It has been nearly a month since Shannon Sharpe walked away from the debate desk at “Undisputed” on FS1. The show hasn’t aired since and thus far it’s undisputed that replacing Sharpe will not be an easy task.
On July 5, the Undisputed official Twitter account posted that the show will return on August 28, which will mark 76 days since the show last aired on June 13.
Skip Bayless, the show’s host and man with final say on all decisions for the show, quote tweeted the link adding his own thoughts, “LeBron isn’t the only one in the lab this summer. Can’t wait to unveil Undisputed just in time for football season,” he wrote.
However, Front Office Sports reported on Thursday that working alongside Bayless is a puzzle that the FOX executives are struggling to solve.
“Shannon’s exit moved way faster than they expected. So they had no choice but to go on hiatus,” the article states. It continues on with this quote: “Skip has never done anything like this during all his years at FS1 or ESPN. Not being on the air during all these NBA moves is killing him.”
There are a number of on-air talents in the market who could potentially work with Bayless. A recent layoff at ESPN put the likes of Max Kellerman, Jalen Rose and Keyshawn Johnson on the street and available for work.
The bigger question that looms is how undervalued was Shannon Sharpe at FS1? It’s widely known that Bayless wields all of the power on that show and there was speculation that was one of the factors in Sharpe’s departure.
Shannon Sharpe hasn’t revealed publicly why he sought a buyout from his contract but there’s no denying his absence has left a huge void with the brand.
UNC left a void
Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end and current ESPN host Marcus Spears weighed in on the conversation on social media.
“They can’t find NOBODY? UNC left a void,” Spears tweeted.
Sharpe hasn’t revealed much about his future except for one post on social media saying he would return to morning television soon. ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee have both publicly said they would like to work with Sharpe. But it’s hard to gauge the financial landscape at ESPN after the lucrative signing of McAfee followed by the massive layoffs that ensued.
There’s also no guarantee that Sharpe wants to stay in the debate arena or sports broadcasting at all. He’s hosted the popular “Club Shay Shay” podcast on YouTube that features more entertainers than sports figures as guests. So it’s all speculative until Sharpe makes his intentions clear.
But there are a couple of things for certain, whoever signs up for the chair at Undisputed will have to understand their new partner is also the boss. And replacing the charisma and personality of Shannon Sharpe will be one of the hardest things they’ll ever do professionally.