Each day, Stephen A. Smith undermines years of solid NBA reporting with WWE-style drama and rhetoric on ESPN’s self-proclaimed sports debate show, First Take.
If you think him threatening Kevin Durant was as low as it could get, then these 13 cases of Stephen A. Smith’s ESPN puppetry are for you.
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Photo: Twitter
Saying Women Provoke Domestic Violence
There was no shortage of hot takes after Ray Rice was caught punching his wife on camera last year, but Stephen A. Smith’s assertion that women shouldn’t provoke domestic violence was by far the dumbest reaction. He was summarily suspended for a week by ESPN after publicly apologizing.
Offering Ryan Clark The Fade On TV
In terms of playing up ignorant, masculine tropes about black men, offering former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark the fade on air ranks pretty high on the list.
His Myopic “Black Athletes” Rant
News flash: athletes of all races and backgrounds get into legal trouble. Despite this indisputable fact, Smith used Plaxico Burress shooting himself as an example to do his best Bill O’Reilly impression and trot out some tired anecdotal evidence about “ignorant black athletes.”
Claiming He Gave A “Sermon”
There was one time when Smith spoke at the Greater Travelers Rest Church in Decatur, Georgia and called his speech a “sermon.” God don’t like ugly.
Threatening Kevin Durant
“You don’t want to make an enemy out of me?” Does Smith think he’s Mr. Biggs from the “Down Low” video? It’s absurd for him to threaten another grown man because yet another one of his NBA predictions might have turned out to be false.
photo: PNP/ WENN.com
Slandering #BlackLivesMatter
It wasn’t on ESPN, but Smith’s neo-Con remarks juxtaposing “black on black crime” with #BlackLivesMatter were rather senseless considering he’s from the “Self Destruction” generation.
Denying Floyd Mayweather’s Documented Abuse
It would be one thing if Smith merely said Mayweather paid his debt to society and deserved a second chance after being arrested on domestic violence charges. But that would undercut his Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress slander. Instead, Smith chose to blatantly ignore the facts laid out in Mayweather’s police report.
Saying “N—a, Please” On Air
Let’s not forget about Stephen A. Smith saying na on air. For someone who clearly jumped on his high horse about the standards black folks should hold themselves to in regards to #BlackLivesMatter, does he think it’s acceptable to drop that phrase on air?
Paraphrasing Reefer Madness
There are all kinds of data to show the decades old argument about marijuana being a gateway drug is false. That’s why so many states have relaxed their laws on the matter. Yet and still, Stephen A. decided to link marijuana consumption to the downfall of society, because why let empty rhetoric get in the way of the facts, right?
Thinking A Piece From The Onion Was Real
No words, bruh. The Onion is a parody for entertainment value and not to be taken as factual reporting. It’s basically like First Take but in written form, but apparently Mr. Smith didn’t get the memo.
Sexist Remarks About The Women’s World Cup
If the reaction to Mayweather and Ray Rice’s domestic abuse didn’t tip you off Stephen A. Smith might be sexist, him saying a goalkeeper missed a goal because she didn’t want to mess up her hair should’ve been a red flag.
photo: PNP/ WENN.com
Another Patented S.A.S. Flare Up
This isn’t the first time Stephen A. Smith got loud for no particularly good reason on ESPN’s airwaves. Remember when he basically told viewers not to watch him after being confronted about his NBA rumors turning up false?
photo: Judy Eddy/WENN.com
Defending Roger Goodell’s Hypocrisy
The firing of Bill Simmons was proof that ESPN will bend over backwards for the NFL. So maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to see Smith defend NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for changing his tune about the Ray Rice suspension when that uncomfortable video footage leaked.
