayless and Colin Cowherd, Doug Gottlieb are not popular with most people, why? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--aRj\_VApJM ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/2 "2019-10-19T23:50:57Z")
As far as Bayless, he’s crafted this argumentative, opinionated, I’m-always-right, persona, and seems to spout ridiculous opinions because he knows that it’ll generate buzz. It’s like he’s taken the “heel” persona from pro wrestling, and applied it to sports talk. As described in [this 2013 Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/skip-bayless-espn2-first-take-co-host-may-be-the-most-hated-man-in-sports/2013/09/13/c001a7c2-170a-11e3-804b-d3a1a3a18f2c_story.html) article, entitled “Skip Bayless, ESPN2 ‘First Take’ co-host, may be the most hated man in sports”: > [@](#): > > Bayless just may be the most polarizing figure in sports today. The co-host of ESPN’s “First Take,” Bayless epitomizes the superheated, highly lucrative world of sports-talk television. It is a nascent arena that rewards shock and awe more than considered judgment, and Bayless is perfectly suited for it. > > He’s insistent on everything, no matter how contrarian or seemingly outlandish: Tebow is a winner (“the next Brett Favre”), LeBron James is a choker (“He’s Pippen more than he’s Jordan”) and everything is open to interpretation (Example: “I’m totally against taking America-born white players in the first round of the draft.”). ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/3 "2019-10-20T00:24:15Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > As far as Bayless, he’s crafted this argumentative, opinionated, I’m-always-right, persona, and seems to spout ridiculous opinions because he knows that it’ll generate buzz. It’s like he’s taken the “heel” persona from pro wrestling, and applied it to sports talk. > > As described in [this 2013 Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/skip-bayless-espn2-first-take-co-host-may-be-the-most-hated-man-in-sports/2013/09/13/c001a7c2-170a-11e3-804b-d3a1a3a18f2c_story.html) article, entitled “Skip Bayless, ESPN2 ‘First Take’ co-host, may be the most hated man in sports”: Don’t you think he is entertaining? Bayless is a journalist, he was on the radio as well. > **[Skip Bayless](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_Bayless)** > > Skip Bayless (born John Edward Bayless II; born December 4, 1951) is an American sports columnist, commentator, and television personality. He is well-known for his work as a commentator on the ESPN2 show First Take with Stephen A. Smith, a show which he left in June 2016. Bayless debuted his show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed with Shannon Sharpe on Fox Sports 1 on September 6, 2016. > John Edward Bayless II was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His father, John Sr., immediately bega... Cowherd is the same as well. > **[Colin Cowherd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Cowherd)** > > Colin Murray Cowherd (born January 6, 1964) is an American sports media personality. Cowherd began his broadcasting career as sports director of Las Vegas television station KVBC and as a sports anchor on several other stations before joining ESPN in 2003, where he hosted a radio show on the ESPN Radio network and also became one of the original hosts of ESPN's television program SportsNation, as well as Colin's New Football Show. Cowherd is currently the host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd on... ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/4 "2019-10-20T00:36:44Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Don’t you think he is entertaining? > > Bayless is a journalist, he was on the radio as well. Not in the slightest. I’m not a big fan of sports talk, in general, but I find him to be among the worst. I have no use for people screaming at each other and saying stupid things – I don’t find that entertaining at all. He was a sports columnist here in Chicago, for the Tribune, for a few years before he started in TV. I didn’t care for him much then, either. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/5 "2019-10-20T01:44:43Z")
Bayless, Cowherd, Screamin’ A, are all from the “shock jock” school of journalism. No opinion is too controversial as long as it gets people to watch, and no delivery is too bombastic which is why they all shout into the microphone. You want entertainment in your sports talk journalism? Watch Dan LeBatard’s Highly Questionable or listen to his radio show, watch Around the Horn where Tony Reali keeps it tight and fun, and watch Pardon The Interruption where Wilbon and Kornheiser often get excitable but the format means that they have to move on to other things so they can’t scream at each other for an hour about LeBron. ESPN’s afternoon lineup is still quality programming, as is Golic and Wingo in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/6 "2019-10-20T12:19:41Z")
All the guys mentioned are giant boring assholes but Gottlieb wins the stupid contest by a mile. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/7 "2019-10-20T12:27:28Z")
I admit that I was a sucker for Bayless and Stephen A Smith when they were on first take or whatever their show was called, and I got pulled into it knowing that I couldn’t stand Bayless, who’s always struck me as a narcissistic attention whore. And I always thought of Smith as being smarmy. But together, they somehow made the show entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/8 "2019-10-20T14:32:32Z")
Skip Bayless is wrong so much he pretty much has zero credibility. I listen to sports radio frequently and while nobody is right all the time (or can see the future) I prefer someone who has actual knowledge and reason to back up opinions. The local ESPN shows I listen to in the Seattle area are pretty good and don’t just go for “hot takes”. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/9 "2019-10-20T19:33:38Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > All the guys mentioned are giant boring assholes but Gottlieb wins the stupid contest by a mile. Gottlieb was attacked for making fun of injured retired quarterback Andrew Luck. He is seen as raw, like the man he substitutes for, Colin Cowherd. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/10 "2019-10-20T19:47:57Z")
An interesting bit of trivia about Skip Bayless: he’s the older brother of restaurateur and television host [Rick Bayless](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Bayless), who has a far, far more pleasant public persona than Skip does. ---
**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/11 "2019-10-20T23:41:38Z")
I prefer someone a little quieter like Dan Patrick and the Danettes. He never screams and doesn’t act like a “I know everything” guy. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/12 "2019-10-21T14:37:44Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > You want entertainment in your sports talk journalism? For me it’s Sportsnet’s [dingbat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWcSX2xKdrs) presenters [TimandSid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_iikDj-qhE) Yeah [I had enough of a problem with SB](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=831081) to start a thread a ways back. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/13 "2019-10-21T18:31:51Z")
Didn’t Jim Rome start the trend of the loud obnoxious sports talk host? It’s really time for that to end. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/14 "2019-10-21T18:49:14Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > As far as Bayless, he’s crafted this argumentative, opinionated, I’m-always-right, persona, and seems to spout ridiculous opinions because he knows that it’ll generate buzz. It’s like he’s taken the “heel” persona from pro wrestling, and applied it to sports talk. > > As described in [this 2013 Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/skip-bayless-espn2-first-take-co-host-may-be-the-most-hated-man-in-sports/2013/09/13/c001a7c2-170a-11e3-804b-d3a1a3a18f2c_story.html) article, entitled “Skip Bayless, ESPN2 ‘First Take’ co-host, may be the most hated man in sports”: That’s pretty much it; these guys aren’t really trying to stimulate and moderate insightful, interesting sports talk, but rather to incite and fan the flames by stating extreme and inflammatory positions to see who it lights up and then fan their flames, because that’s apparently what some people like to see. Problem is, in a lot of cases, they’re just flat out wrong and/or don’t know what the heck they’re talking about, and it can be pretty irritating if you are a fan of one of the teams/players, or if you actually know something about the sport, to hear one of these twits up there saying inflammatory nonsense about them. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/15 "2019-10-21T18:54:15Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Didn’t Jim Rome start the trend of the loud obnoxious sports talk host? It’s really time for that to end. They replaced Ryen Russillo with Will Cain so I don’t think that’s the direction they are going. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/16 "2019-10-21T19:12:29Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > For me it’s Sportsnet’s [dingbat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWcSX2xKdrs) presenters [TimandSid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_iikDj-qhE) > > Yeah [I had enough of a problem with SB](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=831081) to start a thread a ways back. Entertainment is in sports journalism. Sports and entertainment is intertwined, now, it is part of an industry. In Canada, a former hockey player-turned commentator named Don Cherry is pretty entertaining. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DUOohWf499w/maxresdefault.jpg "Coach's Corner: What's Wrong With The Blues?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUOohWf499w) ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/17 "2019-10-21T19:13:31Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Skip Bayless is wrong so much he pretty much has zero credibility. I listen to sports radio frequently and while nobody is right all the time (or can see the future) I prefer someone who has actual knowledge and reason to back up opinions. The local ESPN shows I listen to in the Seattle area are pretty good and don’t just go for “hot takes”. But these guys get paid millions in the sports journalism world. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/18 "2019-10-21T19:40:22Z")
What those guys do isn’t really journalism. They may have been journalists in the past. If the opinion they present was their honest opinion it might be. Instead, they give a “take” specifically chosen to irritate people. Furthermore, they present it with an undeserved air of authority using fame, volume, and the frequent use of the “end call” button. It’s one thing to be obnoxious, but what throws these guys (to various degrees) into yellow journalism is the lack of integrity. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2019, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/19 "2019-10-22T03:03:14Z")
It just dawned on me that what these guys are doing fits the literal definition of trolling. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2019, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019/20 "2019-10-22T03:17:34Z")
Yankees, you’ve gotten a lot of pretty consistent responses to your question, but your replies seem to keep trying to parry what we’ve been saying (“but they’re entertaining!” “but they’re journalists!” “but they make millions!”) What’s the point that you’re trying to make? (I’m guessing that you enjoy Bayless, Cowherd, etc.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-skip-bayless-etc-not-liked/842019.md?page=2)