ESPN First Take has been under fire many times. Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless make arguments nearly every weekday. Some we agree with, some we don’t. But that’s why we all love the show. Because it’s punchy. Because it causes debate and the way they use social media has only boosted their popularity. Stephen A Smith has 2 Million Twitter followers alone.
Unfortunately with opinions, come some statements that damage the integrity of the show. Just a few months ago Stephen A Smith had a torrid two weeks because of what he said about the Ray Rice debacle. This time, it was Skip Bayless who opened a can of worms as the New York Post transcribed what he said. Remember the court case in 2004 with Kobe Bryant? According to Skip. The sexual assault case gave Kobe “Sizzle” and led him to be so marketable.
“Remember Kobe pre-Eagle, Colo.? He failed in his first sneaker deal because he was just too clean-cut and I think it was Adidas that had him first, correct me if I’m wrong, but he couldn’t sell sneakers because he didn’t have enough edge,” Bayless said. “But then post-Eagle, Colo., it brought a little attention to him, like it gave him a little bit of sizzle.”
Now I know people make mistakes. But they do have pre show meetings. They do rehearse what they’re going to say in their heads. You can’t mince words when it comes to stuff like this. If you have any shred of doubt that you might say it wrong. DO. NOT. SAY IT!