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OutKick host Dan Dakich brought up some recent comments made by ESPN host Stephen A. Smith. Smith is in contract negotiations and has not been shy about the range of money he is looking for. Many have wondered if Smith wouldn’t be better off going out on his own, but most likely he won’t make that decision until he gets more down the road with talking to ESPN. It has been reported, ESPN made an initial offer of $18 million per year whereas Smith is looking for something closer to $25 million per year.
On his Don’t @ Me Show, Dakich said, “You know, you’ve got to admire Stephen A. Smith in certain ways. You’ve got to admire that a no-talent hack who knows nothing about sports somehow made his way into being the foremost sports authority in our country. He’s actually a brand. Stephen A. Smith is more than just Stephen A. Smith. Stephen A. Smith’s kind of like a brand. And he’s been very smart because he has taken basically his opinion and made it important to everybody.
“…Stephen A. Smith gets a lot of reaction from athletes. Stephen A. Smith gets a lot of reaction from coaches, from owners. Stephen A. Smith’s voice resonates whether you like him or not…When he talks, I turn it off. But he knows who he is. He knows what he’s got. And I’ve always respected that.”
Dakich then went on to say that while Smith works hard and does a lot of different things for ESPN to make himself valuable, he believes his timing has a lot to do with his push from ESPN.
“Stephen A. Smith knows what he has,” Dakich said. “He knows that in this era of DEI, the post-George Floyd era, he is invaluable.”
Dakich continued and talked about a report that some ESPN employees are not happy with Smith and are concerned with what he is requesting financially some of them may have to pay for it by losing their jobs.
“Stephen A. Smith has ESPN employees unhappy, though,” Dakich said. “He’s asking for a $100 million deal. Stephen A. Smith compared himself to Dak Prescott when justifying asking ESPN for a $100 million contract during an interview.”
Dakich read Smith’s quote where he had said, “Dak Prescott just signed a contract, $240 million. He’s making $60 million a year and has won two playoff games in eight years. I’ve been number one for 12 years. In our respective industries, I win. I’m fully aware of what I’m worth.”
To that, Dakich replied, “Well, you are worth what they’ll pay you. You’re also worth what somebody else will pay you. And if Stephen A. Smith went anywhere else, he wouldn’t be worth near that. If I’m ESPN, I’m telling you to stick it. But that’s just me.”
Dakich later added the part of an article that said staff members at ESPN had “invented a new nickname for Stephen A, ‘Mr. Greed’, to mock his pursuit of a $25 million per year contract.'”
Dakich then asked, “Is that wrong for him to ask for that money? Not really. I mean, the truth of the matter is ESPN is worried…They didn’t have to make any cuts. The only cuts that they made were because they weren’t making enough, not because they were losing money and had to get back to budget. There’s a big difference.
“So, the bottom line is simple. Get mad at Stephen A. Smith all you want. You can get mad at him. You can get mad every day at him if you’re an employee. But he, like Dak Prescott, has a unique skill…ESPN created this monster. ESPN picked the guy off the scrap heap, hired him to be Skip Bayless’s partner. George Floyd hit. They looked around, said, we don’t want to be called racist. Let’s promote somebody. Boom. Stephen A. Smith.”
