Stephen A. Smith, featured commentator and executive producer of First Take and analyst for NBA Countdown on ESPN, is in the midst of contract negotiations with the multimedia company as its weekday programs flourish. Smith re-joined the entity for a second stint in 2011 where he started by hosting radio programs before joining First Take on morning television in the next year. Since that time, he has led the morning program to consistent windfall and is looking at the results to come to an understanding regarding his worth.
Outside of ESPN, Smith started hosting his eponymous video podcast 17 months ago, titled The Stephen A. Smith Show, where he discusses a broad array of topics pertaining to sports, culture and politics. The venture takes place through his production company, recently renamed Straight Shooter to align with the title of his best-selling memoir, which is also in the process of creating other documentaries and content. Throughout his endeavors, Smith ensures that he demonstrates his value to the entities with whom he is in business and continues working hard while increasing his proficiency about the business.
“I expect to get paid, and I’m not apologizing for that to anybody,” Smith said during an interview at the Tuned In event for Front Office Sports. “I’m going to work my tail off. I’m striving to be the best that I can be or put in the hours [to] produce results [to] the best of my ability, and those results are what I’m going to look at to define my worth.”
Smith elucidated that his contract ends in June 2025 and that he has received an offer to stay with the company, which he has subsequently countered. While at the event, he declined to elaborate on the negotiations and outlined that ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro is one of the nicest people someone could ever meet in their lives. Yet Smith understands that it is not guaranteed he will remain with The Walt Disney Company subsidiary and could end up moving on, citing the fact that it is business.
“If it comes to a decision where I have to move on, I prepared myself mentally and emotionally to be able to do that,” Smith said. “I don’t want it to come to that because I am very happy at ESPN doing what I do.”
Smith grew up idolizing Howard Cosell, who was a member of the Monday Night Football broadcast team for 13 years, and confirmed that he hopes to follow in his footsteps by contributing to the broadcast property. Although that has not happened at the moment, referencing how ESPN recently premiered the new season of the broadcast property, he aspires to take part in the endeavor. Earlier in the day, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus stated that he could see Smith in that position down the road.
“It’s something that I want to do because I’ve been blessed and fortunate to be No. 1. Last I checked, the No. 1 sports brand is the NFL. So why shouldn’t the No. 1 guy on the air be a part of the No. 1 property. That’s how I view it, especially since I grew up idolizing Howard Cosell, thinking about him and what he brought to the table in terms of his diction, his cadence, his tenor, his candor, his willingness to tackle issues that most individuals in the industry weren’t willing to tackle at that particular moment in time.”
Throughout his discussion, Smith emphasized that ratings determine revenue and that it is essential people remember the inextricable tie between the two metrics. In fact, he stated that the revenue being generated at First Take is 10 times more than when he first arrived. The principle of creating profits for his bosses is at the forefront of his mind while also expanding his production company through collaborations and new projects. Smith continues to watch the money on a daily basis and aspires to be someone who helps generate profits
“I’m watching because that is what I use to define how rational and reasonable I am in my pursuit of what I want,” Smith said. “If I’m not delivering for them, then guess what? I don’t deserve them delivering for me. You could pay me a boatload of money now. If my numbers slip or dip, when my contract is up years from now, you don’t have to fire me. You can come to me and say, ‘You deserve less,’ and I’m going to take less because the results show I deserve less, but if I deserve more, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to ask for more.”
