“Shannon carrying Stephen A. Smith”: 'First Take' averages 5x more viewers than 'Undisputed,' has NBA fans in shambles

Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe joined forces over the summer in the wake of Sharpe parting ways with Skip Bayless and Fox Sports 1. The situation captured the attention of fans. To add to the magnitude, Sharpe joined Bayless' rival.

Together, he and Stephen A. Smith have completely taken over the world of sports entertainment, going head to head on ESPN's "First Take." Although initially there was a period when the NFL star had to find his rhythm, Smith was patient.

In more than one instance, Sharpe accidentally called Stephen A. Smith "Skip" while debating back and forth. Although those instances went viral, with many poking fun at Sharpe, Smith supported him, explaining that he understood the gaffes.

According to a report from Front Office Sports, "First Take" is reportedly averaging five times the number of viewers that "Undisputed" is:

“During the two weeks from Nov. 27 to Dec. 8, ‘First Take’ (581,000) drew an audience five times greater than ‘Undisputed’ (105,000), according to sources. In fact, November ranked as the most-watched month (614,000) in the 16-year history of ‘First Take.’”

Immediately, fans reacted.

Looking back at Shannon Sharpe's emotional farewell to Skip Bayless before joining Stephen A. Smith

When Shannon Sharpe parted ways with Skip Bayless and Fox Sports 1, he and his longtime co-host bid each other an emotional farewell. As Sharpe said at the time, the one thing he wanted Bayless to know was that at the end of the day, he gave him everything he had during his tenure on the program.

Despite the emotional farewell, it didn't take long before reports began to indicate that Sharpe could join Stephen A. Smith. Although the situation was nothing more than a rumor, it took less than a week for the news to become official.

With his move to ESPN complete, it was reported that Sharpe would join Smith on "First Take" starting over the summer. The schedule of Mondays/Tuesdays on "First Take" allowed Sharpe to have a key spot in ESPN's NFL coverage after Sunday's slate of games.

While the move initially saw the former NFL star refer to Smith as Bayless, they have since hit their stride. As fans indicated, however, in addition to the fact that many seem to prefer Smith to Bayless, the fact that "First Take" runs on ESPN could be a big contributing factor in the pair's success.