You've surely seen them — sports talk shows rooted in hot takes and hardcore sex movieshyperbole, banking on controversy and sensationalism to bring in viewers and dollars.
Shows like ESPN'sFirst Takeand FOX Sports' Skip and Shannon: Undisputed front a sports broadcast media landscape dominated by this brand of bloviation, where analysts are often criticized for their insensitive and arrogant comments.
And finally we have a parody, courtesy of FOX Sports Live's Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole.
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The topic: Kirk Cousins, Washington's quarterback, who is due for a big contract this offseason. His 2016 statistics put him among the league's best quarterbacks, but beneath the numbers, some argue Cousins' limitations as a passer prove he isn't worth an elite contract.
Enter Onrait and O'Toole, who mock Pardon The Interruption's clock-ticking format, but make quick work of the Cousins conversation by doing something most sports analysts wouldn't be caught dead doing — agreeing.
#JayAndDan absolutely destroy each other debating Kirk Cousins contract issues. Things. Get. Nuts. pic.twitter.com/ZohwhmDvPc
— FSLive: #JayAndDan (@foxsportslive) January 4, 2017
We've seen parodies before, thanks to Saturday Night Live and other web comedy shows, but a major sports network parodying the format is pretty classic. What doesn't quite add up, though, is why that same network would mock the style of a show it depends on for ratings.
After FOX hired Skip Bayless — perhaps the most infamous and hated sports commentary provocateur — last year to join the tandem on Undisputed, ratings soared, while viewership of Bayless's ld show on ESPNdropped.
So, FOX is parodying a format it needs to compete. Call it self-awareness or call it hypocrisy. Regardless, these shows aren't going away soon.
At least we have a parody to make it bearable.
