June 13 marked the last time Shannon Sharpe would host UNDISPUTED. After seven years, the NFL Hall of Famer left the talk show he co-hosted with Skip Bayless. Reportedly, the relationship between Sharpe and Bayless had drastically deteriorated, prompting Sharpe to leave Fox for greener pastures. Sharpe’s final day was marked by the bizarre retweeting of an adult content creator and a moving behind-the-scenes video of his final broadcast.
Sharpe’s departure was yet another seismic shift in the sports media landscape. It came less than a month after Pat McAfee announced that he was leaving FanDuel to join ESPN. However, Sharpe’s departure didn’t mean that UNDISPUTED was ending. There have been some rumors – Antonio Brown joked that he would be replacing Shannon. Furthermore, there are reports that after being released by ESPN, Keyshawn Johnson might be headed to FS1. However, Bayless has now named his provided co-host. And it’s not a name many people were expecting.
Bayless Names Charles Barkley As Dream Co-Host
“Charles Barkley would be my dream debate partner on Undisputed,” Bayless said. “I would dive out of bed, every morning out here in Los Angeles, as 2 o’clock in the morning to get to work with Charles. Please, Charles. Please come and, please, work with me — me, this damn idiot. What a joy it would be to do battle every day with Charles Barkley, live, on television.” Now Charles Barkley hates Bayless. Straight-up hates him. In fact, Barkley has gone as far as to say that if he had a terminal illness, he would kill Bayless on live TV.
While very unlikely to happen, there is a Sickos element to this idea. UNDISPUTED would become Thunderdome-esque, no holds barred fight. Just pure titles-to-credits verbal violence. However, true Sicko content is an art form. UNDISPUTED featuring Barkley and Bayless would be fun for one episode. But no one wants to watch that level of vitriol every single weekday. Sharpe literally left the show because the ideological clash with Bayless was becoming too divisive. Sure, there is an element of fun to be had from the pairing. But no one legitimately would be willing to sit through this show with these two guys who hate each other as much as Barkley and Bayless do.
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