My choices for Best Play by Play and Analyst Awards the last couple of days. Today I’ll head in the other direction with a Worst selection. This one is for an entire show, so I’ll call it Worst Series of 2014.
ESPN’s “First Take” has never been a favorite of mine. The original premise goes back to the old “Cold Pizza” days, when it was at least tolerable and even entertaining in a weird sort of way. Skip Bayless would give his typical contrarian viewpoint on whatever topic and host Jay Crawford would try to input some logic into the conversation. Hardly great TV, but it provided some laughs and wasn’t the worst bit of programming to enjoy a cup of coffee with in the morning.
That was then, this is now. The present tense “First Take” is beyond awful. As off the wall as Bayless remains with his stances, he’s now the sane one on the show. Stephen A. Smith was once a sports journalist who had a long and successful run with The Philadelphia Inquirer, with his focus being on basketball. Now he’s a sports “personality” and it’s my assessment that he’s in way over his head. The overall knowledge aside from hoops just isn’t there and his social commentary has at times been nothing short of outrageously offensive.
This show is now strictly lowest common denominator. Virtually all the time is devoted to a handful of headline grabbing stories and there’s no real insight being offered, just a series of random thoughts that don’t seem to be especially well researched. The hostess is nothing more than an ineffectual traffic cop.
If you like the show, that’s fine. But for me, hearing talking heads actually take credit for motivating a professional sports team, offering stupid and offensive comments on domestic abuse, concocting juvenile nicknames for athletes, and so on and so on, is TV at its absolute worst.
I have no idea what the ratings are for “First Take” and I really don’t care. Apparently they’re good enough to satisfy ESPN and as for Skip and Stephen A, if they’re able to reap super salaries for their work, that’s terrific. I’ve met each guy, they were both cordial and likable and I wish them no ill will. I just think their show sucks.
Do you like First Take?
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