No stranger to firing back, Stephen A. Smith was actually timid in his response.
But Sharpe didn’t hold back much when it was his turn to respond.
Im gonna be a good teammate.
Im gonna let it slide.
“Dont play with me,” he added.
And aka the fans who called him out for his son going to play for Michigan next season.
(Technically, Tate would qualify as a “fringe lunatic Buckeyes fan” (the dog man?
But I don’t think that’s who Herbstreit meant here.
Tate’s kind is more of the 1-2%.
Herbstreit was trying to paint a large collective of the fanbase with a very wide brush here.
Herbstreit channeled his inner middle schooler, basically saying, Haha, told you so!
Stephen A. backpedaled like he always does when he’s called out.
But not his new co-host.
Sharpe went full-on WWE heel, cutting a promo that would make even The Rock proud.
Dont play with me, Sharpe growled, wagging his verbal finger at Herbstreit and Chris Fowler.
Herbstreit has no choice now other than to lace them up and face Sharpe at Rough n Rowdy.
Because at some point, ESPN decided that thoughtful analysis wasnt entertaining enough.
This isnt sports journalism, its reality TV.
Sure, hes Ryan Days unofficial hype man, that’s a surprise to no one.
But poking atFirst Takeon national television?
Thats like smacking a hornets nest and then acting surprised when you get stung.
We get it, Kirk.
You love Ohio State.
But maybe, just maybe, stick to analyzing games instead of lobbing passive-aggressive bombs at your co-workers.
Of course, the real MVP here is ESPN.
Theyre probably popping champagne in Bristol over all this free publicity.
Nothing gets viewers tuning in like a little intra-web link squabble.
Will Herbstreit double down and respond?
Or better question, will ESPN brass force him to to keep this story going?
