TMC
01-17-2026, 11:50 PM
1W1ILTvFoms
If you’re watching ESPN (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=469748) before noon these days, chances are two or more people are yelling at each other about sports under the “guise” of debate. But how did we get here?
ESPN (https://www.reddit.com/r/ESPN/comments/18p5mcy/anyone_remember_cold_pizza/) Cold Pizza (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125247/http://www.jumptheshark.com/c/coldpizza.htm) may have forever altered the history of sports television (https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/cold-pizza-anniversary-debate-first-take-skip-stephen-a-smith.html). It was completely accidental, but this forgotten morning show (https://www.reddit.com/r/ForgottenTV/comments/1fw6y4m/cold_pizza_20032007/) started featuring debate segments as a way to turn round flagging ratings. Dubbed 1st and 10 (http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/040924), this begat (https://deadspin.com/espn-tries-to-find-someone-who-can-match-skip-bayless-i-252525/) First Take (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/espns-pizza-changes-name-hq-134165/) which begat a bunch of copycats which begat the nonsense of today.
To pinch another ESPN show title, there are reasons you can’t blame Cold Pizza (https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2009/12/decade-in-review-10-worst-sports-shows/). For nearly four years, the show sort of groped around blindly on ESPN2 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/MostBoringPosts/posts/3810900075814899/) for relevancy, never really sure what it wanted to be or who it was targeting. For the Worldwide Leader, they were just trying new things and exploring ways to expand the audience.
At its best, ratings were middling. At its worst, ratings were in the tens of thousands. Some try to reflect back on Cold Pizza (https://web.archive.org/web/20140329235802/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3112493-cold-pizza/?view=getnewpost) with rose-tinted glasses. While it was admirable that ESPN (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=441643) tried something way outside the box, the reality, both then and today, was simple.
Cold Pizza (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387729/) was a poorly executed idea from the start. Not because of the people involved, some of whom were actually quite good and have gone on to better endeavors. No, Cold Pizza (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Pizza) was a bad idea because it was truly a show for no one. Nonetheless, here is the history of the Forgotten Morning Show (https://slate.com/culture/2004/01/espn-s-unsuccessful-attempt-to-make-sport-of-the-news.html) that broke ESPN.
If you’re watching ESPN (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=469748) before noon these days, chances are two or more people are yelling at each other about sports under the “guise” of debate. But how did we get here?
ESPN (https://www.reddit.com/r/ESPN/comments/18p5mcy/anyone_remember_cold_pizza/) Cold Pizza (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125247/http://www.jumptheshark.com/c/coldpizza.htm) may have forever altered the history of sports television (https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/cold-pizza-anniversary-debate-first-take-skip-stephen-a-smith.html). It was completely accidental, but this forgotten morning show (https://www.reddit.com/r/ForgottenTV/comments/1fw6y4m/cold_pizza_20032007/) started featuring debate segments as a way to turn round flagging ratings. Dubbed 1st and 10 (http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/040924), this begat (https://deadspin.com/espn-tries-to-find-someone-who-can-match-skip-bayless-i-252525/) First Take (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/espns-pizza-changes-name-hq-134165/) which begat a bunch of copycats which begat the nonsense of today.
To pinch another ESPN show title, there are reasons you can’t blame Cold Pizza (https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2009/12/decade-in-review-10-worst-sports-shows/). For nearly four years, the show sort of groped around blindly on ESPN2 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/MostBoringPosts/posts/3810900075814899/) for relevancy, never really sure what it wanted to be or who it was targeting. For the Worldwide Leader, they were just trying new things and exploring ways to expand the audience.
At its best, ratings were middling. At its worst, ratings were in the tens of thousands. Some try to reflect back on Cold Pizza (https://web.archive.org/web/20140329235802/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3112493-cold-pizza/?view=getnewpost) with rose-tinted glasses. While it was admirable that ESPN (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=441643) tried something way outside the box, the reality, both then and today, was simple.
Cold Pizza (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387729/) was a poorly executed idea from the start. Not because of the people involved, some of whom were actually quite good and have gone on to better endeavors. No, Cold Pizza (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Pizza) was a bad idea because it was truly a show for no one. Nonetheless, here is the history of the Forgotten Morning Show (https://slate.com/culture/2004/01/espn-s-unsuccessful-attempt-to-make-sport-of-the-news.html) that broke ESPN.