Quite Frankly, a Complete Moron

Back in December of 2007, that pillar of American sports journalism and our own generation's Ring Lardner, Stephen A. Smith, gave an interview during which he questioned not only bloggers' ability to provide legitimate commentary, but whether or not they should be allowed to write about sports at all. He opined that, "someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts." It is clear enough that, whatever kind of training it was that Mr. Smith received, the curriculum did not include an English requirement.

Okay, I concede that this piece might be received as piling on Stephen A. After all, the man has recently lost jobs in radio, television and newspaper. (I guess that "mainstream media" just doesn't respect him as much as he does it.)  I'm writing about him because I see him as a great cautionary tale in the absurd feud between "legitimate sports media" and online sports commentators.

It can hardly be disputed that Stephen A. Smith was, at one point, considered a card-carrying member of the mainstream media. After all, the man had a TV and radio show with ESPN as well as a position as general columnist with a large-market newspaper. It was also readily apparent to any well-versed sports fan that he did not know more than they did about the subject he was covering. In fact, he knew much, much less.

The stories of Stevie's appalling lack of "expertise" are innumerable, sometimes stretching into what might be considered urban legend territory. Did he really once say on the air that the Chargers should have kicked a field goal on third down so, if they missed, they could try it again? [Ed. Note: He did.]

Best serving my purpose here is the fawning (sure, why not) interview S.A.S. did with then New York Knicks general manager (and now similarly unemployed), Isiah Thomas in January of 2006. Their conversation turned to sportswriters with no athletic experience or ability and their harsh criticism of the job that Mr. Thomas was doing. In the midst of his rant, Isiah mentioned that if he were to ever meet ESPN.com writer (and patron saint of bloggers world-wide) Bill Simmons on the street, there would be a problem. Stephen A.'s response? "Who?" Are we expected to believe that that Smith's vast store of "expertise" does not extend to his own network's most widely read online columnist and a man referred to in the Costas NOW segment documented in Part I of this site's series as "one of [ESPN's] biggest stars"? At this point, Simmons could hardly be dismissed as just another blogger. He has, in fact, scored high profile interviews with both David Stern and Red Auerbach and become the face of ESPN's online franchise. Smith, who landed his ESPN jobs largely on the strength of his experience as an NBA columnist with the Philadelphia Inquirer had no idea who Simmons was? This leaves one of two explanations; either a.) Smith is a complete idiot, or b.) He was lying. Actually, make that three explanations, I forgot c.) All of the above.

In my opinion, this example gets to the root of the enmity between members of the mainstream media and online writers. The fact that Smith was either unwilling or unable to acknowledge someone with a relevance factor several thousand times his own, and who had, god forbid, emerged from the blogosphere, is a telling indicator as to how these guys think. "They didn't follow the rules that I had to while I was coming up, so they can't possibly be legitimate."

You may be feeling a bit sorry for Stephen A. Smith right about now. After all, it was within the span of a little over twelve months that his TV show "Quite Frankly" was canceled; he lost his radio show and was fired by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Don't weep for our man though. He's found a new forum to get his voice heard. Here it is (drum roll please): The Stephen A. Smith blog! That's right, Stephen A. has parlayed his "expertise" and "training" into a bona-fide blogging gig! It is with complete sincerity that I recommend checking out this site. Nowhere else on the internet will you find the sheer concentration of unintentional comedy that Smith manages to cram into his bi-weekly missives. From his most recent (May 7) post regarding his new-found (cough) "freedom": "it's amazing how one simple moment can serve to remind us of the importance of being able to enjoy the fruits of one's labor. To smell the proverbial roses circulating all around us." [Ed note: If anyone else is familiar with the "circulating roses" proverb, please let me know.]  Touching, isn't it? Oh, but don't bother trying to post a comment letting Steve know how his words have changed your life. Registration was required after a few early posters refused to believe that the site wasn't an elaborate hoax being perpetrated in order to humiliate Mr. Smith. [Ed. note: It's not.]