In a recent interview with Complex, Sharpe reflected on a time when he actively sought to modify his way of speaking, consulting with multiple speech therapists and pathologists in an attempt to alter his idiolect. However, he eventually came to the realization that he was straying from his authentic self.
“I visited numerous speech therapists and pathologists, attempting to change the way I talk. Then, I just came to the realization that’s not who I am,” expressed Sharpe. “The listening audience, the viewing audience, is never going to believe this is who I am. They’ve heard me speak enough to know what I sound like and how I should sound. Once I went back to being who I was, my authentic self, it seemingly took off for me from there.”
Considering Charles Barkley as a personal role model, Sharpe pointed out Barkley’s successful transition from a professional basketball career to an analyst. “Charles Barkley, who’s kind of the measuring stick, especially for myself—Charles Barkley is the one that gave me a belief that I could do it,” he shared. “He’s from rural Alabama. I’m from rural South Georgia. We both have a colloquial dialect, and I was like, ‘Man, if Charles can do this being from Alabama, talking the way he talked, why can’t I do this? Why can’t I be authentic Shannon Sharpe and be good at this?’”
Sharpe has emerged as one of the most recognizable faces in the sports world, a trajectory that might not have been anticipated given his speech challenges during his early days in the NFL.
