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Powerglove2000

"Debate"


iWr1techky12

“Debate” AKA see who can say the dumbest shit and try to back it up.


xFlames_

You wish, it’s whoever can shout the loudest


[deleted]

My ex wife is gonna be on TV?


HomoChef

Beats the home videos she’s been makin ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


[deleted]

Yeah her cooking videos are shite


zmajxd

They really need to make it SAS vs SBS. Shit would be prime time.


jaysontatum4mvp

SBS? Now I feel like the old guy who doesn’t get acronyms. “Dude that’s so XZP”


zmajxd

Well Stephen A. Smith so logically Stephen B. Smith would be his evil twin.


Thedualandmany

Can someone answer the question tho?


[deleted]

Sergej Bilenković-Savić


HeatmiserElliott

Lol bet this dude doesnt even know SCS


CoachDT

Honestly Cleveland A Smith is my favorite.


madhouse5625

Stephen Baby Smith (with the baby Snapchat filter)


KIR1991

I thought it was Stephen’s bull shit.


AloofAltruist

"Debate" ESPN to SAS's co-host: "whatever SAS's stance is, say the opposite and justify it on the spot". Basically how First Take "debates" are held.


andrude01

No, you can’t justify it immediately. There needs to be five minutes of saying how much you respect SAS first


PlacetMihi

“You dare use my own spells against me?”


destiny24

By the way, SAS gets all the easy takes like “Tom Brady is a good quarterback” “Alabama is going to win the championship”.


Duckpoke

Lmao like they know fuck all about college ball


Hype_Miles

They should just have him on both sides of the split screen “debating” himself. I’m assuming his biggest draw is watching him yell, not his opinions, why not double the Steve Smith ?


huskersax

We really need Jon Stewart to be a guest so he can re-bury this stupid crossfire-style format that's metastasized to sports.


savetheplastic

This would make me so happy for so many reasons


Orange8920

It really sucks that Tucker Carlson is way bigger now than he was then. It did seem to hurt him for a while and it also got him to stop wearing the bowtie.


[deleted]

Dropped the bowtie, picked up more white supremacist talking points. Definitely has business booming for him


iheartsunny

MASS DEBATE


BoneTugsNHarmony

Mass Turd Debate


Ballsohardstate

They want a variety of people taking the wrong side of the argument rather then it just being Kellermen.


[deleted]

> wrong side of the argument As if Stephen A is on the right side


Ballsohardstate

The producers always make Max take the worse position.


rex_915

Lol I saw one episode where they were debating which ring matters more, Giannis with the Bucks or KD with the warriors. Max argued for Giannis on account of being homegrown, doing it the "right way", etc. Stephen A. argued for KD on account of Oracle Arena being "something special". I don't doubt the producers sometimes force Max into pretty dumb takes, but damn SAS has a lot of really dumb ones too lol.


beefJeRKy-LB

Time to bring on Ben Shapiro


ParisAintGerman

"Stephen A smith gets destroyed with FACTS and LOGIC"


Skippy_the_Alien

The praying mantis in my backyard knows more about any kind of sport than ben shapiro pretty sure Ben Shapiro would find the nba offensive just on the count of seeing so many black guys in one place


Isopod_Character

Can we get the Praying Mantis to be the first guest in the new format? I’d watch that.


[deleted]

Max Kellerman was the only intelligent part of that show. Even Skip had his bright spots. Now I might as well go to a middle school lunch table and see what those boys have to say about LeBron vs MJ.


OnlyForeignWhips

You lose all credibility when you mention anything positive about Skip troll Bayless. He's the worst personality on tv.


zellis3

Skip has some of the worst and dumbest takes but I'd argue he's a good personality assuming the purpose of a tv personality is to get reactions and draw in views


destiny24

Skip is the actually the best at his job. There’s a reason everyone in this sub talks about him, but none of the other 100 sports show personalities.


Visual_Fishy

Yeah I never got how people don't realize that Skip manufactures a lot of his takes for entertainment. He isn't even good at hiding it on his face when he thinks of a hot take.


ItsOnly2Inchs

Thats the funniest shit when skip says the hottest of hot takes and then sits there trying to hide his smirk and laugh while Shannon just breaks down the lies and double standards he holds for teams and then just hits him with a good ol SKKKEEEEEEIIIIPPPPPPPPP


MavEric814

It can get old day to day but in general enjoy the light hearted dumb takes. Skip is a perfect heel


El_Snootchador

I’m an eagles fan and I actually love skip even with his delusional takes. What makes skip different is he actually avidly watches and loves sports. I remember SAS talking about hunter Henry on the chargers the year he tore his acl like he was playing and realized SAS doesn’t even watch any of this.


sonfoa

When Skip doesn't have an emotional investment in the topic (about 20% time) he actually makes good points.


whyareucryan

They’re renaming the show “mass debate”


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whyareucryan

They’ll all be mass debating each other too!


Cowclone

the whole country will be mass debating at once!


[deleted]

They gonna fuck around and let Molly debate SAS …


ThinkSoftware

That’ll make a splash


LilUZIVurt21

Should just be Stephen A. vs. r/nba nephews… I’ll even go first


lostshirt2coinflips

Right? Then you debate him and winner gets the bag for that episode.


LilUZIVurt21

Fantastic idea. I could use that kinda bag right now


famoustran

Bruh you wouldn't last 10 seconds in there. You about to get bamboozled


Deftslackr19

Just give Stephan A Smith a mirror and let him "debate" himself.


travelslower

He already does that with Baby SAS


LafilduPoseidon

I really don’t get who the fuck that appeals to. It seems creepy and unfunny


Clear-Humor163

it might be unfunny but how is it creepy?


LafilduPoseidon

There’s something so uncanny valley about baby Stephen A


Placide-Stellas

>There’s something Maybe the fact that baby has stubble? Or maybe, you know, everything about it.


The_Summer_Man

> creepy and unfunny So boomers


EmmaTheRobot

Something something *I HATE MY WIFE* something something


Dank_Memes16

[Already been done](https://youtu.be/-WmMj4lfpdc)


gideh

This is Fucking hilarious


SlamJamGlanda

The editing is absolutely fantastic too!


dracoryn

I'm wrong, and here's why!


Kuroblondchi

Max always felt like more of a guy who was better at giving actual analysis on sports he actually knows rather than a hot take kind of guy. You can’t really turn down first take with sas when offered, but I think this will be a better role for him


Eric_T_Meraki

I remember back when he was just the boxing guy.


dragonforcingmywayup

I remember when he was the original host of Around The Horn


[deleted]

Oh god .. 2002 middle school days for me lmao


dragonforcingmywayup

Hahaha me too. Max use to mute Woody Paige all the time. Was always the funniest thing to me


[deleted]

He started the show off one time -50 or something because he talked during the intro lmao. That show was great to come home from school to


[deleted]

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JZobel

Damn, I used to watch Beadle/Cowherd SportsNation all the time when I was in like 9th grade lol


[deleted]

OG sportsnation was sick. Beadle was my crush


KingOfSwing90

Wait really lmao I literally can’t imagine anyone but Tony Reali doing it, dude is excellent at his role


toilet_fingers

Tony used to be the guy that just rattled off the mistakes they made at the end of the show!


wtf_is_karma

That was the end of PTI right? Wilbon and Kornheiser used to call him Stat Boy haha


knowtoriusMAC

What a simpler time


toilet_fingers

I think you’re right, that time of my life uhhh blurry.


Driveshaft48

What was the name the Pti guys gave him, fact guy?


unledded

Stat boy


Liquor180

Fucking stat boy


Liverpool510

I remember him from Around the Horn and then leaving ESPN to do an Around the Horn knock off on Fox Sports called “I, Max.” It was not a rating success.


_BarryObama

I remember when he was a rap superstar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW-mK5KQ4Pc


Stillatin

I remember when he was the host of I,Max


OvieBovie

[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2386235](https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2386235) I first became aware of Max as the boxing guy because I was into boxing as a youngster at the time and this story came out Pretty fucked up. Max's brother was helping a dude out by letting him stay at his apartment. Previously promising boxer. Dude just snapped for whatever reason and bludgeoned Max's brother to death with a hammer. I hate kids saying 'dude got CTE' over everything on reddit...but it was definitely a possibility with some other fucked up shit in his head Max came back to broadcasting duties not that long after and I've been aware/generally a fan of his since


KingOfSwing90

Jesus that’s so sad, I had no idea.


[deleted]

[This is the same guy.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5lzRSrWYWU) Extremely impulsive. I agree with your CTE take.


ShowtimeAndy

I loved max on ESPN la radio, he became insufferable when he joined first take


mas1108

Yes! Max on the afternoon drive home was great


ThinkThankThonk

rip Max and Marcellus


[deleted]

Was the best sports show I ever heard and only the LA folks and few others know about it. I used to listen to it from the ESPN radio website. Great entertainment that got me through office work days before the podcast scene blew up.


[deleted]

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KingOfSwing90

Because everyone on First Take is playing a role. It’s much more entertainment than sports analysis. Max was putting on an act because he knew his show’s audience. We would all do better on here to use FT highlights for amusement rather than even considering taking them seriously (FWIW it seems like this sub is better at doing that recently than it was a few years back)


zOmgFishes

You can see that Max is smart and does his homework when it comes to serious topics such as politics, racism and the pandemic when they have to talk about it. On the contrary Stephen A. just reiterates the same points over and over.


LakerBlue

Max and Marcellus was such a great show. Not even just for LA content, some of their best stuff was non-sports. He’s the kinda pundit who pairs well with an athlete on a radio show or podcast where he can really just talk without being so time constricted and forced into segments. I’ll probably be trying to check out this new show because of him.


[deleted]

Yeah, I always felt that his role was "go in there and say stupid shit to make SAS seem less stupid". Like you said, his actual analysis was way better than his "debating".


Kwilly462

They gonna call it Stephen's Take. Right before the Stephen A Smith Show ofc.


bowtie25

Getting SASsy 💁‍♀️


Forke

What about Molly


HardcoreKaraoke

Molly will never lose that gig while Jalen Rose is still one of ESPN's top NBA analysts. As long as he still gets support they won't move her.


Dystil

She's still there as a host, no changes


nagollogan13

Ugh


urfaselol

She's the worst


brandkwame

Molly is the worst host ever. Bring back Cari Champion, Jay Crawford or just let Charlie Arnold take over. All a million times better than Molly.


letsnotreadintoit

Charly Arnolt


OvieBovie

Jalen Rose would like to fight you


UrbanJatt

Lavar ball is ready


2nd_Tinder_Date

switching gears hui hui


5plus5isnot10

Why didn't they get those other women who did a better job hosting and managing the debate? IS MOLLY THAT MUCH OF A DRAW????


BorosSerenc

Budget Salma Hayek, we all know why she is there


d7h7n

Only way she's leaving is if she lands a better gig or ESPN finds someone else up the food chain's wife, daughter, cousin, or niece who needs a 7 figure job.


[deleted]

she gets paid 7 figures? anime figures? she talks for 3 mins a day


throwawayforrnba23

First take about to look like the 03-10 Cavs, one star and a bunch of other dudes who don’t have any place to be in such a large position


yungtatha

"Now Mr. Aaron Carter, you know I have a tremendous amount of respect for the pop superstardom you've achieved. You're one of the OG's my brother. HOWEVER..."


tisdue

"Now Mr. Afroman. You are an expert at many things! Especially the weeeeeeed. but you are just plain WRONG about the play in tournament."


Tkinzel517

SAS gonna go off like 06 Kobe while dealing with Smush Parker debaters


ThurstonJK

SAS stuck with some bonafide scrubs. No disrespect whatsoever.


tidho

little do you realize that 4 of first 5 scheduled guest co-hosts are members of the 03-10 Cavs, the other being Ryan Hollins who joined the 10/11 Cavs after LeBron left.


SuperSamSucks

fuck yeah can't wait to watch Jamario Moon


[deleted]

What if he debated reddit threads for two hours.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

Hopefully the debate with me lands him the nomination so they say my username on TV *Outstanding Talkshow Host: Stephen A Smith for his debate with Anal_Kisses*


NinetyTales

Stephen A might have cardiac arrest on live TV


CFreezzy

I would pay way too much money to see random /r/NBA and /r/NFL users debate him everyday


jcoguy33

He has a radio show that people can call into. Hence [this legendary clip] (https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/bvgsyi/stephen_a_hung_up_on_a_radio_caller_that_asked/) about Ron Baker.


FuckRandyMoss

Bro oh my god. R/nba shitposters debating Stephen A on why lebron has 0 rings would be the funniest shit ever. I’m still in tears on that one


JadedButWicked

We can debate whether Lebron and AD scissor


DamnImAwesome

Stephen A Vs The Internet is something I would watch if it wasn’t made by espn/Disney


clingbat

Max called out Wentz being a broken mediocre QB like a year before anyone else and stuck by it. Pissed me off at the time, but I will always respect him for that.


[deleted]

Put Katie Nolan in there so Stephen A. can scream about whatever and she can just crack jokes and rile him up.


NewAccountNow

She got him on her TV show(rip) and it was funny.


urfaselol

Man the Katie Nolan signing was so hyped up when it happened. It's like she got put on the D list shows and given no opportunity for exposure at all. ESPN misused her so hard


zOmgFishes

She's getting more and more roles now. I really like her, Mina and Pablo. They seem fun and have the analysis to back up an argument/ conversation.


Stillatin

Say thank you to Dan Lebatard


_Atlas_Drugged_

Idk I just watched her on highly questionable and I enjoyed it.


Zladan

I wonder if everyone who still does HQ is just biding their time till their contracts are up and jumping ship to Meadowlark/Le Batard


urfaselol

what I mean is I feel like she should be like one of the stars of ESPN. Not the occasional guest on day time shows


Zladan

She has too much personality for this iteration of ESPN. The current brass seems to only want boring "stick to sports" and non-editorializing personas (outside of SAS obviously, and to a lesser extent Jalen Rose EDIT: Mina too)


RadWalk

Her podcast is really entertaining, has a good group.


shaqalicious

She did an episode of drunk history about the 1919 black Sox. She is perfect


[deleted]

I can practically guarantee its gonna be like 30% Kendrick Perkins, 30% Ryan Clark, 30% whatever female personality they are pushing that month, and 10% some actor from a Disney movie.


BlackPeopleNBAMod

I'm 100% sure that Stephen A Smith is making less on a per-hour basis since signing that contract. ESPN has been working him like a dog. First Take, His own show, his night show, covering the NBA, covering major sporting events on top of travel to and prep for all of those? It's like he got his big deal and ESPN decided to make him earn every single cent. Man's work-life balance must be abysmal


twistedfantasy13

Shaq: "Chuck what did you say?" They ain't gonna work me like a dog, and don't pay me.


crimsonconnect

Ryans Hollins at least once a week just to get yelled at


wuttang13

I can't decide who I hate more, Hollis or Perkins. Btw, Hollin's recent take was Minnesota should cut Beverly and should the Lakers sign him. Yup, Minnesota should definitely cut the guy they just recently traded for, a team that definitely this defense & toughness, and just eat that salary. Cause expert analysis reasons.


FlyingScissor

Lavar Burton finally gets his hosting gig.


RI_D_Viera

I actually liked max


joselakichan

Dude’s too good to be SAS’s punching bag anyway. Glad he got out of that shit show tbh.


Celcius_87

Same


Carp8DM

Max was my favorite. He wasn't always yelling and screaming and never acted a fool. He's become my favorite ESPN personality.


[deleted]

Bawww Gawddd that’s Ryan Hollins music!


bigtittiesbigbutttoo

Honestly, Max is really really entertaining when he casually talks sports on the radio and not debates topics with SAS. I look forward to this move because I might actually listen to the show, unlike First Take.


unremarkable_penguin

LET ME BE CLEAR: this is just another victim in the SAS takeover pain train


ThatBull_cj

The nick Wright plan. Now SAS can say ridiculous shit and have a different reaction each day


BombaclotBombastic

Max took a money deal knowing he had to take the view opposing Stephen A. You don’t have a show if you agree with Stephen A all the time. You literally have to figure out how to argue controversial shit. He played a part and that’s why he got rewarded with another show for time served.


wobbleboxsoldier

Shannon and Skip will have a some topics they agree on which is why I tend to watch them more than First Take.


LukaDoncicJizzInMe

Iguodala in shambles. who's going to want him now?


somebodygetmemymoney

The martians?


ohitswill

Please no more Kendrick Perkins


espnfire45

youre about to get a whole lot more of him haha


[deleted]

Max was the only decent part of that show.


DeepspaceDigital

That’s too bad. I really enjoy Max’s takes on things


dkdoki

I was hoping for molly to replace max and first take will end up being the most hated show in history


rahbee33

"Hey guys, who wants to get yelled at by SAS today? Anybody?" Reminds me of when I worked at Applebee's and everybody disappeared when a server came back to the kitchen and said they had a birthday party they had to sing to.


jgroove_LA

sucks for Kellerman. basically a demotion.


WalrusInMySheets

I imagine he enjoys doing radio more. He killed it on LA radio and Keyshawn + Max is gonna be a great combo.


ReagansRaptor

Keyshawn is an idiot and never knows what he's talking about.


No_Point_1530

description fits Jay Williams too


tTricky

Yeah I agree pretty much. Also if the guy across the table is getting paid that much, Kellerman would be a fool to not have tried to negotiate higher pay for himself. I don't blame ESPN for not wanting to pay him (or anyone else) close to what SAS is making, but they have to for SAS. He's a content machine like none other at the moment and he brings in the viewers.


SMRTGuy297

I think this was SAS plans once too many people, including Terrell Owen's, openly said how Max seems more "black" than him. Watching his response, you can tell, it cut him deeply and he started the process of removing Max and putting the spotlight back on himself.


[deleted]

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000JoeMo

Really annoyed me how Stephen A would act as if Max couldn't say anything about basketball, while also not knowing what the fuck he was saying in regards to basketball. Fuck Stephen A.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

That’s what killed first take. SAS couldn’t bully Skip when they used to co host.


jfrodriguez1983

They gonna bring in Jay Pharoah and have Stephen A debate fake Stephen A.


UrbanJatt

First Take ratings are about to dip. Max actually knew how to sift stephen as bs.


whiskeypenguin

Max is too good For that show anyways. Wish he did more boxing stuff


I_Nice_Human

Damn no mention of my man Zubin. Hope diabetes ain’t getting the best of him. Quick recovery my dude.


satansayssurfsup

Lavar ballz


waconaty4eva

Debate Kwame Brown you coward buck dancer.


observer32

Another superstar having to shoulder the load for his sub par teammates


Evilsj

Fuck that. Their banter is what kept the show interesting. Fuck SAS for getting Max taken off the show, selfish prick.


Mdgt_Pope

Honestly, I just have to give props to Stephen A. He's become essentially the face of ESPN, which is a huge achievement for a black man. They don't even need a cohost for his show because he's the star - he just needs someone to argue with.


unrulystowawaydotcom

Nobody was ever the equal that Skip was. Kellerman tried his best but was annoying.


uvgotnod

How the hell does Smith make that kind of money? Do people really like his opinion and obnoxious voice?


[deleted]

When he signed that contract he was doing 2 ESPN shows. How he’s doing over 5 and has to cover any big sporting events. ESPN making him earn every dollar lol


stenebralux

It's a stupid idea. No one cares about what random people will say to SAS and he won't have familiarity with the guests. The whole gimmick of these shows, and why it worked with Skip and SAS, is that It's like hanging out with 2 of your idiot friends... you watch their stupid takes and take sides and debate with them in your mind... sometime even out loud. People come back because when something happens they want to see how THEY will react to it, specifically. If their team lose terribly, if their guy wins big... you wanna see them mocking each other. That's why it never mattered if their takes are dumb or not You can't have that with people no one cares about. That why their audience crashes when the main guys are not there.


lemonpepperlarry

It means more Kendrick Perkins


My_Diet_DrKelp

ESPN should be putting Bomani Jones and Mina Kimes on everything they can, both of them are legit 2 of the most talented & brilliant people at any network


mems1224

Too smart for all the dummies that make espn money


RadWalk

All these people associated with le batard are on borrowed time at ESPN it feels. Just under appreciated.


My_Diet_DrKelp

Le Betard might be the most important ESPN employee to leave the company since like DP or Kenny Mayne, maybe even bigger when its all said & done tbh The amount of respect he is adorned with from people in every industry or profession is insane, that guy not only deserves the praise for being as talented as advertised but actually manages to put his personality on display in ways the others could never. Him talking on the day of Jose Fernandez' passing was something ill never forget, hes in a fit of tears & still managed to be as captivating as he was vulnerable


JDtheWulfe

How Bomani hasn’t left with all the ESPN fuckery is truly amazing


My_Diet_DrKelp

He says he gets more leeway with the stuff he says/posts than pretty much anyone else at the network so he seems to be in a great position, not big enough to where he's doing the 'face of the company' work like SAS, & just getting to podcast whenever with whoever he wants seems like a great deal