When Shannon Sharpe left Fox Sports 1 in the summer of 2023, it was both a big hit to Colin Cowherd professionally and a major opportunity missed.
Cowherd was teammates with Sharpe at FS1, taking the baton in the midday slot from Sharpe and Skip Bayless in the morning slot on Undisputed. So while Cowherd knew that the show and the cable network would take a hit with its longtime cohost departing, he also realized immediately what a golden opportunity it would be as he launched his digital media startup The Volume.
Cowherd described the zero-sum game that resulted in partnering with Sharpe in the latest episode of The Colin Cowherd Podcast released Friday.
“When FS1 lost Shannon Sharpe, it definitely punctured our network,” Cowherd told guest Erika Ayers Badan, former Barstool CEO. “But I remember telling my staff, we’re going to do whatever it takes to find the money to hire Shannon Sharpe … and it’s been good for everybody. He wins, we win.”
Sharpe brought his Shay Shay Media under The Volume umbrella last year along with his interview show Club Shay Shay last summer.
Before Sharpe made seven figures on a viral interview with comedian Katt Williams or developed the live nightly YouTube show Nightcap with Chad Johnson and Gilbert Arenas, the media veteran Cowherd saw Sharpe’s value.
“I remember telling people … that this just doesn’t happen,” Cowherd explained. “This is basically Matt Stafford on the market and the Rams get him. Jim Harbaugh’s on the market, you hire him to be your coach.”
In fact, Cowherd was so desperate that he considered luxury gifts and even more extreme lengths to get his guy.
“I was like, do I have to buy him a Range Rover? I didn’t know, it’s like he’s a Hall of Famer, what do I do? How do I get him?” Cowherd laughed. “Then I didn’t want to intrude on his life so I had to wait like three weeks before I made an offer. I don’t want to be the weird guy jumping in, he worked for our company (Fox).”
Sharpe also brought Jeff Teague’s Club 520 podcast to The Volume and won iHeartMedia’s Best Sports Podcast award this year for the crossover hit Club Shay Shay.
The partnership has paid dividends, and Cowherd turned Bayless and Fox’s supposed trash into his own treasure.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.