Stephen A. Smith, the featured commentator and executive producer of First Take on ESPN, has been in New Orleans at Super Bowl week appearing on the morning program while also hosting his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, through his company Straight Shooter Media. Yet earlier in the week, a poll demonstrated that some voters could have interest in Smith potentially pursuing a career in politics.
During a recent appearance on the live show edition of Nightcap from the Big Easy, co-host and Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe asked Smith what inspired him to branch out and begin talking about politics. Moreover, Sharpe conveyed a similar desire to begin having discussions about issues in the space down the road. Smith appeared on stage alongside Sharpe, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Deion Sanders on Thursday night.
“I’ve been this way all my life,” Smith said. “I was neutralized to some degree by my employers – first The Philadelphia Inquirer, then CNN, then FOX Sports, then ESPN. They wanted us, the industry itself, and I’ve talked to you about this personally Shannon. I told you the beauty of athletes, the greatness of all three of y’all, the thing that you know but you can’t fully appreciate because you’ve never been constricted to that level is that y’all have a level of freedom and independence that less-talented individuals like myself that had to go through the maze of corporate America has to experience, and so it comes with restrictions.”
The discussion took place as Smith is in the midst of finalizing a new contract with ESPN, negotiations that have drawn interest and intrigue around the sports media business. Earlier in the week, Smith confirmed to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports that the two sides had agreed on the money but were still working out how to balance his contractual obligations with other independent ventures. In addition to his podcast, Smith has also explored non-scripted content and released an ESPN+ original series documenting the history of debate-style television. The company was previously known as Mr. SAS Productions, but it was renamed to Straight Shooter Media in early August, the same title as his best-selling memoir.
Smith acknowledged that navigating the corporate labyrinth has restrictions that do not allow employees to do everything they want. Yet he outlined that people did not realize that while he loves sports, he views watching a presidential debate akin to a Super Bowl championship game. Smith added that he considers his discussions to be premised in social commentary rather than politics, divulging that there are real-life issues he continues to hold that he experienced growing up in Hollis, Queens. Part of the inspiration to create a platform to engage in these discussions came from seeing the rise of Shay Shay Media with podcasts such as Nightcap and Club Shay Shay.
“I said, ‘Hold on – you’ve been holding me back, holding me back, holding me back, but these other fellas got their own platform,’” Smith recalled. “‘Well, I got my own now. I own and operate it 100% What’s the problem?,’ and they were like, ‘We can’t say anything,’ and so when I went there and did it, they were like, ‘Wait a minute now. You’re doing sports – that’s us – so we can’t stop you from doing it, but we’ll be damned if you’re going to just have a sports show, and this should be for us.’
“I said, ‘I don’t want a sports show,’ and when I told them pop culture and entertainment and politics, they were like, ‘Go ahead,’ because nobody thought that I would resonate because they didn’t know.”
Once Smith discerned that people began to realize his impact and passion for the genre, he articulated that he was coming and looked to resonate and make a difference in the community. In addition to his sports content, he has also appeared on programs alongside political hosts and pundits such as Chris Cuomo, Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity among others. Smith also guest-starred on Real Time with Bill Maher and The View where he has exhibited his perspectives and insights surrounding a variety of issues.
“I’m like, ‘This ain’t new. This has always been me,’” Smith said. “If you think about the conversations we’ve had off the air – think about the things we’ve talked about, think about the things I’ve shared with all three of y’all at one point in time or another, and all of y’all have espoused words of wisdom on me and I’m always appreciative of that – but I’m an independent thinker and I’ve got my own mind. I use other people to edify me, to educate me, but when I know the issues, I ain’t scared of a damn thing. If I know my facts, I’m going to roar, and that’s what I’m doing.”
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