Stephen A. Smith gets the axe, and that's OK with him
It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog, or to anyone who knows me personally, that I'm not exactly a fan of Stephen A. Smith.
Well, actually, it's not him I don't like. Maybe if I knew him, I'd feel differently. But from reading his columns and watching him on TV, my view of him has not been positive.
Smith embodies exactly what I hate about sports journalism, or rather, what has become of it. I won't dispute his sports knowledge. But his in-your-face style, accompanied by a louder than needed presentation, have left me cold.
ESPN has facilitated an atmosphere on its programs where analysts have become annoying not for the points they make, but for the way they make their points. I have written on this subject a few times. I'm not sure if I'm in the minority or not. I'm sure their are viewers of ESPN -- like myself -- who prefer analysts who speak normally, and speak to us, not at us.
How big of a group I'm in is unknown. We try to speak up, but I think we are not being heard, in part, because we don't scream to make our points.
Nonetheless, Smith's show, Quite Frankly, was cancelled by ESPN. A step in the right direction? A return to personable communication? A chance to see less of Stephen A. Smith?
Well, no, actually.
From the article on the cancellation:
Smith's presence will be expanded across numerous platforms, the network announced on Friday.
To wit: He'll be featured more regularly on "SportsCenter,'' NBA studio programming, and on ESPNEWS, as well as host four TV interview specials surrounding big events.
In addition, "opportunities" with ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com columns "will be explored," the network said.
So less, I guess, is more.
Great. Well, maybe I should thank ESPN for the warning. After all, every time Smith is on TV, I change the channel. I guess I'll be doing that more often.