Stephen A. Smith Tries Out Political Talk - Here's How It Went
Stephen A. Smith got a taste of the political talk world last night when he appeared as a guest panelist on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation program throughout the Presidential Debate.
Smith was joined by comedian Adam Carolla as the three men broke down President Biden vs Donald Trump's debate tactics and performance.
"How do you feel about the fact that there's a debate taking place tonight? Do you believe it was necessary, do you believe it was the right thing for the incumbent to do?" Smith asked California Governor Gavin Newsom prior to the debate.
STEPHEN A. SMITH APPEARED ON NEWSNATION
Coincidentally, Stephen A.'s appearance came just days after hinting at spreading his talents beyond sports and into the world of political talk.
"I’m open to all the possibilities," the longtime ESPN host told The Rich Eisen Show. "I don’t limit myself. I could say one thing, but if a better opportunity presents itself, I’m certainly going to entertain it," Smith began.
"I’m also not married to just sports. I’m a huge fan of Bill Maher … Real Time with Bill Maher. I’m a huge fan of John Oliver, I was a huge fan of The Daily Show, first with Jon Stewart, then obviously with Trevor Noah. … Imagining myself in front of a live, studio audience is something that’s incredibly, incredibly appealing to me… if an opportunity presented itself to do that on a weekly basis, it’s certainly something I would entertain, whether it’s in the sports stratosphere or the political stratosphere, because I like talking politics, I like talking about some of the political issues that are percolating … in our society."
WILL DELVING INTO POLITICS HURT STEPHEN A'S BRAND?
Stephen A. is currently in contract negotiations as his ESPN deal is set to expire next year. According to Puck News, Smith recently turned down a new $90 million, five-year offer.
Although the sports world does have its share of politics intertwined in it - race, sex, economics, etc… politics is a hell of a beast as at least 50% of the country will automatically hate what you have to say. Smith learned this first hand last night when he ripped President Biden's debate performance. Although his take wasn't anything radical - as many other prominent Democrats echoed similar sentiments, Smith risks continuing to alienate his fan base.
Whether it's Republicans turning against him, or as the comment section on his latest tweet showed - even Democrats starting to become angry with his takes, SAS is going to find out sooner than later that he won't be able to please everyone.
We'll see if he's alright with that and perhaps more importantly, if ESPN tries to have him tone down the political rhetoric or if they use it as negotiating leverage against him in an attempt to show his influence and audience has turned on him.
THOUGHTS ON STEPHEN A. SMITH GOING INTO POLITICS? TWEET ME: @TheGunzShow