Sports TV News

Skip Bayless ‘Would Like Nothing Better’ Than to Debate Mark Cuban Again

“The internet wants to see me lose, wants to see me exposed as a know-nothing fraud. The truth was the foolishness was coming from Mark Cuban’s mouth.”

Published

6 months ago

April 17, 2023

Ricky Keeler

There are not many things that Skip Bayless regrets in his long broadcast career, but there is one thing he would like to try again in the future and that is to have Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban as a guest on the air with him.

On The Skip Bayless Show, he said that back in the 2012 NBA Finals, the producers of First Take booked Cuban as a guest the day after LeBron James won his first NBA Finals with the Miami Heat and he wasn’t too thrilled about it.

“The morning after LeBron’s first ring, live from Miami. A show that I hoped would be epic and would you believe I was not told until our production meeting that morning that a guest had been booked without my knowledge? Mark Cuban had been booked. I was not happy.

“First Take as you probably know is only 2 hours compared to the 2.5 hours for Undisputed. We would need every minute available during a two-hour First Take to cover all the LeBron angles. This was before I had what I guess you would call ‘executive producer’ status on First Take, the final say on guests. We were still relatively new in our new format.”

Bayless did not want Cuban to take too much time on the show and he also did not want him to talk about anything Bayless had written in the past about the Dallas Cowboys.

“I fought back saying Mark Cuban is a slippery egomaniac who could not be trusted. I predicted correctly he would try to hijack our show that morning, which he pretty much did, but the producers considered Cuban an A-List booking. I will give you that. They gently pushed back against me and said ‘Hey, we should just go ahead and have him on for one long segment, a third of the way into the show’. I gave in and I told my man, Stephen A. Smith, I don’t want to go off on any Dallas tangents with Mark Cuban, especially about the three Dallas Cowboys books that I had written. Any other situation, Cuban would have been a great get, but not that day.”

When Cuban was on, Bayless mentioned he tried to say very little and not to engage with him, but then the Mavericks owner talked about how the team did against LeBron in the 2011 NBA Finals and he had to say something. After the interview was over, the producers told Bayless that social media was saying Cuban won the debate:

“By that point in my career, I had quit reading about what Twitter said about me. I was told after the show by our producers that the internet was saying that Mark Cuban kicked my ass, that Mark Cuban made me look foolish. The internet wants to see me lose, wants to see me exposed as a know-nothing fraud. The truth was the foolishness was coming from Mark Cuban’s mouth. I just wasn’t fighting back the way I have at every other point in my career. I didn’t book Mark Cuban. The producers booked Mark Cuban.”

Bayless is looking forward to debating Cuban once again and according to him, he has tried publicly and privately to get him as a guest either on Undisputed or on the podcast.

“A day I have tried again and again to rectify…I would like nothing better than to face Mark Cuban on live TV once more.”

Ricky Keeler

Ricky Keeler is a reporter for BSM with a primary focus on sports media podcasts and national personalities. He is also an active podcaster with an interest in pursuing a career in sports media. You can find him on Twitter @Rickinator555 or reach him by email at [email protected].

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Chiefs/Jets Sunday Night Football Most-Watched Sunday Broadcast Since Super Bowl

NBC also reported a massive increase in the female and teenage demographic.

Published

8 mins ago

October 3, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

Courtesy: NBC Sports

The Taylor Swift effect had a huge impact on ratings of Sunday Night Football, as the Chiefs/Jets thriller on NBC was the most-watched Sunday show since Super Bowl LVII in February.

The broadcast averaged 27 million viewers, up 22% year over year. Viewership peaked at an estimated 29.4 million between 9:30-9:45 p.m. NBC Sports accounts for the two most-watched NFL games so far this season.

The Swift effect was evident in viewership in teen girls aged 12-17, women 18-24, and 35+. Viewership in those demographics was up 53%, 24%, and 34% respectively compared to the season-to-date average of the first three weeks of SNF. The broadcast featured a Taylor Swift-themed open, which has been viewed eight million times.

The game also drew in the largest streaming audience ever for a Sunday regular season game. The average minute audience across Peacock, NBC Sports, and NFL digital platforms was 1.85 million viewers.

It’s unclear whether Swift will be in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon as the Chiefs take on the Vikings. But if she is, the marquee late window game on CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will stand to also see a viewership bump.

Jordan Bondurant

Jordan Bondurant is a features reporter for Barrett Sports Media. He’s a multimedia journalist and communicator who works at the Virginia State Corporation Commission in Richmond. Jordan also contributes occasional coverage of the Washington Capitals for the blog NoVa Caps. His prior media experiences include working for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Danville Register & Bee, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, WRIC-TV 8News and Audacy Richmond. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @J__Bondurant.

Sports TV News

FOX Sports Adds Adam Wainwright to ALDS Crew

The 42-year-old just completed his 18th season with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Published

21 mins ago

October 3, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

(Photo: MLB)

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright isn’t riding off into the sunset after calling it a career on Sunday. Instead, he’s joining FOX Sports.

In an appearance on Foul Territory with AJ Pierzynski on Monday, Wainwright casually let slip that he would be joining Pierzynski on an upcoming broadcast. After realizing that they were clear to talk about it, Wainwright announced that he would be a part of FOX’s ALDS broadcast team.

Specifically, Wainwright will join Pierzynski and Adam Amin as the crew covering the series between the defending World Series champion Houston Astros and the winner of the Blue Jays/Twins wild card series.

“Congratulations, welcome to the broadcasting world, and congratulations you get to work with me…again,” Pierzynski said, alluding to the brief stint the two had calling postseason baseball in 2020 with FOX Sports.

“That’s really all I wanted as a retirement gift was to spend more time with you AJ,” Wainwright joked. “That was what I wanted.”

Wainwright felt like he, AJ and Amin will have a great time calling those games together based on their previous experience.

“I’m looking forward to it though,” Wainwright said. “I have fun watching baseball games. I felt like you and I were a good team a couple of years ago so we need to run that back.”

Jordan Bondurant

Sports TV News

Space City Home Network to Debut in Houston Tuesday

The rebranded regional sports network has been acquired by the Houston Astros and the Houston Rockets from Warner Bros. Discovery.

Published

11 hours ago

October 2, 2023

BSM Staff

Courtesy: Space City Home Network

Space City Home Network, previously known as AT&T SportsNet Southwest, will debut in Houston Tuesday.

The rebranded regional sports network has been acquired by the Houston Astros and the Houston Rockets from Warner Bros. Discovery, with the two professional sports teams joining forces to form their own cable outlet. Both the Rockets and Astros have long held an interest in acquiring the network. A report from March of this year claimed the two franchises were working alongside WBD to gain control of the cable channel.

“The change will be a seamless transition for fans as they will be able to continue to access Rockets and Astros games on the same channels they currently utilize,” the Astros said in a statement. “The network will be owned by the Rockets and Astros going forward and will operate as a joint venture of the two organizations.”

“We’ve had a strong relationship with the talent and staff at AT&T SportsNet in broadcasting Rockets games over the years and are excited to have that live on as Space City Home Network,” said Rockets President of Business Operations Gretchen Sheirr. “We’ve worked alongside the Astros and network personnel to ensure this will be a smooth changeover for our fans and look forward to the positive impact this collaboration and local ownership will have on our broadcast.”

The first live game broadcast will take place on Wednesday, October 10th, as the Rockets will open their preseason schedule against the Indiana Pacers. The Houston Astros will make their debut on the network in 2024.

Space City Home Network launches just days before the Astros begin their quest to win back-to-back World Series championships. The Astros will face the winner of the Minnesota Twins/Toronto Blue Jays series in the American League Divisional Series later this month.