Stephen A. Smith Could Talk About Hockey 'All Day,' But Only When Other Black Men Are Around
Stephen A. Smith and the rest of the "First Take" panel were discussing the impending Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. What story line do you think he was most excited to talk about?
The Oilers (blue sweaters) and Panthers (white sweaters) will play for the Stanley Cup in Game 7 tonight at 8 p.m. EST. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
It wasn’t about the fact that the Oilers could become just the sixth team in North American sports history to erase a 3–0 deficit in a best-of-7 series. That the Panthers could win their first title in franchise history didn’t pique Smith’s interest that much either.
In fact, nothing about the actual game did.
With his opening remarks of the segment, Smith focused on the fact that three Black men - himself, P.K. Subban and Shannon Sharpe - were having a conversation about hockey.
"You talk about breaking news, look at this thing! Three Black dudes talking hockey! On national television! Only in America baby...Let's do that hockey, all day," Smith emphatically declared.
Stephen A. Smith Has Used Race As A Reason To Not Talk About Hockey In The Past
There’s a running theory among left-wing media outlets that hockey is not diverse enough due to the comparatively low number of black players or team employees in the league. According to a 2022 survey, 83.6 percent of players and team employees were white, compared to 3.71 percent being Black. Predictably, DEI and social justice warriors have looked at these numbers and accused the NHL of not being welcoming to Black players.
You’d think that a guy like Smith - who’s a liberal - would use this as a launching point to discuss that "problem" any chance he got (which isn’t really a problem) and do what he could to advocate for more diversity on a national level.
But on multiple occasions in the past, he’s disregarded hockey entirely on a national level.
In 2018, he told the "First Take" panel that he wouldn’t talk about hockey because he’s Black.
Saying you will completely disrespect a sport because of your skin color is as ridiculous - and racist - as it gets.
Last year, he had a discussion with New York Yankees radio broadcaster Michael Kay about which major sports team from New York City would win a title next. When Kay suggested the Rangers, Smith again said that he doesn't care much about hockey (oh, and that he likes that the puck is black).
Not only is that terrible given that ESPN is in charge of broadcasting many NHL games, but it again shows that his 2018 perspective on hockey hadn’t changed.
Smith's Remarks From Earlier Today Were Subtly Racist
Now we don’t know explicitly why Smith dislikes hockey. Maybe it’s because he has terrible taste in sports, or because he’s looking to create controversy.
But I have an educated guess.
Leftists have long claimed that hockey’s small presence of Black players means that the NHL is not diverse enough. They claim that because the league is predominantly white, the game is not welcoming to Blacks and other minorities.
Smith has never called the NHL racist for a lack of Black players (because it's not). But he has accused NFL franchises of being racist for not hiring black coaches, so he’s never been afraid to play the race card when talking about pro sports.
The only time Smith has been elated to talk about hockey was when he was doing it with an all-Black panel. In an indirect sort of way, he just played the race card.
While he didn’t accuse the NHL of being racist, Smith inferred that the only time he feels comfortable about talking hockey is with the same skin color as him. That further drives home the narrative that hockey is only safe for Black men - on teams or in the studio - when they are with other people who look like them.
Smith’s remarks are subtly problematic to the reputation of the NHL. But then again, he’s never had a problem with spewing slanderous remarks.