ESPN analyst and popular talking head Stephen A. Smith believes he is better in the media game than sports legends like Peyton Manning and Pat McAfee and feels he deserves to be paid like it.
Without a doubt, ESPN is the biggest company in North America when it comes to sports coverage. The network’s reach on television, radio, and online is unmatched. However, part of the brand’s success is by being more than just a sports coverage outlet and having an element of entertainment to its content. And there is no better example of that than Stephen A. Smith.
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Over the last decade and a half, the New York native has gone from being just a top NBA analyst and reporter to one of the most divisive and opinionated talents on the network. And it has reeled in millions for ESPN in that time. “First Take” is one of the anchors of the brand’s weekly content and Smith is the star of the show. His success has also led to ESPN being more creative with the content they develop for their legion of viewers.
While other former players and long-time reporters are a part of the network’s talent ranks, NFL Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning and former Indianapolis Colts star turned YouTube sensation Pat McAfee have become some of the new top faces for ESPN over the last year, alongside Smith.
Stephen A. Smith: ‘I’ve been number one every week and every month of every year for the last 12 years’
Both are getting paid millions yearly for their respective shows — the Manningcast and Pat McAfee Show — and the network announced on Tuesday that popular comedian and actor Kevin Hart would also have an NBA-related simulcast that will begin next week.
While those three individuals are far more well-known in the mainstream, to Stephen A. Smith that doesn’t matter. He believes he has mastered the game and when asked during a Tuesday conversation with Clay Travis of Outkick if he should be ESPN’s highest-paid talent, Smith did not mince words.
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“Hell, yes. I’ve mastered my own business in the world of sports television,” Smith said. “I’ve been number one for 12 years. April 1st will mark 12 consecutive years I’ve been number one. Not only have I been number one every year, I’ve been number one every week and every month of every year for the last 12 years.
“You don’t get to say that about too many people. I look at whether it’s Pat McAfee, it’s Mike Greenberg, it’s Scott Van Pelt, it’s Troy Aikman, it’s Joe Buck, it’s Kirk Herbstreit. The list goes on and on. I’m so honored to have the colleagues that I have that I work with at ESPN every day. And at the end of the day, it would be nice, one day, for this man to stand before everyone and be like, ‘I’m number one and this says I’m number one.’”
Stephen A. Smith reportedly makes $12 million a year, which is less than what Manning ($15 million) and McAfee ($17 million) make from the network.