➡ Stephen A Smith, a popular sports commentator, has been criticized for focusing more on his personal achievements than on the sports news he’s supposed to cover. Despite this, he’s defended for his self-promotion, which is seen as a key part of his success. Critics argue that he’s become the story instead of covering it, but supporters point out that his visibility and self-marketing have helped him secure lucrative deals, similar to how athletes secure endorsements. The debate also touches on whether only professional athletes should comment on sports, with some arguing that experience isn’t necessary to have valid opinions.
➡ The text discusses the importance of respecting all perspectives in sports commentary, regardless of whether the commentator has played the sport professionally or not. It argues that everyone has the right to share their opinion, especially if the audience is interested. The text also highlights the role of entertainment in sports commentary and debates the idea that only those who have played a sport professionally can provide valid commentary. It concludes by urging commentators to be mindful of their limitations and to avoid demeaning others.
➡ The speaker shares a personal experience of tackling a larger opponent in football, despite injuries. He then discusses the importance of everyone’s right to express their opinions about the game, regardless of their experience. He emphasizes that the audience, not former players or experts, ultimately decides the value of these opinions. He also mentions some resentment towards sports commentator Stephen A. Smith.

Keep it a push and we got to talk about probably the funniest news of the day. Stephen A Smith going back and forth with the New Orleans Pelicans organization. He had a lot to say today. I’ll just let you guys listen. This was after he went at Zion for being overweight. I’m at the top of the heap in this profession and getting paid for it by the way. And by the way, my popularity is more than anybody you got on your team outside of Zion Williamson. Again, not throwing any shade on the players. Just give me your facts.

Why am I bringing all of these things up, New Orleans Pelicans? Because you can’t about you. We are approaching the tail end of the season. We are in the month of March. Nearly 65 games have been played and you’re still searching for your 20th victory. Y’all. Can we stop? What do the two things have to do with each other? All right. Look, prize picks is America’s number one sports picks app and it’s the easiest way to win cash while you’re watching. And getting rich way too late in life because now Stephen A Smith, I feel like is trying to live out his 20 year old dreams as a 58 year old, whether it’s the overly exhaustive pictures getting on the private jet, whether it’s the stadium entrances, like why are we consistently? It’s one thing if you got to read somebody Miranda writes on occasion, consistently talking about how much money you make and consistently talking about being at the top of your profession.

Like Stephen A has main character syndrome to the highest degree. Now to Stephen A’s credit, Stephen A is at the top of the profession. First take is killing every other show, including my former show at the same time side. So I know just how talented Stephen A is firsthand, but there comes a point where it’s like, bro, your job is to report on the athletes, report on the news. Your job is not to beat a news. And that’s my only thing with Stephen A is like, he’s consistently become the story as opposed to covering the story.

And back in the day, that’s one of the reasons why Stephen A became one of the highest paid or the I’m going to rephrase that. Let me put some respect on Stephen A’s name because, um, you know, is one thing for me to criticize his political opinion, but it’s another thing for me to actually, um, criticize how he got there. And Stephen A has been at the top for so long. And one of the ways that he was able to leverage himself and his name and his visibility and his likeness to get a huge bag to get that a hundred million plus is he was able to market himself marketing yourself is exactly why people book Stephen A people got them on interviews.

People want them to do this. People want them to do that. Isn’t that what football players do? Isn’t that how they get their endorsements? Isn’t that how they get their bag? Isn’t that how they sell tickets? Isn’t that how they sell jerseys? Isn’t that how they leverage being able to run up a bag in the NFL and outside of the NFL with endorsements and things like that? Isn’t that what you supposed to do as an entertainer? You make yourself irreplaceable. Isn’t that what Shannon Sharp did? He made a name for himself outside of it.

He’s, he’s promoting everything about Stephen A. Isn’t that how Stephen A was able to sell his book? Is that he got visibility by promoting himself? Honestly, this looks like, hey, this looks like, hey, this looks like, and I’m just trying to be as objective as possible because I don’t necessarily have, I don’t have anything against anybody. If anybody, if anything, I actually criticized Stephen A’s takes, right? His perspective when it comes to political subjects, I think that he’s wishy washy. He is on both sides of the fence. All it is, but this comes off as hate.

This is pure hate. And you know how you know that people, maybe we should rename this stream to why so much hate or something like that. Instead of the body guard, why so much hate? You know, you know, the thing about it is that you know how you know when somebody is hating or when they about to hate, is they try to preface it by giving you a compliment before they start to criticize you. They’ll say something like, and you know, I think he’s great at what he does and this and that and so on and so forth, whatever, and then they start saying, oh, they start being getting personal.

They don’t speak on the actual issue. They speak on you as a person. You know what? He might’ve got rich too late in life. Nigga, the goal, first of all, Stephen A had money for a long time. He just got a hundred embed. That’s the big difference. The goal is to get rich. That’s the whole reason why you niggas got a podcast. That’s the whole reason why you play football. If it was no money in football, I’d venture to say that the majority of the people that’s in the NFL would never even have suited up and put on a helmet.

I don’t care if you get rich when you 70 or when you seven. The goal is to get rich. I don’t see these niggas doing a podcast, uh, doing a faceless podcast. I see them doing their podcast to get visibility and it’s going to say, I am Emmanuel ultra. I’m just, I’m just trying to understand where, what the fuck is going on out here? Okay. Is the goal not to make money, whether you talking about it or you playing the ball or you producing it or whatever, the goal is to get rich. Somebody said, and so I took that personal because he got rich later in life.

Well, if, if getting rich in your thirties is getting rich later in life, I take it. I’m only 43. I’m only four. I retired at 37. I retired from corporate America at 37. Listen, let’s assume for the sake of conversation that you write when you going to get rich in life. Because I would like for you to get rich too. Like you still later in life and you ain’t got rich yet. So that’s what I’m trying to understand. Like how you going to hate from outside of the club? You’re not even in the rich club.

If I got there at 50, if I got there at 60, I got there, but I retired at 37, 37. I retired from corporate America. If getting rich and most people don’t hit the peak of their earning career today in their late fifties, early sixties, I’m not really sure if that’s a, are you trying to say that that’s not the goal is to get rich because you, because you watching. Yeah. How you going to rich shaming nigga? So you rich shaming. I thought I’ve seen it all, but somebody rich shaming, like they was, like they rich, like they already rich too.

Yeah. And so I take that personal cause he got rich later in life. I don’t know anybody that got rich in their twenties personally, not personally that I know. I know I’m on TV. I’ve seen them playing basketballs and catching a basketball. I don’t know any person in life, not one person in life that got rich before they was close to 50. Let me hear some more of what they got to say used to just cover the story. And now every day he’s become the story. So I just, that was my issue with it.

He could have given that whole take without giving that portion of the tape. One, I watched first take a few times a week, catch about 30 minutes of it. I didn’t see. All right. Let me back up for a minute. You and Cam Newton have an interesting thing to get to Cam Newton put out a video earlier today saying that you can’t play that card. I’ll let you guys take a listen to what he had to say. They made it personal and not even a often does in the sake and in the name of entertainment, he made it personal.

But the other problem is like people get on me. I told your career, this your career that year and I hear them, but like what was hard for me is people who literally didn’t make it to the league pause right there. Peggy, my good brother. What does that mean? Somebody that didn’t make it to the league? What makes, okay. So let me say this also, because I’m tired of hearing this also. What makes people, what makes these athletes that are now podcasters that are in the room and trying to get to the level that Steven A is at, what makes athletes think that nobody can talk about sports or anything else, for that matter, because they didn’t play professionally.

Okay. So then that would mean that you shouldn’t be able to talk about marriage or have an opinion because all of these podcasts have conversations, including the speak easy podcast about marriage. If you’ve never been married, maybe these niggas shouldn’t even be on a podcast because y’all niggas are sports players, right? Steven A, for the sake of conversation, let’s just, let’s just give these niggas a flower. Steven A, Skip Bayless, all of them. They paved the way for these guys to even be sitting on a platform, giving their opinion, whether it was on Fox Sports or if it’s on YouTube.

News flash. Anybody can have a conversation about anything and give their opinion, especially if the audience wants to see it. All views matter. All perspectives matter because whether you sports, sports, commentating, whatever it is, live streaming or whatever, it’s all entertainment. It’s all entertainment. And if that’s the case, then I need for every last one of these, these sports niggas, because hold on, hold on. Who is these niggas? That’s don’t speak easy. Did all of them play in the NFL? Hold on, hold on. Give me a second. Let me, see something real quick.

Keeping it moving forward. We got to talk. What was so you telling me that the guy on the left and the guy on the far right, both of them actually played in the NFL or do they then no longer have the ability to be able to say and have a sports take are the only people that are able to have a sports take the people that played it. Because if it’s only the people that played in the NFL, then that means you need to kick off the guy on the left and the guy on the right.

If I’m not mistaken, I could be wrong. If Emmanuel Ocho have people on his platform that don’t eat, that never played, but they have the opinion. Is that not hypocritical in the pot calling the kettle black? Interesting. Let me get back to the clap that you and Cam Newton have an interest. He made it personal, but the other problem is like people get on me. I told your career, this your career that you’re and I hear them, but like what was hard for me is people who literally didn’t make it to the league.

Can you pause right there, Peggy? My good brother in content. Mr. Emmanuel, times have changed and trust me, I have changed with those times. Now, given that we have these illustrious platforms to talk our opinions, be it that it may you can’t just listen to only the people who play this said game. So when you have ridicule or you critique Steven A. Smith for not playing and then you talk about Steve Bayless for not playing, I will call your co-host. He didn’t play. So you don’t listen to him and he just had a viral clip or come on.

Come on. Come on. Come on. Cook cam, cook cam, cook cam. Clip with a strong message. Steven A. Keir and Hickey, simple. That’s his call. And just to say that, I definitely don’t like this. I don’t agree with it. I don’t respect that. Let me cook, let me cook, let me cook, let me cook. Oh, all right. Look, prize picks is when your take becomes damning, belittling or demeaning. That’s when it’s like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Particularly the nature of the take. When you make it personal. Yeah. Like I don’t have an issue with somebody not playing, right? I didn’t play it.

Come on, man. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on, bro. Hold on. Yeah. Like I don’t have an issue with somebody not playing, right? I didn’t play it. Boy, I played at the highest level, but I didn’t play at the highest level of the highest level. So like, I got an issue with, please give your takes if you didn’t play in the chat. We love y’all’s takes. But like, you can be like, man, like this dude don’t even know what it takes to be great. Why can’t he? So wait a minute. You just said that your problem with him is that he didn’t play.

Now you’re trying to clean it up after Cam Newton, who was much more successful, obviously. When Cam Newton didn’t say, nah, nah, nah, nah, he was off on that. Now you’re saying, wait a minute, but it’s, it’s how and what you say when you say get the fuck out of here, bro. This is all fake, bro. This is all cap. This is all cap. You know, hard it is to make it to the league, any league, any league, tennis, track, uh, MLS, like any league. So when you see people saying like, yo, man, like this dude is a complete bomb.

He don’t know what it takes. He ain’t got the heart. The T I was thinking, I was talking to my friend about this the other day. The reason I always brag about going to private school and all that other stuff is because I’m not insecure. I know with push comes to shove, I have to run through six, three, 335 pound men’s face mask and I did it. So I don’t need to act tough. When push comes to shove, I know I am tough. What is this? You feel me? So because I did it, I actually know what it takes to do it.

I also know what it takes to have limitations and not being able to do it. That’s why I actually can critique when dudes don’t get it done. Cause I’m like, ah, that’s seven car, uh, seven cut from the slot. That’s harder to guard than you think. I got beat on it a lot. And so my issue was in response to what Steven A was. Yeah, but here’s the thing. You never actually made it to the NBA. So it’s fair assessment to say that, yep, you was able to figure out what that looks like inside of football, but maybe you don’t know what it takes in order to succeed.

And then be like, anybody can sit there and pick apart anybody’s argument when it comes to whether you are qualified or not qualified to criticize Gilbert arenas and Gilbert arenas hasn’t done this to my knowledge, but I’m just using this as an example, because Gilbert arenas is one of the, you know, visible former NBA players that have a huge platform that gives us opinion. Gilbert arenas can sit there and say, why are you niggas sitting there talking about the NBA and basketball? Why do y’all call her all sports? You should only be covering, uh, covering football.

Cause y’all don’t know what it takes to actually get through and make it in the NBA. All sports are not built the same. Okay. Why can’t he say that? Why can’t he say that anybody can pick apart anybody’s perspectives. But the reality is that people want to hear what Stephen A has to say, like them, love them. Don’t like them. Don’t like his political takes. Love his political takes. Like him on ESPN, like him on first take, not like him on first take. The reality is this is personal for him. And maybe it’s personal because Stephen A is kicking his ass in the arena where it matters because ESPN absolutely shut down Fox Sports or at least they show on Fox Sports and Stephen A just absolutely whooped his ass in the arena where Stephen A is better than him.

And I don’t dislike or like Ocho because, or Ocho because I don’t necessarily watch speak easy. How they came into my sphere, how I even really discovered him was because of joy. That the chick that filed the lawsuit and then they put his name inside of the lawsuit right along with Skip Bayless. The chick that filed the lawsuit on Joy Taylor. That’s the only reason I really started to discover they show on Fox. So then I’m like, who is this Emmanuel Ocho guy, Joy Taylor. And so that’s when he started to come into my sphere.

So I don’t know much about him, so I’m not speaking on him personally, but this clearly, clearly sounds like saying about Zion. Not that Stephen A was saying anything about Zion. If you’re in play, give your take, but you’ve just got to be mindful of like, bro, you don’t even have the competency of what it takes to achieve at that level or to get to that level in achievement. So you don’t even know what you don’t know. And so that’s really my tension. If you’ve never played at all, please give your takes, but just be mindful of where to draw the line and giving your takes.

That’s why whenever Shady’s like, Ocho, watch how you talk about. So I’m like, you know what? You’re right. I was never in all pro, let alone a perennial. So I always defer to Shady when we have these conversations like, you know what? I know what it takes to make it to the league. I had a couple of games where I actually played at a high level or as a special team or I genuinely played at a high level consistently. So if you didn’t ever play, I’m just like, ah, just be mindful how much you demean when you truly like, bro, my coach, I was tackling Peyton Hillis in the open field.

You remember Peyton Hillis? Peyton Hillis catches the open field. Peyton Hillis catches a check down. I’m 12 yards away. Hardest thing to do in football, make an open field tackle, especially versus 6’2″, 235 pound corn fair white boy. I’m running towards him. He run towards me. He looks me in my eye. Boom, boom, I go low, boom. Hit him in the kneecap. He twirls, twirls, twirls. Jenkins makes the tackle. My coach, Ocho, square him up, run through him. Coach, you run through him. Because you don’t know what running through Peyton Hillis feels like.

This is Rick Minter. Rick Minter, he’s the father of Jesse Minter, Jesse Minter, current head coach. Yeah, Rick Minter was my linebacker coach and Philly. Ocho, run through him. Man, coach, I got a parsley torn MCL and a torn groin. I’m just glad I got them down. You feel me? So that was my stance on it. If you ain’t played ball, give your take. It’s just be mindful of how much, how much cayenne pep are you putting in the back of that tape? Nah, get the fuck out of here. You can’t tell them police. Nobody.

We live in, we live in the United States of America. We live in the United States of America. And if somebody want to give their opinion on what they see, on what they see, they are more than welcome to do so. And guess what? The audience, it’s not you. It’s not former NFL players. It’s not anybody. The people are the ones that determine whether or not you’re right or you’re wrong. The people, the audience, the people that get you paid, they are the ones that determine whether or not you, you can give a take, you’ll take make sense or don’t make sense, or they want to continue to watch you and see you.

Nobody gives a fuck about what you think. And you can’t tone police and tell people what they can and can’t say and how much cayenne pepper and lemon pepper wings that they can put on it, real talk. You can’t. Now he, now he has the freedom to be able to come back and say whatever it is that he want to say and say, nah, you’re wrong. I want to clap back at you, but you can’t tell people what to say. You don’t get to determine what the fuck somebody can say and what they can’t say when they observing and watching the game.

Every single person that observed and watched the game got something to say, whether they got a microphone or not. That’s called being a fan. I never thought, R.L. Howard, I never thought in my life that I would see a bunch of grown men feeling some type of way about the internet or, or somebody on the internet, like a Stephen A. Smith, having a perspective or having an opinion at the highest level about what people are doing on the court. I just think that they hate Stephen A. Smith facts. I just think that they, they hate Stephen A.

Smith. [tr:trw].

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