Stephen A. Smith: I’m Black

Known as one of the most outspoken sports TV personalities/analysts of our time, Bronx born and raised Stephen A. Smith has made quite a name for himself. What people fail to realize is the grind he put in to get where he is today. Probably one of the most intense interviews I’ve conducted thus far Stephen A. Smith is straight forward and holds no punches, he says what everyone else thinks about saying but lacks the confidence and swagger to say it. We discussed everything from Kobe’s elbows to the stigmatization of the Black quarterback, to being one of only 22 Black journalists in America and how that experience has shaped him.

Scheme: Greg Anthony made a comment recently that said that the NBA more than any other sport gets the most attention and ridicule, why do you think that is?

Stephen A. Smith: Part of it is because they are Black, there’s no question about that but at the same time their more identifiable with the viewer public. NBA players are wearing shorts and tank tops, you see them, fans are right there courtside, you can reach out and touch them. That kind of identification that fans are able to have with the players make them more household capable than some of the NFL guys out there. Their wearing pads and helmets and their identity is shielded. Also you have to take into affect that the NFL are masters in marketing teams, the NBA lived off of marketing the individual. So because NBA players are more identifiable they are going to be subjected to more ridicule because the media is able to talk about them in a way, and people can identify with them because they know who they are. Nine members of the Cincinnati Bengals have gotten arrested in the past sixteen months or so…I’m a sports writer, television commentator and a radio host and seven or eight of them could be standing right in front of me and I couldn’t tell you who they were.

Scheme: Let’s switch to football real quick and talk about the Black quarterback stigma. We have Cullpepper, McNabb, Vick, and now Vince Young. Do you still feel like from your perspective that there is this myth that the Black quarterback can not be a quarterback because it requires too much of their brain than their athletic ability?

Stephen A. Smith: I don’t think it’s as prevalent as it once was, I think people like Warren Moon have helped that immensely from playing in the CFL and NFL and being inducted in the Hall of Fame. At the same time I think the perception out there, not necessarily that Black quarterbacks lack the intellect but I do believe that Black quarterbacks are noted for their athleticism more than anything else. When you look at the Michael Vick’s and the others that’s what they are known for. I mean certainly Donovan McNabb is a highly intelligent man, but when you look at him, he doesn’t throw the football the way that Peyton Manning throws the football. He doesn’t call his plays 99% of the time the way that Peyton Manning does and I think that people look at that and they assume the worst sometimes. It’s unfortunate but it’s true.

Scheme: How do you feel about how the MLB(Major League Baseball) is handling the Barry Bonds situation regarding how they are going to deal with him breaking the Home Run record, basically saying they’ll decide whether it’s legitimate or not when and if he gets there?

Stephen A. Smith: I think it’s disgraceful. The fact is that he’s been convicted in a court of public opinion and nothing else. Do I believe he’s used steroids? Yes. Do you probably believe it? Absolutely. Do we have any proof? No. If we don’t have any proof, and he’s out on the playing field everyday than he should be treated like any other player would be treated under those conditions. If they don’t like it, find the proof and suspend him; but as long as he is out there allowed to perform they shouldn’t have the license or the right and say I don’t want to be a part of this because I know he used steroids.

“…but they are an entity that has enabled these kids to become millionaires for playing a game and they owe it to the game to be the best human being they can possibly be in representing themselves, their team, families and organizations. If they don’t do that, they should go out and work a job like the rest of us.”

Scheme: How do you feel about the attention that Kobe is getting for the elbows?

Stephen A. Smith: I don’t like that either because it’s bad play on his part and he got suspended and I’m cool with that. What I don’t like is people are trying to use it to characterize him as an individual on the court and their not telling the truth about what’s transpiring, and that is that the NBA is trying to soften the game. They want more European players, they want that up-tempo European style and they want to stay away from that physical rugged in your face hard nose type of basketball; and the NBA is trying to appease the viewer public because that’s what the viewer public is trying to see. At the same time while trying to do that, there are a lot of things that go on during the basketball game that’s just par for the course. Players handle their business on the court in their own ways and I think the NBA is ignoring that because they don’t want to do that and don’t want to deal with the reality that there are going to be some bumps in the road. Their trying to change the way people have been playing basketball all their life. Just because they haven’t seen Kobe do a move like that before does not mean that there are other things that happen on the court where stuff gets physical, and there are ramifications for things…stuff happens. The reason people get away with stuff is because it’s much harder for people to retaliate now than in years past.

Scheme: Getting back to the NBA, this year the whole “NBA Cares” message has been pumped heavily in commercials during games. How much obligation does a player have after they do what is asked of them by the NBA to give back to their communities?

Stephen A. Smith: Those who have more, should give more. Whether it’s their time or energy it’s not for me to dig into someone’s pocket; but if you have influence and you have the power to influence lives that’s something that should be taken advantage of, that’s a gift. The NBA is not flawless and they certainly make their mistakes but they are an entity that has enabled these kids to become millionaires for playing a game and they owe it to the game to be the best human being they can possibly be in representing themselves, their team, families and organizations. If they don’t do that, they should go out and work a job like the rest of us.

“No one really wants you to succeed more than you, and understand that nobody is going to give you what they can get themselves, you’ve got to go get it.”

Scheme: Explain what was going through your head when ‘Magic’ Johnson told the world he was HIV positive.

Stephen A. Smith: I was in college at Winston-Salem State and he made the announcement, I was with my teammates and our jaws just dropped.

Scheme: When I think of Stephen A. Smith I think of hardcore professionalism. I think a lot of people make you out to be this hardcore loud mouth which I wouldn’t agree with. However, where does that in your face professionalism stem from?

Stephen A. Smith: Well, I’m candid and I speak my mind. Those are people that are haters and want to think that. The fact of the matter is I can be loud and I can be in your face and I get that; but I’m a Black man in America and there is no way on God’s green earth that I can enjoy the success that I’ve enjoyed if that’s all I was. So I don’t pay any attention to that kind of stuff because people are going to say what they want to say and think what they want to think. Their going to ignore the fact that I was a beat writer for nine years, and that I was considered one of the best beat writers in the country. Their going to ignore the fact that I’ve been a journalist for thirteen years. Their going to ignore the fact that I’m only 21 of 22 sports columnists who happen to be Black in the entire United States of America and they’d rather point to my time on ESPN and say he’s a loud mouth not about what got me here; and the only reason they don’t think that is because they don’t want to. Those are people that server as inspiration for me, I don’t worry about that, I laugh at it and it makes me stronger. It won’t break me because I recognize that that’s what they want but I also recognize that there aren’t to many journalist that if in my position wouldn’t be doing what I am doing but their not here, I am. I’m going to ride this wave for as long as I can, I’m going to do the things I’m supposed to do, with my money, so when the ride ends, I’ve banked my money, invested my money and will be able to walk away with my head held high and say I’ve done my time; but when you don’t do that, your bitter and you’ve got to go out and struggle again.

Scheme: What would be the one aspiring nugget you would tell journalists of color that no one told you but you learned on the way?

Stephen A. Smith: No one really wants you to succeed more than you, and understand that nobody is going to give you what they can get themselves, you’ve got to go get it. The world is not for the weak of heart, this world is not for people who crumble at the site of adversity, you’ve got to be able to deal with all of that in order to achieve success. If you can’t handle it and your don’t have alligator skin, your not going to make it because the devil himself mandates that that’s going to happen. God could’ve had the most perfect world but he made sure the devil was in it; specifically to test us and put us through adversity, so at the end of the day when we stand before him we were tested. Did you pass or did you fail? There can be no champions without a contender and a contender is an enemy, and a enemy is somebody there to be destroyed and when you have that kind of attitude, you’ll be alright. When you sleep with blind folds on and thing otherwise you will get knocked off.

“In terms of the actual work for ESPN, it’s hardcore, it’s a carwash. They run you through it, if you don’t want to work don’t come. You will never work harder in your life.”

Scheme: How much of a role did hip hop play in your life?

Stephen A. Smith: Doesn’t play a role, I enjoy listening to the music because it’s the generation I grew up in and it’s a part of who I am, but I know what to take from it and what to leave alone.

Scheme: What’s it like working for ESPN?

Stephen A. Smith: If you don’t want to work, it’s not the place to go. All that glamour stuff they talk about on television that’s when your not somewhere and you go somewhere and they recognize you. In terms of the actual work for ESPN, it’s hardcore, it’s a carwash. They run you through it, if you don’t want to work don’t come. You will never work harder in your life.

Scheme: Your top three athletes of all time?

Stephen A. Smith: Muhammed Ali, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods.