Why Sports Media Should Be Celebrating Stephen A. Smith Resetting the Market With a New Record Breaking Contract at ESPN

If you expected me today to beat a dead horse and write about the Audacy layoffs again, sorry to disappoint you. I said what I said in last week’s group column, meant every word, and don’t want to discuss it further. Instead, I want to turn my attention to something that should be a positive, Stephen A. Smith earning a record breaking contract from ESPN, which resets the market.

I say that it should be a positive because anytime an individual creates massive success for a long period of time, and receives a large contract that paves the way for other top performers to be paid their worth, others should be thankful. ESPN showed with this deal that it invests in top performers. Smith was also able to retain his digital freedom in addition to grabbing the bag.

But unfortunately, I saw a lot of industry people showcase their jealousy and pettiness last week. The list of DMs, texts and public tweets bitching about Smith getting paid was not surprising though disappointing. Every single one of them missed the larger point.

The more Stephen A. Smith or any accomplished talent makes, the better your chances of earning a better future if you perform. Your company is not reducing your paycheck or eliminating your position if you deliver results at a high level. They’re doing so if what you contribute is considered non-essential or not as valuable as what others provide.

Whether you love Smith or don’t, you know who he is, and what he does because he commands your attention. First Take has been #1 for 13 years with Smith as the key figure. Like it or not, it’s the show that draws the most attention to everything ESPN does. Skip Bayless and Max Kellerman have come and gone, contributors have been changed, and regardless, the show remains on top because Smith is an attraction.

And that’s just First Take.

How many other programs, events, and shoulder programming around big sporting events has Smith been a part of for ESPN over the past 15-20 years? When Smith appears, shows receive greater attention. Even outside the company, look at his appearances on The View, Jimmy Fallon, Cuomo on NewsNation, Fox News, etc.. When Smith shows up, people tune in. As TKO CEO Mark Shapiro said last week at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Stephen A. Smith draws eyeballs.

When Stephen A. wrote his book ‘Straight Shooter‘, people bought it. If he’s asked to appear on a radio show, podcast or speak at a business function, he says yes. You don’t have to love his style or content but his grind deserves respect. His track record of success also warranted higher compensation.

I always expected ESPN and Stephen A. Smith to extend their relationship. He deserved more than Pat McAfee, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, and others. Stephen A. has delivered more audience than McAfee, works more than Buck and Aikman, and is the face of the company. Industry people love the glory days of ESPN and celebrating the impact Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, Stuart Scott, Chris Berman, and Bob Ley had, but over the past 20 years, nobody has been more important to ESPN’s success than Smith.

Negotiations may have been bumpy. But that’s just business. Smart people get over it and understand that they’re better together than apart. It’s why Bob Iger, Jimmy Pitaro, and Stephen A. Smith and his team were able to reach the finish line.

For folks like McAfee, Clay Travis, Shannon Sharpe, Colin Cowherd, Nick Wright, Big Cat, Shaq, Charles Barkley, Dan Le Batard, etc. this is great news. It’s evidence that shows that top companies will still reward top talent for top results. That will come up in future negotiations when individuals look to see how their employers value their contributions. It means less in radio circles, but a similar precedent should exist. The better Mike Felger, Fred Toucher, and Chris Russo get treated, the better that is for Mike Valenti, Boomer & Gio, Jim Rome, and other successful talent.

Smith’s new deal shows that there’s a reward for being at the top of your profession. Furthermore, it suggests that being the best in sports media can be more lucrative than playing or coaching sports. As an industry, we collectively express frustration, anger and disappointment when jobs are lost, but don’t express enough enthusiasm when people in our business get rewarded. That needs to change. When one person wins, it opens the door for the next one to shine.

Jimmy Pitaro has invested in stars since taking the reins at ESPN. It’s a good strategy. In the cluttered media environment we’re in, spending top dollar on people who command attention is smart business. Whether it’s been Stephen A. Smith, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Jason Kelce, Joe Buck & Troy Aikman, Scott Van Pelt or the upcoming partnership with TNT for ‘Inside The NBA’, Pitaro knows top talent and programming produces higher ratings and revenue. That’s a business plan that other media executives would be wise to follow.

Around The Horn

I watched Tony Reali‘s on-air confirmation of Around The Horn coming to an end in May, and then watched his interview with Dan Le Batard. How can you not like and root for that guy? His energy, positivity, and likability are off the charts. And it’s not fake. I’ve met Tony twice at the ESPN Edge Conference, and he genuinely enjoys conversation, and goes out of his way to say hello and engage.

I have no idea what ESPN is going to put in place of ATH. That said, I hope the company has a plan for Tony Reali. He belongs on a top show. If Scott Hanson steps away from RedZone, Reali would be a perfect replacement. Regardless of where he lands, I’ll be rooting for Tony Reali.

Audacy Layoffs Blunder

Letting hundreds of employees go is bad enough, but informing people that they’ve lost their job, only to tell them a day later that they’re not gone is embarrassing. The good news is that Henry Lake and Chris Tubbs are back at WCCO in Minneapolis. Kudos to PD Brad Lane and Market Manager Jeff Gonsales on fighting for their people. Folks up top though can’t make mistakes like that. It shows sloppiness at the corporate level.

Quick Hits

• Stephanie Eads and I will be in Las Vegas April 6-9 for the NAB Show. If you’re making the trip and want to meet to discuss business, email Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com. Jeff Lynn will also be attending to work on some stories for the site including a Countdown series prior to the show.

• Tucker Carlson will appear tonight on NewsNation with Chris Cuomo. It’ll be the second conversation between the two popular hosts. Cuomo airs at 8pm ET.

• Westwood One announced Vince Coglianese as the replacement for Dan Bongino. I wish Vince the best as he enters national syndication. Dan Bongino‘s newly formed production company, Silverloch Productions will produce the show’s podcast with distribution provided by Cumulus Podcast Network.

• Awesome job by Froggy 98 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The radio station celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8th by featuring songs from only women artists. In addition, a spotlight was shined on the station’s female employees. That’s a cool one-day programming initiative that gets people talking, and gives listeners incentive to tune in, and advertisers a reason to continue investing. Cool idea.

• Congrats to Jeremiah Crowe, Tom Tolbert, John Lund, Paul McCaffrey, Tony Rhein and Daniel Ogden on the launch of the Bay Area Sports Collective. With so many talented people in the Bay Area no longer on the San Francisco airwaves, there’s an opening in the sports digital space. The question moving forward is how do advertisers respond to it. From a talent standpoint, BASC has a lot to offer.

• Audacy Boston Market Manager Mike Thomas took batting practice at Red Sox spring training with Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltamacchia standing nearby to offer encouragement. Thomas held his own in the cage, which for his sake is important. The on-air talent would’ve had a field day with him had he bombed.

• New tunes I’ve been enjoying this week include A Day to Remember‘s ‘LeBron‘, Struggle Jennings featuring Jelly Roll ‘Only God Knows‘, and the ‘Dust in the Wind‘ cover by Corey Taylor and Bad Omens.

• Look for the next 2025 BSM Summit announcement tomorrow. Five more speakers are being added to our lineup. The show comes to Chicago May 8-9, 2025 at the MCA. Get your tickets here. We’re also planning to announce our annual college contest soon.