Stephen A: The A stands for “All things to Everybody”

https://theathletic.com/4628714/2023/08/31/stephen-a-smith-espn-podcast-future/?source=user_shared_article

Stephen A. Smith takes many questions from listeners — the kind of questions some might not expect.
It’s part of what he does on the “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” Someone wants to randomly know how Smith feels about a man dating taller women, and the long-time sports personality (many of those years with ESPN) provides an answer, openly and honestly.

You’ll get so much more than sports from Smith these days, compared to the days of old. There’s political talk. More relationship advice. Commentary on pop culture and music. Is there sports mixed in? Sure, but you don’t listen to his show, formerly called “Know Mercy,” just for sports takes.
There’s more to Smith’s life, and he wants to showcase his diverse interests. He has goals beyond debating the latest sports news.
All of this is what’s next for Smith, who has been a fixture in the sports world for nearly three decades. He is one of the most recognizable people in sports media but he’s not satisfied with that. “The Stephen A. Smith Show” is separate from his duties with ESPN. He has his own team handling those responsibilities, and the show is done in such a way where it does not violate his ESPN contract that lasts for two more years.
The content is edgier than his ESPN work. You may hear profanity. Topics of discussion only suitable for mature audiences are brought to the table.

The dialogue leans more into where Smith would love to one day end up: as a late-night television host. He’s been a guest host on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” In a dream world, that would be his job for the future.
“I would jump at the opportunity to try and prove that I could do that,” Smith said. “I would really enjoy making people smile and laugh.”
If Kimmel ever decides to no longer host his show, Smith wants a crack at the gig. He’s still motivated to be the best at what he does in sports media, and the news last week of Shannon Sharpe joining him on “First Take,”  which Smith publicly lobbied for on his show, is a sign he’s not coasting when it comes to his ESPN duties. He’s still a major part of the network’s morning lineup, NBA coverage and sports in general.
But “Stephen A. Smith Live!” appeals to him.
“You know, the big mission of mine is just really, really establishing my podcast, having a voice that extends beyond the corridors of ESPN,” he said. “Not to say that I want to leave, because I’m happy here and I’m treated well, but I have other aspirations.”
Smith isn’t just about late-night television dreams. Among his latest endeavors are acting classes this summer. In addition to his recurring role on the daytime soap opera “General Hospital” as Brick, a surveillance expert for the mob, he has made a couple of film cameos, including “I Think I Love My Wife,” directed by Chris Rock in 2007.
“I am going to take (acting) more seriously, because one of the things that I’ve learned to love is you can be whatever the role calls you to be,” Smith said. “You don’t have to be subjected to society’s norms, restrictions and things of that nature. You can be whatever the role calls you to be.”
Smith finds himself being recognized in public as Brick by soap opera fans. That’s a sign he’s gaining an audience more about entertainment than a sports scene.
“I get stopped in every city in the country because they call me Brick,” Smith said. “I’ve got women — White, Black, old, young — all over the place screaming ‘Brick’ because they notice me from ‘General Hospital.’”

But why is Smith exploring these new creative avenues? He reportedly earns $12 million a year, making him one of the highest paid sports television figures. What reason does he have to venture outside his wheelhouse to discuss President Joe Biden, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the 2024 presidential election?
“No. 1, I don’t like being pigeonholed,” Smith said. “I really wanted to spend some time showcasing where my other interests lie, just so (people) will know and they’ll have an idea, a better idea, of who I am, how I think, what I’m about, and that I’m not afraid to tackle any issues. I’m not afraid to talk about anything.”

Smith hasn’t shied away from much of anything. Politically, he’s been critical of Democrats and Republicans. He also weighs in on current events and delves into the entertainment industry.
It could be seen as a problematic blurring of the lines to some. There are fans staunchly against anything appearing to bring politics into sports, so even if Smith isn’t combining them in the same topic, it might be enough to annoy some.
Smith, however, remains unfazed by entering territories where he’s not considered the expert with years of experience. He said with politics in particular, he makes it a priority to do his homework while remaining transparent.
“I’m not afraid to talk about anything. I am afraid of being misinformed and not knowing that I’m misinformed,” Smith said. “You want to make sure that you know what the hell you’re talking about and that if you don’t, you’re in a position to be honest enough with your viewers and your followers to let them know you don’t know about this particular subject. When that occurs, I certainly won’t hesitate to do that.”

He believes in hearing all sides of a discussion — even if those sides upset some of his Black viewers. And for those who question his commitment to the Black community, Smith consistently points out he is a proud graduate of HBCU Winston-Salem State University and continues to assist with raising funds and awareness for HBCUs. He’s also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the first predominantly Black fraternity founded at an HBCU.
The criticism won’t curtail his conversations.
“First of all, I don’t give a s—. Let me be very clear about that,” Smith said of criticism.
When Smith isn’t political, he draws the ire for not talking sports. He said he was surprised by the uproar earlier this year over his comments about Rihanna performing at Super Bowl LVII. Smith appeared on Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show, “Sherri,” in January to help promote his autobiography, “Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes,” and said he was told they wanted the appearance to be more of a debate format, similar to “First Take.”

So when asked about Rihanna, he first complimented the multitalented artist, but then expressed his opinion that she wasn’t better than Beyoncé. He said his comments weren’t meant to put down Rihanna but to take a stance on his preference of artist. To him, it was no different than the Michael Jackson-Prince debates of the 1980s.
Smith said he was “shocked and taken aback” that so many were upset by his comments. The incident went viral, and Smith eventually apologized.
“I thought it was indicative of the times that we live in,” Smith said. “People are looking for an excuse to b—- and moan, and so they’re going to have that kind of attitude, and they’re going to feel that way. I didn’t say anything bad about Rihanna. I wouldn’t. I know she’s fantastic. I know she’s phenomenal.
“What’s the problem? I can’t be a fan of a particular artist? That’s what seemed so distorted and utterly ridiculous. But it was a fresh reminder of the times that we’re living in, the high level of sensitivity and how either you have to watch every little thing you say, or most of the time, you simply can’t give a damn about the backlash.”
Smith never has cared about the backlash for speaking his mind. The backlash now coming at him more for opinions outside of sports.
And that’s just fine with Smith, who isn’t afraid of branching out as far as he can outside of what the public sees.






I mentioned in a previous post sometime ago about Smith meeting with a consultant friend of mine in Atlanta back around 2010 when he was out at ESPN and the Philadelphia Enquirer.
Smith brought up the same initiatives that he wanted to undertake back then and was advised not to.
I guess he had time to think about it and many years later decided to forgo the advice.

Understand, Im not inferring that Smith does not have talent. He does.
I think it’s a shame that he resorts to debate gate and forgets he has a microphone to eliminate the need to raise his voice and perform theatrics to get attention.

Smith is not a dummy and in fact he’s pretty smart but the evidence is hidden behind all the BS.

Smith has accomplished a lot but as I have intimated before, whenever he gets himself in hot water is when he morphs outside of sports and makes comments where it’s obvious to me that he hasn’t thought it through and/or conducted a bit of research and winds up apologizing on air.

Yet in this article he stresses the importance of doing homework and knowing the facts. The exact opposite of whats gotten him in trouble before.
Maybe future forward, it’ll be different. We’ll see.

-Someday He would like to takeover Hosting Jimmy Kimmel

Smith did do a fill in one night for Kimmel and said he didn’t realize the impact of having to do a 15-18 minute monologue.
This outa the horse faces mouth -“When I get nervous I have to use the toilet”.
During that fill-in Smith used the toilet 5 times. Scared s*&%tless?

Star Search went off the air years ago but in today’s world it appears that everyone with a name gets a shot. It’s the current media landscape. The world we live in and the public suffers because of it

Smith says his managers are encouraging him to do stand up. The only problem with that is that you have to be …funny.
Smith may be hilarious off camera but on camera-taint funny McGee.

If Smith thinks that he was scared to death doing Kimmel, try doing 45 minutes to an hour of stand up on stage and try to be funny.
It has to be one of the toughest gigs in show biz.

Smith, this is one piece of advice that you should ignore. It’s way outside of your wheelhouse.

Also Mr. Smith, Unless your first name happens to be Paul who wrote in first Corinthians 9, you cannot be everything to everyone.

There's a fundamental rule in marketing that takes discipline and some getting used to, but it's undeniably true:
You cannot be everything for everybody.

It's impossible to build and market a brand in a way that serves everyone.
First of all, you can't possibly please everyone all the time and, secondly, you can't possibly offer everything that everyone would want all the time either. It's simply impossible.

I once headed operations for a syndicated morning show. The show had 120 affiliates nationwide and was the #1 rated Urban radio show in the coveted 25-54 demo.
The host suddenly had what he thought was an epiphany. He wanted to start playing Rap music.
I showed him a study that indicated that the closer he got to the younger demo the closer he’s going to get to destroying everything he built.
He owned that demo but felt that he could extend his brand. Sound familiar?
It took a lot of convincing not only by me but upper management as well before the “Rap Music concept” was sh*^canned.

Acting: I’ve never seen Smith act except on First Take and a brief cameo and in my opinion he’s not convincing.  Not to me.
From what I’ve seen from him so far-
Smith couldn’t act sick if you gave him poison.

Smith also claims  to not “ give a shh%#t” about bring criticized but he really does.
Why else would he continue to Boast about his accomplishments.  
“I’m the best when it comes to debating”
“I don’t care what they say because my contract is guaranteed”.

A lot of this “I wanna do” is his ego talking and he needs to check that.
There’s nothing wrong with ambition as long as you marry it with self awareness

On the positive tip:
I do applaud the fact that he is branching out by starting his own podcast and production company because sooner or later he’s going to find himself turning in his keys to the ESPN building. It’s inevitable. It’s only a matter of when.
So kudos for him for having the vision to do so.

In my opinion he’ll more than likely succeed IF he realizes that he needs to focus on a niche that involves sports and entertainment and stay away from the hardcore news.
I can only think of one person who segued from sports into news with a huge amount of success and that’s Bryant Gumble.
Gumble hosted the Today Show, The Olympics snd has covered news stories for years.

Smith has talent but I’ve witnessed Gumble’s work and Smith is no Bryant Gumble.

Smith could probably do a fairly decent job hosting a “Today show” variety format focused on sports and entertainment.
I could see some success growing out of that but all of the other endeavors I believe are out of his skill set and I doubt if anyone’s going to take him serious or trust him when it comes to hard news and politics.

Smith has been writing and talking sports for close to 3 decades. Thats what he’s known for thats where his fame grew out of and it’s probably what he’s going to be remembered for when it’s all said and done.

I also liked Bryant Gumble, the opposite of Smith as he is obviously much more reserved and clean cut, can I say wholesome or white bright and polite in a clean cut black package. Both fill a void and standard. Stephen A got there in his own bombastic loud loquacious way with alot of genuine insight and substance that made him relevant. He’s actually this generations Howard Cosell, who was hired because he was annoying and didn’t even know it. I believe Roone Arledge was the man that unleashed him. Cosell ruffled feathers and had his own way of keeping it real. The guy that also made him was the great Ali, who loved bantering with Cosell and it was great entertainment. The most famous man/athlete in the world and the annoying pest who would root/support for Ali and question him in the innocent days of no social media and barely any cable. I still remember Cosell being all doom and gloom, afraid for Ali’s life before the Foreman fight.

cowens/oldschool wrote:I also liked Bryant Gumble, the opposite of Smith as he is obviously much more reserved and clean cut, can I say wholesome or white bright and polite in a clean cut black package. Both fill a void and standard. Stephen A got there in his own bombastic loud loquacious way with alot of genuine insight and substance that made him relevant. He’s actually this generations Howard Cosell, who was hired because he was annoying and didn’t even know it. I believe Roone Arledge was the man that unleashed him. Cosell ruffled feathers and had his own way of keeping it real. The guy that also made him was the great Ali, who loved bantering with Cosell and it was great entertainment. The most famous man/athlete in the world and the annoying pest who would root/support for Ali and question him in the innocent days of no social media and barely any cable. I still remember Cosell being all doom and gloom, afraid for Ali’s life before the Foreman fight.

I loved Cosell! He was the best!

Tidbit:
I was covering a Cowboy Monday Night game years ago and got a chance to see 3 of the best to ever do it (Summeral will always be my fave)

Dandy Don, Frank and Howard.

What most people don't know is that Howard used to do those renowned half time highlights without script. He went into the booth and ad-libbed the entire sequence!
Amazing!!

I had a response to the Stephen A Vs Bryant Gumbel comparison. I'm editing it to keep from offending SA's fans. To my mind , SA wouldn't = a shitstain on Gumbel's Nikes.Feel free to disagree with my opinion.