There was a time when “First Take” suddenly became a praise show for former NFL QB Tim Tebow, with Skip Bayless singing Tebow’s praises constantly, including making the bold take that he would take Tebow over Tom Brady.
But as the affinity for Tebow grew for Bayless, did his love fest annoy the ESPN executives? Stephen A. Smith revealed the details on Thursday.
Why ESPN Leadership ‘Weren’t Enamored’ With Skip Bayless’s Tim Tebow Glorification
Speaking on his podcast, Smith not only reflected on the time the TV show was hit with a probationary period and denied a potential afternoon time slot following the 2013 Richard Sherman interview, but Smith discussed Bayless’s infatuation with the Tebow craze, which took the league by storm two years earlier in 2011.
That love fest, though, had a not-so-positive impact on First Take, as Smith recalled.
Smith claimed that not only did his bosses not care about the Tebow love, but he added that they were not enamored with Bayless’ affinity for the then-Denver Broncos quarterback.
“They had remembered that Skip Bayless lived off of talking about Tim Tebow every day before I arrived,” Smith revealed. “The public had accused Skip Bayless of being a caricature of himself. And even though Skip was very proud of his Tim Tebow coverage and what was peeled from it, the bosses weren’t necessarily enamored with it.”
Long story short, as Smith put it, “Skip Bayless was incredibly proud of his coverage of Tim Tebow. The bosses felt otherwise.”
Smith brought up this story as Bayless addressed the Sherman interview and the probationary period the ESPN morning show got hit with following the 2013 interview, which saw Sherman verbally eviscerate Bayless and call him “ignorant, pompous, and egotistical.”
Stephen A. Smith Details Reasons Behind the Probationary Period
Why was the immensely popular First Take hit with a probationary period?
Smith explained the reasons why it existed.
“I wasn’t the only reason,” Smith began. “It existed because the network wanted to make sure that our show wasn’t one that just generated ratings. But one that didn’t cause them embarrassment and shame.”
And as Bayless couldn’t stop his love for Tebow, Smith let it be known he wasn’t down to talk about the 2010 first-rounder out of Florida all the time. Yet, he acknowledged the constant Tebow chatter helped draw fans into First Take and had an impact on the ratings.
“Now, I didn’t want to talk about Tebow every day. But to be fair to Skip, it did elevate the popularity of the show to some degree,” Smith said.
MORE: “I’m Never Coming on This Show Again” – Tension Already Brewing Between ESPN Personalities?
Still, while Bayless happily sang Tebow’s praises, the hierarchy had a different view.
“In the end, the bosses weren’t too happy with it, and that’s where the probational period came from, too,” Smith said. “So I thought Skip left that out, so I wanted to make sure I highlighted that.”
