“Suffering from success?,” ESPNs top broadcasters express reluctance to work alongside Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith's colleagues are not interested in working alongside the analyst on Monday Night Football owing to his polarizing nature.
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Stephen A. Smith (Image Credits: AP)
It is lonely at the top. Stephen A. Smith is undoubtedly the face of ESPN and the most valuable asset to the company. But his importance to the network is proving to come with a downside to it—some of his colleagues are allegedly against the possibility of working alongside him on their shows.
In a recent interview, Stephen A. Smith expressed an interest in joining the Monday Night Football crew. But the interest appears to be far from mutual. A report from Steve Brenner of The U.S. Sun claims that the members of the show featuring Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears, and Jason Kelce are not as inclined to have Smith on their coverage regularly.
Stephen A. Smith said that he is looking to do more NFL and eyeing Monday Night Football, but I think he doesn't realize that nobody wants him here. The guys that cover NFL, the main analysts and specialists absolutely have zero interest on having him working with them.a source who works on MNF revealed
This feeling likely stems from the fact that MNF likes to feature former NFL players to handle the coverage. Being ex-athletes, nobody can cover the game and simplify things for fans better than them.
MNF Crew does not want Stephen A. Smith as he is not a team player
Currently, apart from Joe Buck, the rest of the cast on MNF are former NFL athletes. Buck has worked his entire career as a broadcaster and has proven to have great chemistry with his co-hosts, which is why he is an exception.
He isn't the guy that they really like, and then they think that he isn't legit to do so, and that he could stick with First Take and basketball. Nobody wants him covering football, and many of the top analysts were talking about since he did that interview where Smith said so.the source reported
The analyst is always looking to do more on ESPN. He attracts viewers, and there is no denying that. But MNF is probably not the right destination for Stephen A. Smith and that is because his co-hosts would feel overshadowed by his presence.
They were laughing about it, some were saying that 'there is no way he joins us, he is not one of us football guys and he wants the whole attention and all the spotlights.' His reputation of not being a team player is a huge red flag.the source reported
While Smith has a big say in the decisions that ESPN makes, he risks jeopardizing the chemistry shared by MNF hosts. The cast looks at him as an analyst who is great at basketball, but it is best he leaves football to former players.
ESPN has yet to announce anything concerning the addition of Smith to MNF. It seems doubtful that the analyst would want to go there now that he knows he is not welcomed by them. The source concluded by pointing to Smith’s history of creating tension in the environment he finds himself in.
The guys at the crew also talked about I, and none of them wants Stephen A. Smith to join MNF or any football show. They don't want to work with him, as they know the reputation and the high tense environment he created at First Take.the source told The U.S. Sun
MNF is back with a revamped look and with the addition of Jason Kelce, and the show has been received well by fans so far.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have great chemistry, so there is no reason to replace them. It seems Stephen A. Smith will remain on First Take for the foreseeable future. His current contract with ESPN ends in 2025.
Both sides are currently negotiating his new contract which could pay him upwards of $20 million per year. He may not feature on MNF but that wouldn’t bother him after he becomes the highest-paid sports analyst in the network’s history.
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