Skip Bayless Struggles In Role As Soft-Spoken Moderator On FS1

Occasionally, Bayless interjected with some points of his own. But every time he was rounding into the hot take-spewing TV troll we love to hate, one of his three co-stars would interrupt.

For the most part, a neutered Bayless sat hunched in his chair, blowing air through pursed lips, nodding along with the opinions of his new high-profile guest stars. 

At one, he was reduced to meekly holding his hand up, like a schoolboy asking his teachers for permission to talk.

As NBA Central tweeted, “Skip’s new partners won’t let him speak (with three laughing emojis).

His three new co-stars – all former Super Bowl champions – didn’t exactly treat Bayless with the deference he was used to from Sharpe and former ESPN partner Stephen A. Smith. 

Johnson called him “Skippy.” Irvin virtually took over the show, standing up from his chair and addressing the audience like an old-school preacher. 

Irvin, who’s been suspended for months by NFL Network and ESPN for an incident with a woman at the Super Bowl, briefly apologized for dominating the conversation. Then he did it anyway.

At one point, I felt sorry for Bayless.  

Here was the enfant terrible of sports TV muzzled on his show.  Here was the supposed dominating personality turned into a supporting player.

To his credit, the 71-year-old Bayless realized he’d lost control. 

He complained he didn’t have time to fully address the topics because his partners “talked too much.”

He tried to play some of his greatest hits (LeBron James has no clutch gene; the Dallas Cowboys; Michael Jordan as deity, etc.). But he might be unable to put the toothpaste back into this tube. 

My early take is that Bayless and FS1 made two strategic mistakes with “Undisputed.” 

One, they didn’t realize what they had for six years with Sharpe, who’s now happily joining Smith’s rotating ensemble at ESPN, including Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, Marcus Spears, Mina Kimes, and Dan Orlovsky.

Two, Bayless didn’t realize how hard it would be to merge the moderator roles with opinionist.

There’s a reason why moderators like Taft, Molly Qerim of “First Take,” and Joy Taylor are experts at their TV jobs. 

They know how to set the rules of the debate, make the opinionists look good and keep the trains running on time.

Bayless needs to improve at initiating topics or listening patiently. He’s the classic over-reactor, pounding the table to make his points. 

He can’t play moderator because he doesn’t know how. Now, he’s worrying about the segments running into commercial breaks.  

Maybe it’s time for a less is more approach. I thought the best segment by far was when Bayless and Sherman had a one-on-one discussion about their on-air argument at ESPN in 2013. I learned things I didn’t know about what actually happened – and how live TV works.

I know one thing for a fact. No matter how many new personalities come on board, Smith is the unquestioned star and leading attraction of “First Take.” 

On Monday, “Undisputed” was no longer Bayless’ show. Skip the moderator should learn that lesson before his new “Dream Team” becomes a nightmare.