Here’s a test: I want you to log in to Youtube and find First Take videos, go to their landing page, and drink every time Stephen A Smith criticizes Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving.

You’ll be drunk before the morning ends.

Let me do something Stephen A. does before unleashing his trademark, passionate monologue about any athlete. He deserves his flowers.  Stephen A. started as a beat writer in Philadelphia, covering the Allen Iverson era before getting a chance on ESPN. Skip Bayless approached him during the Cold Pizza era and propositioned him to do the show. He has become a household name in terms of sports coverage, so much so that ESPN gave him his very own show, Stephen A’s World, during the primetime hour of 6:00 P.M. At this point in his career, his star power is undeniable.

So why is he losing me?

Let me lay this out for you: It’s all about his rhetoric regarding white athletes versus black athletes. He feels too critical of black athletes while being far too lenient on white athletes in my opinion, and it makes me ponder his allegiances and motivations. He seems to have unbalanced, biased views on white athletes compared to black athletes.  He also seems to have opinions that demean athletes of color while giving the benefit of the doubt to white athletes and people associated with sports.

The most recent incident that made me raise an eyebrow is the Jack Del Rio incident.  While at a press conference, Coach Del Rio, the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, compared the protests following the murder of George Floyd to the capitol riots, calling the latter “a dustup” compared to the BLM “riots” that took place.

Jack Del Rio Calls Jan. 6th "Dust Up"

Was the coach uninformed? Sure. 

Wilfully uninformed? That would be harder to prove, but based on the sheer media coverage of all events mentioned and his comparison of them, I would personally lean towards yes.

Here’s my issue with this: Stephen A. had the gall to sit on his show, First Take, and say a myriad of points to Ryan Clark. It all boiled down to being gracious enough to respect Del Rio’s position and attempt to educate him regarding his level of ignorance on these matters because he’s white.  

Why is it that we as black people have to take time to educate white people to decrease their level of ignorance, instead of them using their exceptional resources to figure out why their tweets and opinions are half-baked at best? Stephen A. is correct in that it is better to understand any man or woman’s position overtly, especially regarding race and ethnicity and the hardships black people experience. Still, he doesn’t seem to realize that there is no educating Jack Del Rio on the “plight” of black people and what we go through. He knew the similarities and differences regarding the BLM Protests and the Jan. 6th Insurrection and decided to downplay one to elevate the other. To paraphrase Bomani Jones, Stephen A. is providing Del Rio with the benefit of the doubt that history suggests he doesn’t deserve. 

Or, take his response to Aaron Rodgers lying to everyone about the COVID vaccine, intentionally misleading everyone to believe he was “immunized” when he had not taken the optional vaccine but masqueraded as if he did.  He blatantly broke the rules and put other people in harm’s way with no regard for how others felt about the pandemic or the vaccine.  It was incredibly selfish and disrespectful, so you would be correct in assuming that Stephen A. would go on air and scream at the top of his lungs about what Aaron Rodgers had just done, right?

Watch the Aaron Rodgers video and judge for yourself.

Not much vitriol, as he would put it.  Compare these responses to what he recently said about Kyrie Irving and his contract talks with the Nets (See the video to the right).  Notice the elevated tone and the language he uses, specifically the name-calling he engages in. I am not suggesting that Stephen A. engage in name-calling or implying that anyone is “one step from the cuckoo’s nest.” But the venom he spews at players like Kyrie Irving is NOT what he does for white people, whether it be coaches or athletes. 

Why is that?

In the video where he debates Max regarding the validity of the waiver presented to Kaepernick, do you see how riled up he gets?  It’s hard to ignore the level of expressive language and gestures he puts forth to convey his message, even engaging in a power trip on air towards a black man who was just debating the points.  There was no need for Stephen A to speak about how TO got on the show; or that he needed to listen to topics because he brought T.O. on.  Just make your case without the backhanded language, please.

Why do his friends and colleagues come on HIS show and question his commitment to the black community?

All of this was just to prove my point.  Stephen A. Smith claims to have a long and highlighted history of Black advocacy that is well documented and readily findable. I, however, would disagree because of this one point that I thought of while watching him bash Kyrie AGAIN.  Stephen A. Smith routinely has his “close friends” and people who would know of his exploits and endeavors more than the general public since they are privy to more of his personal life than the general population. Why do his friends and colleagues come on HIS show and question his commitment to the black community? Suppose anyone should be praising and expounding on Stephen A’s accomplishments in the black community; it should be his friends. Still, everyone seems to question his passion and support compared to his rhetoric surrounding white athletes.  Even from their point of view, takes from Stephen A. are worthy of the challenge, even though Stephen A. says his reputation precedes itself.  Part of his reputation does precede him. The loud, boisterous, maniacal yelling that he often engages in certainly qualifies as his reputation, as does the near-constant questioning of his motives regarding criticizing Black athletes.

I am not saying that he NEVER stands up for the rights of black people and athletes because that would be ignorant to say, seeing as there are clips on YouTube and other outlets showing otherwise.  I am so not saying that at no point can he criticize a black athlete or person in or out of sports.  All I am saying is the bias with which he operates, the inequality that he oozes whenever Stephen A. does a Kyrie rant versus a soft-spoken diatribe that occurs whenever he broaches an issue with a white athlete or person is off-putting to my sensibilities.

Stephen A. Smith is probably still yelling. As long as he is ranting about black players and coaches and speaking calmly about white players and coaches, I won’t be listening.