I, Max
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''I, Max'' was a
sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
s commentary
show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** ...
featuring host
Max Kellerman Max Kellerman (born August 6, 1973) is an American sports television personality and boxing commentator. Until his departure from ESPN in June 2023, he was the host of ''This Just In with Max Kellerman'' and the co-host of ''Keyshawn, JWill an ...
and
Michael Holley Michael S. Holley (born February 26, 1970) is an American television and radio sports commentator, sports reporter, author and a professor at Boston University https://www.bu.edu/com/profile/michael-holley/. He formerly wrote columns for the ''B ...
that aired nightly on
Fox Sports Net Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by the Walt Disney Company on Mar ...
. The concept of the show involved Kellerman and his ego (explaining the name of the show) against the world, represented by Holley, broadcasting via satellite from Boston, with producer Bill Wolff, the former "Disembodied Voice" from '' Around the Horn'', appearing live from NYC as the "impartial" mediator. On January 18, 2018 on his daily sports radio show in Boston on WEEI 93.7 the "Dale & Holley" show Michael Holley said
Woody Paige Woodrow Wilson Paige Jr. (born June 27, 1946) is a sports columnist for '' The Gazette'', author, and was a panelist on the ESPN talk show '' Around the Horn'' until the show ended in 2025. He was a columnist for ''The Denver Post'' for 35 year ...
was the first choice to join Kellerman but Paige declined the offer and the role was offered to Holley.


Format

Each show opened with Kellerman relaying three bits of information he has heard/been told of. He always concluded by saying, "but I, Max, say wrong, wrong, wrong" and would add a pithy comment afterward. The show was divided into segments, with topics in each segment being scored as "rounds" (not unlike boxing, which Max has a background in as an analyst for
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and previously
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
). The show was originally scored on a 10-point scale system like a boxing match, with the loser of the round scoring 9 in most cases (8 or less if Wolff determined the argument to be weak enough to warrant it). This later was changed to the winner of the argument getting credit for winning the round. Originally a 15-round format, the show later reduced the rounds to 12. The show was conducted as follows: * Segment 1: Kellerman and Holley argued over the day's sports topics, with Max being presented with the argument from the World's side and countering it with his own opinion while Holley would defend the World's side. Max could stop Holley -or Wolff- from commenting at any time with the use of the "MeVR", a button that immediately paused their video screens and prevented them from talking. Kellerman would often use the button on Holley in order to interject so he could respond to Holley's argument without talking over him. His use of the button on Wolff was often used as a comic annoyance, with Wolff feigning frustration on camera afterward. * Segment 2: The second segment of the show saw Kellerman and Holley square off against each other in a rotating series of argument-based segments. One was called "I Object," where Max and Holley took turns presenting cases for a certain sports subject, with the other side almost always jumping in by saying "I object" and presenting the opposing view. Wolff served as the "honorable judge" (dressed as a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
, even down to a powdered wig) and would either
sustain In sound and music, an envelope describes how a sound changes over time. For example, a piano key, when struck and held, creates a near-immediate initial sound which gradually decreases in volume to zero. An envelope may relate to elements such ...
(give the round to the objector) or overrule (give the round to whoever was presenting the case) the objection accordingly. Another segment was "The Great Flip-Off," where Wolff (dressed as an old card shark dubbed Willie "12 Fingers" Wolff) would arbitrarily give Max and Holley two sides of an argument and would score based on who made the better argument for their side. After this segment Holley's involvement with the show ended, although he would appear during the final segment (usually gloating if his side won, which was often immediately met with Kellerman hitting the MeVR). * Segment 3: An interview with a sports figure, ranging from sports columnists to
athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...
s. The entire segment was scored as one round, and if Kellerman performed well enough the round went to him. The World was credited with the round if he didn't. * Segment 4: Max read short
emails Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving digital messages using electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the late–20th century as the ...
about topics (sports or otherwise) written by viewers in a rapid-fire segment. Max would then give his opinion on the topic that was the subject of the email. If Max's opinion wasn't considered strong enough, Wolff gave the round to the World side. If there was not enough time to finish all the rounds before the end of the show, Wolff had the power to arbitrarily end the fight after one of the arguments. This would be regarded as either Kellerman or The World being "knocked out." If The World won, Wolff read a brief hate e-mail from a viewer. If Kellerman won, Wolff read a positive fan e-mail, referred to as "love mail". Late in the show's run, the format changed. The first round would still feature the same debate between Holley and Max, but they were no longer scored. The next two segments usually consisted of Kellerman conducting interviews, although there was an occasional second segment game from the previous format that Holley would participate in (otherwise, his time on the show ended after the first segment). The final segment saw Bill Wolff make his first appearance of the show and again saw Max answer emails from viewers, with Wolff arbitrarily deciding after the segment was over whether Kellerman would receive love or hate mail.


Cancellation

The show was the most popular show on Fox Sports Net, though many people thought the show to be too similar in style to Max's former show, ''Around the Horn''. Despite the high ratings, the last episode of ''I, Max'' aired on February 18, 2005, nine months after it debuted. Max Kellerman, on the other hand, has an explanation for the demise of ''I, Max''. According to statements made by Kellerman frequently on his
radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...
, the show was the highest-rated show on Fox Sports. The cancellation of ''I, Max'', according to Kellerman, was due to his not agreeing to making changes to the show's format that he viewed would damage the show. He also took time away from sports television media just beforehand and after the cancellation due to grief over his brother's October 2004 death from a homicide, which former boxer James Butler was convicted for carrying out.Jacob Adelman.
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
. April 6, 2006. Accessed via
LexisNexis LexisNexis is an American data analytics company headquartered in New York, New York. Its products are various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper searc ...
on December 24, 2006.


References

{{Reflist Fox Sports Networks original programming 2004 American television series debuts 2000s American sports television series 2005 American television series endings