Sports Fans In Agreement On Stephen A. Smith’s Biggest ‘Problem’ originally appeared on The Spun.
Sports fans are in agreement on the biggest problem with Stephen A. Smith – and others like him in sports media.
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Smith is undoubtedly the face of ESPN in 2025. He likely makes more money than many of the athletes that he covers. He might be more popular than some of them, too. And therein lies the problem.
The face of ESPN wants to be the story, more than he wants to talk about the story. Smith, channeling his inner Andy Bernard, clearly loves the drama. He loves it when athletes mention his name, whether it’s positive or negative.
Outlets are treating him like a player at the NBA Finals, after all.
Smith made headlines this week for his comments on the city of Memphis. Smith argued that Memphis is one of the most unsafe cities in the country. He claims that there are NBA players who don’t want to play for the Grizzlies as a result.
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“It’s moving in the right direction, but it’s still recognized as one of the worst cities in America. To the point where the head of the FBI has called it ‘the murder capital of this country’ per capita. That’s on the record,” Smith said.
Smith, unsurprisingly, is taking heat for his comments. But many argue that there is actually a bigger problem. And it’s that Smith likes to be the story too much.
“Smith wants to be the story all the time and people take the bait, making him more of the story. It’s tiresome,” one fan wrote.
“Desperate for relevance at anyone’s expense,” one fan added.
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“Gearing up for his run at republican presidential nominee,” one fan added.
“Yes, Memphis is a bad city, we all know this. But it shouldn’t be talked about on First Take,” one fan added.
“Man wants to be a politician instead of an analyst. ESPN needs to move on man,” one fan added.
Stephen A. Smith prior to the Phoenix Suns against the Milwaukee Bucks in game three of the 2021 NBA Finals.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
What do you make of the latest controversy involving Stephen A. Smith?
Sports Fans In Agreement On Stephen A. Smith’s Biggest ‘Problem’ first appeared on The Spun on Jun 18, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.