Rusty Weiss
Stephen A. Smith unloaded another ridiculous rant on his SiriusXM show, this time taking dead aim at two of America’s most popular pastimes: golf and NASCAR.
While discussing nominees for some “athlete” category, the ESPN loudmouth shot down the idea of including Richard Petty, declaring that simply hopping behind the wheel of a race car doesn’t make you an athlete.
“Come on, man. That don’t count. You driving a car!” Smith began, via Awful Announcing. “I’m being honest. It’s a great sport. But come on, bro. Getting behind the wheel of a car is not the same.”
He went on to clarify that NASCAR is a great sport, but getting behind the wheel—even driving 500 laps at 200 mph—ain’t the same as being a true athlete.
“You can be behind the wheel of a car in your 60s and 70s for crying out loud,” he added.
I contend that Stephen A. Smith could not get behind the wheel of a NASCAR vehicle and get it above 30 mph without wetting his pants.
Stephen A. Smith: Golfers and NASCAR drivers are not athletes https://t.co/2pFmohNtkw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 21, 2026
Stephen A. Smith’s Latest Hot Take: “A NASCAR Driver Is Not an Athlete” — Golfers Get Roasted Too
Smith didn’t stop there. He turned his fire on golfers, too, dismissing the notion that walking 18 holes for four straight days qualifies anyone as an elite physical specimen.
“Just because you gotta walk the course for 18 holes for four days, that don’t make you an athlete.”
“They’re skilled players, they’re elite at what they do. But athletes? Athletes? Are you kidding me?” Smith added. “Is walking the latest sport that you want to turn into an Olympic sport? Because I guess that would make them athletic, right? Because they can walk.”
“If you’re out there doing stuff that grandmas and grandpas can do, I’m not gonna look at you that way. You’re skilled, you’re phenomenally skilled as a golfer…but that is not an athletic sport,” he insisted.
The take predictably lit up social media, with NASCAR and golf fans firing back that Smith doesn’t understand the extreme physical and mental demands of either discipline—G-forces that punish drivers’ bodies or the precision and endurance required in golf.
“Stephen A Smith has had some bad takes over the years, and the one he had recently about NASCAR drivers not being Athletes is another one of those bad takes. I’d like to see him drive a Stock Car in a firesuit for over 3 hours and see how he feels after that,” one fan fired back.
Smith did carve out one exception to his hot take, apparently giving Tiger Woods a pass, but for everyone else? Hard pass.
