ESPN Has Telling Response To Stephen A. Smith Complaints

Stephen A. Smith might be the face of ESPN, but viewers are apparently losing patience with him. 

In just the past month alone, countless people have complained about Smith's antics. Things really took a turn for the worse when he got caught playing solitaire during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead of apologizing, he made excuses online. A few days later, he received backlash for yelling way too much during ESPN's coverage for Game 7. 

Leading up to this week's NBA Draft, OutKick contributor Dan Dakich didn't hold back his thoughts of Smith.

"The best in the draft was always Fran Fraschilla, but Fran Fraschilla is a middle aged white guy. Fran Fraschilla doesn't yell, scream, rant and rave and act like an idiot. He knows every foreign player. Seth Greenberg on radio knows every current player. But you can't do it because, well, you gotta have some brothers," Dakich said. "You got to have loud, you got to have stupid. And, oh, by the way, they're paying the dude 20million a year, which is the dumbest deal in the history of television. I still say this. Can anybody show me where First Take is the highest rated show in the morning like Smith claims? Can anybody show me where Stephen A. Smith makes the money back that he's being paid, anybody? You can't, there's no chance."

Awful Announcing's Matt Yoder, meanwhile, argued that America is tired of constantly hearing Smith's rants on TV.

"Stephen A. Smith has been a ubiquitous presence for a long time, but it has reached overdrive in 2025. The man is everywhere, and his presence is only growing. He now has a hand in ESPN’s daytime programming, SiriusXM radio, podcasting, politics, and acting," Yoder wrote.

"However, it seems that SAS is especially empowered now that he is ESPN’s $100 million man, and he simultaneously has the freedom and power to pursue any other venture he wants. And that’s a compliment to his work ethic. No man in sports, media, politics, entertainment, or any other industry probably works longer hours than Stephen A. The man just doesn’t stop. And that’s part of the problem.