Is Charles Barkley Carving Out a Blueprint for Retired NFL Stars? Exploring His Niche After Shannon Sharpe Joins ESPN Analyst in Envious Remarks

There was once talk about Charles Barkley replacing Shannon Sharpe on Fox Sports. That didn’t happen. Though Chuck was not a big fan of  Undisputed,  particularly Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe holds him in high regard. Barkley is not the first athlete to go into broadcast after retiring from pro-sports. He, however, did it well.

Barkley is brutal, no-holds-barred, and apologetic when it’s warranted. Sharpe said that’s a blueprint former NFL pros such as himself have followed.

Shannon Sharpe credits Charles Barkley for post-NFL career

After 14 seasons in the NFL, Shannon Sharpe made a swift transition to sportscasting. Apart from NFL sports, he’s best known for his tenure on Undisputed with Skip Bayless. He negotiated out of his Fox Sports contract but he’s also a columnist, podcaster, and social media staple. All this was possible because of Charles Barkley.

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“When I saw Charles Barkley could be himself, could talk with the dialect that he had, was unapologetically not afraid to make fun of himself, I said, ‘I could do that.’ I’ve got just as good as sense of humor, I could tell stories, I can do that,” Sharpe told Chad Ochocinco.

That was on one of Sharpe’s many shows, Unc & Ocho. Seeing the Round Mound of Rebound be his authentic self – even if abrasive – inspired Sharpe to be an unfiltered sportscaster.

Similarly, Michael Strahan enjoys a dazzling broadcast career after retiring from the NFL. In contrast, the late Tony Siragusa was dubbed the most disliked NFL announcer. There were other former pros who didn’t meet sportscasting standards because fans crave someone who can confidently back an outrageous opinion on air, a la Sharpe, Strahan, and Charles Barkley.

Charles Barkley’s honesty goes a long way

Newly-minted NFL team owner, Magic Johnson was once an NBA analyst and Barkley’s co-host on TNT. The smiling role model that he is, NBA fans declared him the worst analyst in the sport. Magic was too nice, his analysis too general, and his opinions too safe. In contrast to cancel-proof Chuck, who pushes acceptability just right.

A TNT viewer may not agree with him, but it’s hard to refute him. Barkley is now going to co-host a prime-time talk show on CNN, King Charles with Gayle King. In the preview, he says,  “Anybody who wants everybody to agree with them is an idiot.”

Marcus Spears, another NFL pro-turned-analyst, said, “Chuck don’t give a damn and I don’t either.” That’s why he follows the Barkley playbook of sportscasting.

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Spears, Strahan, and Sharpe have chosen brutal honesty over likeability like Barkley. That’s how he’s converting NFL pros to the other side of the microphone.