Stephen A. Smith, Dan Le Batard Feud Over Who Ruined ESPN, Sports Media
Dan Le Batard recently claimed that ESPN's slogan of "embrace debate" ruined sports talk television and radio. He specifically noted that Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith and First Take are the main culprits.
He told Stephen A. Smith that during a late-March appearance.
Smith decided to revive that conversation on his podcast last week.
“Like his ass has been doing accounting," Smith said on The Stephen A. Smith Show, according to Awful Announcing. "Didn’t you have Highly Questionable? Was our daddy on the show with us? That was you … I’m talking about your comfort.
"You was on the show just looking at your father saying hi and giving him a hug and a kiss? You were debating! That’s what you were doing."
Dan Le Batard used that clip during his own show Monday and laughed at it. He said that Smith didn't watch Highly Questionable because if he did, he would know that they didn't debate on the show.
Dan Le Batard blames Stephen A. Smith for the state of ESPN and sports media, but he's the one to blame. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
Le Batard is right about his former ESPN show. That program was not a debate show and that was by design. He constantly paraded his far-left leaning friends Bomani Jones, Sarah Spain, Mina Kimes, Pablo Torre and others -- along with his own father -- onto the set.
Of course there was no debate: all of his "co-hosts" think all the same things that he does. That's the only kind of content that Dan Le Batard creates: completely unchecked far-left political commentary.
Dan Le Batard and Stephen A. Smith go at each other about the state of ESPN and sports media
See, that's why Dan Le Batard hates the direction of sports talk. People can complain that ESPN took "embrace debate" too over-the-top, which it did.
But the general idea was solid, in principle: get people who have opposing viewpoints to challenge each other.
Dan Le Batard doesn't want to hear opposing viewpoints. In his world, he and his far-left cronies are right about everything. Those that disagree are hateful, bigoted, racist, sexist, misogynistic, transphobic jerks not to be heard.
And Stephen A. Smith dropped a bomb on Le Batard that highlights his hypocrisy.
“What I won’t do is constantly lament an employer that was once good enough for me to take money from. That’s BS! It really, really is,” Smith said.
Dan Le Batard and Stephen A Smith blame each other for the downfall of ESPN and sports media but Le Batard is the one more responsible. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
BINGO. Dan Le Batard made millions of dollars off ESPN. And he's a reason that it's failing now.
Le Batard is the one who opened the door on constantly bringing left-wing talking points to ESPN. And, he brought all of his far-left friends to the network.
He constantly promoted all of the race-hustlers (and the newly-formed gender-hustlers) and they destroyed ESPN. All of the people mentioned above are the ones bringing the content down.
Like Stephen A. Smith or not, he draws eyeballs. None of Le Batard's friends do. Bomani Jones just got canceled again. Sarah Spain has never done anything successful in her entire career except sell herself for Super Bowl tickets.
Pable Torre? Mina Kimes? Is anyone tuning into ESPN to hear their thoughts?
No, they aren't.