Stephen A. Smith, and the chronic irresponsibility in political commentary
ESPN’s favorite loudmouth has a new radio show that will focus on politics despite his superficial understanding of the subject.
By Carron J. Phillips
This month, a sports journalist-turned-pundit who has never covered politics or held office—and who has yet to rule out a potential run for president in 2028—plans to interview politicians from both sides of the aisle in his new radio show on SiriusXM.
That’s right: Stephen A. Smith is wading further into the waters of politics—and it’s going to get murky.
“I’m certainly not an aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m a conscientious observer. I care. I’m American,” Smith recently told The Washington Post about why he’s stepping out of his lane. “It’s important that if you feel something, and you have a voice, and you’re passionate about some of these things that don’t seem to make sense to you, that you’re unapologetic and unafraid in addressing it, because I think that’s where most Americans are. Most Americans are not aficionados. They don’t know all the intimacies and intricacies of every single issue. What they do is they’re able to deduce logic and make sense of things that they’re confronted by. And that’s what I pride myself in doing and that’s what I intend to do. I will call both sides out every single show, every single moment I get. I will spare no one. I’m not here for that.”
According to Webster, an aficionado is defined as “a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity.” Given that Smith has described himself and “most Americans” as the antithesis of this when it comes to politics, he’s admitted that this project will be nothing more than the blind leading the blind.
The idea that someone like Smith wants to become more politically involved isn’t the issue here, as we are all too familiar with what happens when voters focus only on presidential elections, rather than the myriad local elections that affect them daily. The problem arises when certain public figures believe that their celebrity status grants them expertise that they do not have.
Though sports are important and embedded in almost every aspect of the American experience, at the end of the day, they’re just games. Making a bad argument on live television because you killed someone off who is still alive or are confused about who someone is is an easy fix. That same grace isn’t given when it comes to flubs about economic policy, international diplomacy, or public safety and health care. Politics, like elections, have real-world consequences.
Thick skin is mandatory in the political landscape. And, given recent examples, Smith hasn’t proved he can take a punch in this arena.
Consider his reaction to a slight jab from former first lady Michelle Obama. “If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it's like watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta,” she said. “I mean, you know, it's the same drama, and they're yelling at each other and they don't get along, you know? I mean, Stephen A Smith, he's just like every other talk show host.”
Smith wasn’t having it. “You said a vote for Trump was a vote against you and a vote against y'all as women,” he said. “I want to stay for the record, I took major offense to that…. Black men don't just love our Black women, we revere y'all.”
In case you hadn’t been following, Smith has a propensity for carrying the water for wealthy white men, be it Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, or President Trump—something he’s done more than once. It’s probably why Obama touched a sore spot.
That level of sensitivity is worrisome. A certain level of indifference is needed towards criticism, particularly if you’re going to be discussing the news of the day, like tariffs, the Epstein files, vaccination mandates, the economy, international disputes, global warming, immigration, and the targeting of majority Black cities with Black mayors by a white occupant of the Oval Office.
When some people can’t grasp that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s antics on social media are an exhibition in satire on how President Donald Trump conducts himself, listening to a self-described “non-aficionado” who deems himself a “centrist” and who is also a “registered independent … who leans left” talk about important matters doesn’t seem like the smartest move, especially when the administration in power is hellbent on dumbing down America as it consistently attacks intellectuals and the highly-educated.
Over the years, Smith has become a household name. His success and work ethic are undeniable. Quite frankly, he’s the most impactful voice in sports commentary. However, his foray into politics will require him to grasp the seriousness of the moment and the considerable impact of his words. This endeavor cannot revolve around viral takes and social media followers; it is about real lives and the future of our country, which are always at stake.
In his conversation with The Washington Post, Smith said, “I didn’t get to where I am by being satisfied.” In the coming weeks and months, we will find out if he means that, and we’ll know it if the yelling and screaming have been replaced with intelligent conversations and nuanced opinions.
Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University.
“The problem arises when certain public figures believe that their celebrity status grants them expertise that they do not have.”
Your description fits Smith to a “T,” and his often angry, frenetic rhetoric is that of sound and fury, very often signifying nothing. Most often.
Corporate America glorifies a religion of counting in search of profit, such that the sounds and the words do not often have to be well argued, or even to make a whole lot of sense.
They just have to be occasionally furious, and loud.
Smith fits a gilded America the greatest entertainment of which is WWF, rage, and violence, with the alcohol-fueled Sunday betting foray into beast ball, AKA football; Smith’s idea of politics is yet another greedy, toxic spectator sport.
Gentle people, place your bets.
Smith reminds me a lot of Bill Maher, another poorly informed guy with a big megaphone who is WAY out of his depth. Tonight, Harvard prof Steven Pinker took him to school about Trump's confrontation with the school, and Maher quickly changed the subject. Both of these guys are dangerous because the don't know what they don't know.