For the last two years, you could easily make the argument that Shannon Sharpe has been the most successful person in sports media.
Mega podcast deal on the table worth nine figures? Check. Mainstream pop culture interviews drawing millions of views? Check. Vanquishing Skip Bayless at his own game and coming out on top? Check. ESPN contract to star on First Take with more on the way? Check.
Shannon Sharpe had it all. And then came a lawsuit alleging sexual assault.
The fallout was swift and ugly. It contained texts, voicemails, video statements, naming victims, sordid details, and much more. ESPN allowed Sharpe the courtesy of saying he was taking time away from the network to deal with his legal challenges, but it was obvious the network would inevitably have to take him off the air. Even then, he didn’t exactly step away with a lot of grace after screenshotting a text from someone else as his statement. In the wake of the controversy, there were also other unflattering stories surrounding Sharpe that also came to light.
Although Shannon Sharpe reached a private settlement in the lawsuit, the damage had already long been done. In fact, Sharpe’s First Take colleague Stephen A. Smith called it months ago when he said that the the allegations, Sharpe’s reaction to them, and everything else that was aired publicly, “was not something that Walt Disney wants associated with its brand.” The fact that it all came less than a year after Sharpe aired a live sex encounter on Instagram Live made it less than ideal to put Sharpe in the Disney+ library next to episodes of Bluey.
While he is certainly known mostly for his NFL knowledge and takes as a Hall of Famer, he’s been equally as compelling (and combative) talking about the NBA. Specifically, as an unabashed Los Angeles Lakers fans, he was developing a counterpunch to Stephen A. Smith’s ongoing feud with LeBron James. Sharpe was a fixture on First Take on Mondays and Tuesdays from the fall into the early summer and his star power was only rising given his national exposure on ESPN’s biggest morning show.
But ever since leaving ESPN and his perch on First Take, Sharpe has been a relatively quiet figure. throughout the NFL offseason and NBA Playoffs. He regularly still uploaded podcasts and videos at Club Shay Shay and Nightcap with Chad Johnson. Many of the videos reached several hundred thousand views. However, it’s fair to say that he has not been top of mind for sports fans and pop culture aficionados the way he once was when he was consistently on national television every week.
Only one Club Shay Shay episode has cleared the 1 million views mark since he was last seen on ESPN at the end of April, a May podcast on the road with 2 Chainz. Many previous Club Shay Shay episodes far exceed that total, topping out at an incredible 90 million views for his viral interview with Katt Williams that helped establish his podcast empire. It’s a similar story at Nightcap with Chad Johnson, where pretty much all of the most popular videos are from before he was last seen on ESPN.
Maybe part of that is seasonal with the NFL offseason. But how much is it that Shannon Sharpe has largely been out of sight and out of mind if you aren’t already a subscriber of his?
And that all leads to the question of what is next for the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Sharpe still has a healthy podcast business going. And like many in the media world who have come before him who have fallen hard from great heights, it will provide him an outlet going forward. He’s still going to get interviews, he’s still going to have viral moments, he will still have his voice and his influence moving forward.
But it’s extremely hard to see how Shannon Sharpe ever reclaims the national recognition or spotlight that he did before this case hit the headlines.
ESPN is already out of the Shannon Sharpe business. We know FS1 is desperate for talent, but they’ve already hitched their wagon to Dave Portnoy and Barstool to help fill out their content lineup. And it was Sharpe who left FS1, seeking a buyout to leave Undisputed and Skip Bayless behind. Fox Sports has also had its own sexual misconduct controversies to deal with thanks to former executive Charlie Dixon. Maybe that won’t stop a future reunion. This is Fox, after all. But it’s difficult to see it happening anytime soon.
What about the networks that cover football? Even before his sports media renaissance as a debate show star, Sharpe served for years as a CBS NFL studio analyst. But given the wealth of talent available and the baggage that Sharpe would bring (and previous legal issues while working at the network) it seems like a non-starter. Plus, Sharpe would probably enjoy the freedom and flexibility of staying in the podcast game versus fitting inside the box of being an NFL analyst again for a league partner.
Sharpe was looking at continuing to grow his podcast portfolio, cement his status as a First Take star for their biggest shows, and even expand his role further at ESPN. He was even reportedly in the running to be the centerpiece of a show that would replace Around the Horn in ESPN’s daily lineup before the sexual assault lawsuit hit. Now it’s impossible to see any of those opportunities coming back again.
Which brings us back to square one — a podcast host. It might be all Shannon Sharpe has left at the moment. And it may be the best he can do moving forward. If that’s the reality that faces him, it will be one of the most stunning falls that we have seen in the industry in quite some time given his standing, his popularity, and his appeal in a wide variety of roles.
While Shannon Sharpe will likely still make a good living with a sizable audience in that role, it won’t compare to what he held in the palm of his hand just a few short months ago.
About Matt Yoder