“Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney. Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess. So I’m officially leaving all doors open.”
That’s the sentiment from Stephen A. Smith, the ESPN sports analyst who seemingly is on the air 25 hours a day. And the ubiquitous Smith certainly is right about life being great these days at ESPN/Disney, especially when considering he just signed a $100 million contract despite the company laying off scores of talent who had been with the network for many years.
In recent months, however, the 57-year-old seems to be talking less about why Lebron James’s son Bronny has no business being in the NBA and more about the dysfunction of the Democratic Party and why President Donald Trump is wrong about tariffs and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
Make no mistake: Stephen A., as he is commonly called, is an excellent orator. He commands the screen during every segment. He understands that when taking a position, there is no room for ambiguity. And the more unpredictable and controversial he is, the more headlines he generates. It’s how you eventually get to a $100 million deal during a time of media consolidation and cost-cutting.
On some level, Smith is not unlike the late Howard Cosell, who was a great self-promoter in his own right. Cosell’s commentary also went outside the sports arena, especially during his conversations with Muhammad Ali regarding his opposition to the Vietnam War. At one point in his career, Cosell was voted the most admired and hated man in America, according to a 1978 TV Guide poll.
“I’ve been called arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. And, of course, I am,” Cosell once deadpanned.
Smith can also be called all of these things. He’s also undoubtedly proud of it, as Cosell was. All of that said, why are major news outlets interviewing him seriously as a presidential contender with the 2028 election more than 1,300 days away? Four NBA and NHL champions will be crowned before one vote is cast in the general election, yet here’s ABC News touting a “SUNDAY EXCLUSIVE” interview with one of its own employees as if it just landed one with a world leader.
It’s not surprising, of course, that Jonathan Karl conducted this “interview,” which more resembled a rhetorical hot stone massage than anything else. Karl, a former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, has written no fewer three books on Trump, all negative, with titles including Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party and Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show (in which the premise was that Trump’s prospects of a second act presidency following his 2020 defeat was impossible).
Now, does this mean Smith doesn’t have a right to a political opinion and shouldn’t be interviewed outside of a sports conversation? Of course not. But talking about a presidential run after Trump has been back in office for barely nine weeks? This is truly unserious stuff. And it should also be noted that Karl didn’t bother to provide a disclaimer to his audience that Smith is a co-worker.
Nevertheless, the question remains: Can a guy with zero executive experience, almost no business experience, and no political experience win the Democratic nomination? Smith has worked solely as a writer, radio host, and TV sports analyst since graduating from college in 1991. What does he know about the economy, inflation, trade, energy, immigration, education, or foreign policy?
Steve Bannon, a staunch supporter of Trump and one-time chief strategist for the president during his first term, told HBO’s Bill Maher that he believes Smith has a legitimate shot at winning the nomination despite all of these shortcomings. Bannon also believes Trump will figure out a way to run for a third term despite being term-limited.
“Is there any Democrat who scares you that [Trump] could be running against?” Maher asked.
“You’re going to have to run someone like a Stephen A. Smith or someone in the celebrity category. But I think [Trump’s] unbeatable,” Bannon replied.
But would Democrats allow Smith to be their nominee? From what we’ve seen over the past three candidates to capture the nomination, the process feels more like a fixed fight.
In 2016, the party made absolutely sure Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) didn’t sniff that nomination per WikiLeaks dumps that were so damaging to the Democratic National Committee that its chairwoman at the time, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), was forced to resign during the Democratic National Convention.
In 2020, then-candidate Joe Biden had finished fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire before party power brokers decided to persuade Pete Buttigieg, who won Iowa, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who both easily beat Biden in New Hampshire, to bow out of the race. Biden, with basically just Sanders left to run against, ran away with Super Tuesday before cruising to the nomination despite already clearly missing a step or three mentally.
In 2024, Biden was shoved aside by the likes of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and his old boss, former President Barack Obama, after a horrific June 2024 debate performance with polls showing he could not win against Trump. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris, without one vote from any voter, was installed as the nominee instead.
In the end, if somehow Smith is able to ride a media wave to threaten the establishment, he’ll get the same treatment as Sanders. Party elders, knowing they wouldn’t be able to control him, will do everything to ensure he doesn’t get across the finish line. That’s for certain.
As for his chances, a recent poll by Echelon Insights shows Harris once again being the top choice for Democrats with 28% support. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), after a 25-hour filibuster about nothing, has surged to second place with 11%.
As for Smith, he is being trounced by Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), the congresswoman who recently mocked paralyzed Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) for being in a wheelchair, with 3% support. Jon Stewart, another celebrity, also gets three times the support as Smith.
But winning may not be the point. We saw a similar stunt with Howard Stern when he declared he was running for New York governor in March 1994. But after months of free publicity while insisting he was completely serious about winning, Stern suddenly dropped out of the race in August after he refused to file his personal finance disclosures.
“I spend 25 hours a week telling you all the most intimate details of my life. One fact I’ve never revealed is how much I make and how much money I have,” Stern said after he dropped out. “It’s none of your business.”
Years later, Stern demanded that Trump release his tax returns in the name of transparency. Uh-huh. And if it wasn’t his personal finances, it would have been some other excuse from Stern. He got the publicity he wanted and got all of it before he actually had to do the work to get elected.
After Trump won the 2016 election, some political pundits wondered if Democrats had the kind of star power to dethrone him in 2020. So they turned to media darling Michael Avenatti, a patently cheesy and corrupt lawyer representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her legal case against Trump. Here’s a stat: Avenatti appeared more than 100 times in the span of two months on CNN and MSNBC alone.
“Looking ahead to 2020, one of the reasons why I’m taking you seriously as a contender is because of your presence on cable news,” CNN’s Brian Stelter explained to Avenatti in 2018.
Avenatti never ended up running. But he did end up being president … of his cell block in federal prison after being found guilty of fraud.
As for Stephen A. Smith, he’ll get the same treatment as Avenatti. We’re seeing it already. But don’t expect him to leave ESPN and that fat contract to actually campaign or meet with donors.
This is all for show. It’s all for clicks, and it’s for branding. And instead of our media dismissing this candidacy for the obvious stunt that it is, many are going to attempt to prop Smith up because, since he’s provocative, he’s good for ratings.
Apparently, that’s all it takes to be a contender for the highest office in the land in 2025.
