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If you won’t listen to me, maybe you will listen to Stephen A. Smith. God knows he is going to shout loud enough to make it impossible to tune him out. Sports talk requires a level of talent that news talk simply does not. Sean Hannity never stood a chance.
Smith was invited on the FOX News talking head’s eponymous show last week, and when he wasn’t spawning new memes, he was leaving Hannity fumbling to defend his statements.
While I would never try to convince you that I am Smith’s biggest fan, I have always touted that every broadcaster should study his performance. There’s no one on Earth capable of watching Smith in a debate and not recognizing they are seeing a master at work.
That was Hannity’s biggest problem. I just don’t think he realized that not only is Smith exceptionally good at arguing for entertainment, but that a political talk show cannot prepare you for combat with the First Take star.
Pick your network: FOX, MSNBC, CNN, you name it. All of them are echo chambers. They may invite people on with opposing viewpoints, but outside of The Five’s Jessica Tarlov (who is likely only allowed on TV to shield FOX from another billion-dollar lawsuit), these people are all toothless by design. Those shows aren’t doing the news. They aren’t having discussions. They are appealing to the target demo.
I wrote about this years ago when Tucker Carlson admitted that sometimes he just blatantly lies because he doesn’t have facts to support his point of view. Believe it or not, despite the fact that the stakes of what we talk about in the sports world are so much lower, the standards for your content are so much higher.
Stephen A. Smith has outgrown First Take and ESPN. We’ve known that for a while now, and I have speculated that it could mean that the man has a future in late night or on cable news. The reason the conversation persists is the result of a perfect combination – Smith really is that talented and the bar really is that low in cable news.
Hell, because the bar is so low, Smith may look at politics and see a future not on television, but in office. I am still convinced he has those aspirations.
There are a little over seven months left on Smith’s current deal with ESPN. There has been a lot written and said about the amount of money the network would be willing to pay to keep him and what it is he will demand in order to stay. I am not sure there is a number that both appeals to Smith and makes sense for ESPN, but we won’t even know what numbers we’re talking about until something is said publicly by either side.
With that in mind though, I would expect to see Smith seek out more opportunities like this. Maybe they will be with Hannity. Maybe they will be elsewhere, but it’s not crazy to think Smith will go looking for them.
Every time Stephen A. Smith makes headlines for putting some political talking head on roller-skates or charming a new audience, it reminds ESPN that he comes with a price. It may not be set, but there may not be much wiggle room.
Smith is not his former partner Skip Bayless. He will not be lost in a world without sports. He’s also not Sean Hannity. He doesn’t need to worry about being exposed the second he steps outside of his comfort zone.
If ESPN doesn’t want to meet Smith’s demands, he can hit the open market knowing that he brings value to any show or network that wants to make him an offer.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
