Shannon Sharpe has always had an entertaining, fan-friendly personality way before his days as a media star.
From a resurfaced clip of his funny interview with Cheryl Miller at the 1990 East-West Shrine Bowl and his memorable phone call during a 1996 beat down of the Patriots to his hilarious reactions and takes on “Undisputed,” Sharpe has always had a penchant for humor and an affinity for the camera.
“I was a terrible student,” Sharpe quipped to Sports Illustrated in 2004. “I didn’t graduate magna cum laude, I graduated ‘Thank you, Lawdy!'”
But while his media career took off almost immediately, the start to his pro career didn’t garner the same type of instant success.
After being selected by Denver in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft, Sharpe didn’t produce much. But once moved to tight end a few years later, he became a Broncos legend.
In twelve seasons with the team, Sharpe was a 7x Pro Bowler, 4x first-team All-Pro and won back-to-back Super Bowls (XXXII and XXXIII). He also played two seasons with the Ravens, where he was once again named a Pro Bowler and won his third Super Bowl (XXXV).
Sharpe is one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, the Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2009, Savannah State’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
A year after retiring in 2003, Sharpe joined CBS Sports’ “The NFL Today” and began his media ascent.
Some made fun of his lisp and drawl, but those traits actually ended up endearing him to sports fans who enjoyed his honesty, humor and country grammar.
In 2014, CBS let Sharpe go. Two years later, he joined Fox Sports and became a co-host of “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” with Skip Bayliss.
While the show had its ups and downs in the ratings category, it developed a loyal fanbase that enjoyed the debates and banter between the two.
As Sharpe’s career flourished, he became one of the more popular figures in sports media. His talents enabled him to launch his “Club Shay Shay” podcast, which has grown into a social media success with over 1.1 million followers on YouTube alone.
But the once friendly chemistry between the “Undisputed” co-hosts began to sour and eventually crumbled after Bayliss refused to delete an ignorant tweet about the Bills’ Damar Hamlin.
That friction delivered last week’s news that Sharpe was leaving Fox Sports and taking “Club Shay Shay” with him.
Regardless of the reasons behind his exit, one fact is undeniable.
Shannon Sharpe is a media star with the power to write his own ticket.
After watching his on-air development, I hope that he remains independent rather than listen to Stephen A. Smith and join ESPN.
As a former ESPN employee, I don’t say this because I hold any animosity toward my former employer.
Instead, I want Sharpe to grow as an independent media property for I know he has the power, fanbase and talent to do just that.
Sharpe can travel the route that media stars like Jemele Hill, Pat McAfee and Dan LeBatard have taken and establish their own independent properties after working with established companies like ESPN. And while the first two now both now work with bigger partners, Hill with Spotify and McAfee with ESPN, and the latter works with partners such as Apple and Draft Kings, all three built their brands and followings as independent voices which then commanded big price tags from large media companies.
Shannon Sharpe has the opportunity to forge this type of success for himself now, so there’s no need for him to sign with ESPN.
Could he do special appearances on First Take? Yes. Would it be great TV? Of course.
But he has an opportunity many seldom receive, which is to personally operate and grow a media property without the pressure, rules and restrictions of a large network.
Shannon Sharpe is an established brand and personality. He can attract backers to help expand his operations while maintaining his independence and voice. That would enable him to direct the tone and focus of his content and, most importantly, control the direction and narrative of his show/shows.
This has worked extremely well for LeBron James, Maverick Carter and SpringHill and Sharpe could craft the same type of magic for himself.
Too many times talented voices, especially Black ones, are diluted by the belief that they MUST be on a major network like ESPN. While it can help, oftentimes it’s not essential or beneficial, especially in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape.
Shannon Sharpe has the opportunity to control his future without a moderator, co-host or established network.
Instead, he can build and become the latter himself.
