Barkley may hate Skip Bayless, but it is essentially the same brand of media that is getting both paid. Being outspoken, saying outlandish things and moving the needle is something that works for both Barkley and Bayless.
Bayless does it from a journalistic point of view and Barkley from the athlete’s point, but people are watching them to see what is the next crazy thing they are going to say.
They watch to be entertained, nothing more, nothing less.
Doesn’t matter who you hate or who you love as long as you keep them relevant. Barkley always mentioning Skip only helps Skip Bayless out. I am sure Skip does the money dance every time he hears his name on TNT.
Barkley makes the same overtop statements that Bayless makes, people just sort of laugh them off, because he is Barkley. When he says people on social media are all losers, analytics guys are all nerds and San Antonio’s women population are husky, that is no different than what Skip Bayless says on 1st Take. If anything Barkley has more rope to say stereotypical things than Bayless.
Two peas maybe not in the same pod, but in the same bag of frozen peas or something like that.