Skip Bayless\u2019s return to ESPN was branded as a one-off, but after getting a taste of First Take again, it won\u2019t be another 10 years before he debates Stephen A. Smith again.<\/p>\n
Smith and ESPN won\u2019t care whether you asked for it; they won\u2019t even really care if you liked it; they\u2019ll care whether you watched it, and they\u2019ll care whether it created social media buzz. Love it or hate it, Smith and Bayless still garner attention together.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve already elevated LeBron James all the way up to No. 2 on your all-time list? I have him at 9!\u201d And we\u2019re off\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/VPfeMmJ3Dv<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The reunion was a dud in terms of creating new content. There were no new fireworks; this was a Temu version of the fiery debates between Bayless and Smith. They played their greatest hits with Tim Tebow<\/a>, LeBron James<\/a>, the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>, and Skip\u2019s degrading nicknames<\/a>. But the 2026 versions of those debates did not hit the way they did 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
Take any one of the recycled segments from Friday\u2019s reunion, and you can probably find 10 much better videos on YouTube featuring Bayless and Smith arguing the same topic from a decade or two ago. The same thing happens anytime Mike and the Mad Dog have a reunion. Because they\u2019re just happy to be in the same room again, there isn\u2019t the same level of tension that existed when they were competing every single day for years.<\/p>\n
But now that the pleasantries have been exchanged and the nostalgia itch has been scratched, the gloves should be off the next time Bayless returns to First Take. And make no mistake about it, there will be a next time, and a next time, and a next time.<\/p>\n
Remember when Christopher \u201cMad Dog\u201d Russo\u2019s initial First Take cameo was supposed to be a one-off?\u00a0Russo gained enough attention to be welcomed back and was eventually offered a weekly chair on\u00a0First Take.\u00a0Smith and Bayless were similarly way too chummy about this reunion to just shake hands and wave goodbye for another ten years.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s fair to question why now<\/a>? But this is really the first time in the last ten years that Smith and Bayless could have reunited. For eight years, Bayless was Smith\u2019s top competition after launching a sort of copycat version of First Take on FS1 with Shannon Sharpe. And two years ago, Sharpe was on First Take, which would have made it awkward for Smith also to bring Bayless onto the show as a regular contributor when he exited FS1. But when ESPN moved on from Sharpe as he dealt with his since-settled sexual assault lawsuit last summer, it opened the door for a reunion with Bayless on First Take.<\/p>\n
The question is whether Bayless is still fit for First Take. Smith abandoned the format Bayless created on First Take after deciding Max Kellerman wasn\u2019t a worthy opponent. To Smith\u2019s credit, he grew the show by going with a rotating cast of contributors. But Smith still gets a different twinkle in his eye every time he breaks into a screaming match with Russo. And adding Bayless semi-regularly will only increase the opportunity for those viral screaming bouts.<\/p>\n
Everyone complains that Smith and Bayless spawned a generation of hot-take artists who can\u2019t live up to the moniker as well as they did. Don\u2019t want them debating new hot-take artists? Then they\u2019ll just debate each other. Bayless certainly wouldn\u2019t say no to the exposure. He can hold on to his eight years at FS1 as a success while claiming that a new weekly spot on\u00a0First Take will help\u00a0promote his digital ventures.<\/p>\n
Smith and Bayless may not have proved they can debate with the same passion they did ten years ago during Friday\u2019s reunion. They may not have proved this reunion was something sports fans were clamoring for<\/a>. But Smith and Bayless did prove they\u2019re still capable of garnering attention. The rubbernecking aspect of that intrigue might wear off if Smith and Bayless were together again five days a week, but it will still be there in spurts. Because Smith and Bayless are dedicated to playing their greatest hits, and it\u2019s hard to imagine they won\u2019t look to do it again once the NFL season rolls around.<\/p>\n
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