Cowboys 'Hater' Stephen A. Compares Himself to Mahomes

FRISCO - They are wealthy and high-profile and involved in sports.

So ... Stephen A. Smith and Patrick Mahomes are essentially the same guy.

Right? Right?

There are certainly sports fans who are "annoyed'' by Mahomes' excellence as the leader of the Kansas City Chiefs. Some term this version of "sports hate'' to be "Chiefs Fatigue,'' and we get that.

There are fans and media members who espouse the conspiracy that they are "helped" by referees. Or that they are lucky. Or that the constant attention given Travis Kelce's sweetheart Taylor Swift is the last straw to being anti-Chiefs.

If you are a Dallas Cowboys fan, you understand the phenomenon, as no team is more popular - and at the same time more despised - than Jerry Jones' above-the-fold "America's Team.''

But as the Chiefs prepare for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans, there is a new reason being suggested for why KC is now disliked in some circles.

Via First Take on ESPN. ... 

People hate Patrick Mahomes because he's ... just like Stephen A. Smith?

In a roundtable discussion about why the Chiefs are suddenly considering "villains" analyst Louis Riddick - who played the game and has worked in the front offices of NFL teams and should therefore being the guy answering these questions - instead posed the topic.

Riddick asked "Why are they annoying?'' and "Why is Mahomes annoying?''

And it set up Stephen A. to go into full cartoon-character mode.

"Listen, I would know something about that. I'm considered one of the most annoying people in television. April marks 13 consecutive years at No. 1, baby!'' This is what I do. So keep on hating, because I'm going to keep on winning!''

Stephen A. as a self-aggrandizing blowhard caricature? We're not shocked.

But this is always something we're going to find bothersome about the way ESPN now does its business. The discussion was about the Chiefs. And the Super Bowl. And Patrick Mahomes. The panelists included Riddick and another former NFL player, Dan Orlovsky.

There was an opportunity for The World-Wide Leader to offer insight into the real world of the NFL, its pressures and rewards.

And instead, Smith - maybe not especially interested or educated about the storylines of Mahomes and coach Andy Reid and Kelce and Swift - grabbed the network's steering wheel and made the panel discussion about Patrick ...

Into a panel discussion about Stephen.

Was it annoying? Indeed. Was it insightful or thoughtful or even mildly entertaining? Was it "winning''?

It fell far short of all of that ... which marks the major difference between "annoying'' Patrick Mahomes and "annoying'' Stephen A. Smith.