The Incredibly Brutal Demotion of Screamin’ A. Smith
ESPN, Media Gossip/Musings August 23rd. 2007, 11:06am
We’ve had plenty of fun at the expense of ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith, mostly because he’s bombastic, one-dimensional, and hopelessly overextended. Wednesday, we tuned into Deadspin and saw the link to a blog report about the Philadelphia Inquirer possibly yanking Smith’s column out from under him.
We began to cobble together a post on the topic, and then a reader set us a link to this shocker – the Inquirer publicly humiliated Smith by announcing his demotion on Philly.com. (Anyone in Philly – did this run in the paper today? Or is it online only?) This shocking move – done while Screamin’ A was on vacation – will definitely send shockwaves throughout the sportswriting industry, especially to those who juggle travel-intensive ESPN duties and a newspaper column job.
If the Smith story on the Inquirer’s website wasn’t bad enough, in a ‘related stories’ box, the Inquirer provided a link to this Slate piece from 2005 on how television killed the newspaper sports column. Isn’t it almost as if the paper is defending itself? Even if they deny that, one thing is for sure: the Stephen A. Smith brand has suffered irrevocable damage. This is much, much worse than getting your TV show cancelled.
Smith, obviously, will not accept his demotion to general assignment writer; he’s got a daily ESPN radio show to uphold, and if memory serves, he spends weekends in Bristol doing the Sunday morning Sportscenter. Anyone else think this is what happened to J.A. Adande recently at the LA Times? It sure was surprising to see a popular, young columnist accepting a buyout. It’s just a guess, but does anyone think that maybe the Times offered him a buyout because his daily appearances on Around the Horn were impacting his column? Could Jay Mariotti be next? Woody Paige? Mike Wilbon? It’s no secret that newspapers have been shrinking in size and relevance in recent years, but they finally seem to have grasped the idea that having a star columnist on TV isn’t going to generate more readers or clicks. But rather having a star columnist unearth and craft local stories actually could make people buy the paper.
Photo: New York Times
38 Responses to “The Incredibly Brutal Demotion of Screamin’ A. Smith”
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August 23rd, 2007 at 11:20 AM
It would be interesting to see if its a trend but if the columnist is good and still doing good work I don’t see the papers making the cuts but when you are a columnist for the Philly Inquirer who works and lives in NY during the week and Bristol on the weekend and writes your columns on your Blackberry, then I think you may not be giving it your all so to speak. JA Adande was at least doing the show from LA everyday…how would Stephen A know what the pulse of Philly is when he is never there?
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:21 AM
Having been a loyal LA Times reader for years, it’s been pretty depressing to watch half their Sports staff embarrass themselves on ‘Round and ‘Round. There’s little question the quality of the paper has suffered because of the frequent television and radio appearances. It seems like some are capable of doing radio/tv without totally losing their local influence, but as you put it, the paper’s are the one taking the beating. And nobody is picking up the LA Times because they saw Bill Plaschke’s incoherent rants on television.
These papers have to figure out that local sells. Especially now. Maybe they are starting to get it…
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:27 AM
SASSY!!!! Say it ain’t so!
Obviously, this has to do with hip-hop culture. I painfully await Whitlock’s column on this.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:32 AM
Ugghhh…this doesn’t mean he’s going to be on ESPN even more (maybe they’ll replace Sal Palantonio with him on the Philly beat)
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:32 AM
I’ve read his stuff…it’s terrible and you get the feeling he’s mailing it in…
Plus, I would guess that this guy is not exactly a nice guy to be around.
How does Lupica still have a column, for that matter, Albom?
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:33 AM
KC beat me to it. Lets all agree to go totally out of our way to put a racial spin on this, okay? Sweet.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:33 AM
The days of local reporter/columnist are long gone. I can only speak locally, but when Gannett took over the Indy Star, the first to go were long time writers Bill Benner and Robin Miller.
In their place we’ve had to endure Bob Kravitz, who makes no bones about his appearances on “Roundtable of numbskulls” and submits some of the most off the wall pieces you could ever read.
Columnists no longer report the news, they are the news, and thats sad.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:42 AM
As the other blog report noted, Stephen A. Smith was making errors left and right in his columns (which begs the question “Why didn’t the editors notice those?”).
If the tone of the columns in the last 2 years didn’t scream “Mailing it In,” then the numerous errors combined with life in NYC and CT certainly had to push the situation to the brink.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:45 AM
i can’t believe he lasted this long. how can you cover a sports crazed town like philly while doing a radio show in the middle of the day in ny? i know it’s only a couple of hours on amtrak, but still. this is the paper’s way of saying are you a philly sports reporter or a ny guy. great job by the paper to make him choose. no way he accepts the new position.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:54 AM
I couldnt be happier today knowing that Screamin A’s, outdated, no talent, rediculous looking suits wearing ass has been thrown to the curb.
Other than the obvious Joe Morgan, no 1 person in the sports reporting World is less talented. And its a serious toss up as to who is worse. But thats like debating Gonnorhea, and Syphillis, you hate them both equally.
Did readers/viewers finally get fed up of Screamin A juggling Kobe’s man sack on a daily basis? Or was it the weekly “AI is the greatest person ever” suck job that finally did him in?
I’m under the belief that the Anit Witlock, pro NOI idiot that is Screamin A finally was shown to be who he truly is. A no talent, former DIV III bench warmer, who loves to stick up for African American athletes for no reason other than theyre darker skin tone. Your a joke brother, and now your FIRED!
One of the best days in Journalism history!
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:59 AM
Who reads newspapers these days? That’s what the internets is for!
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:06 PM
Quite Frankly…
He’s OVAH!!!!!!!
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:15 PM
Why is this such a hot topic?
Steve Smith from the Carolina Panthers would be a more engaging analyst. People bought the loudmouth Kool-Aid for a couple of summers, and now its grown sour.
Who can honestly say they are surprised?
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:16 PM
somewhere Rasha Nesterovic is smiling
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:17 PM
Tom Selleck
Where does all that anger come from?
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:17 PM
Around The Horn is the most worthless show on television.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:22 PM
“People bought the loudmouth Kool-Aid for a couple of summers,”
Honestly, I’ve seen people defend Woody, Mariotti, and the rest of those idiots. Never ran into anybody that liked Sassy.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:23 PM
If only Mariotti could be next.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:24 PM
I actually enjoy his radio show from time to time…
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:37 PM
PurdueMatt, I agree that ATH is terrible, but there’s a lot worse out there…unfortunately. ATH looks like genius compared to The Two Coreys.
As for Screamin’ A, the question is not “How did he last this long,” but “How the fuck did he get hired in the first place?” He’s not only a no-talent hack, but a no-talent hack that screams and won’t listen to reasonable arguments. He’s a louder, blacker, sports-oriented Bill O’Reilly.
as for them doing this so publicly, he asked for it with his non-fact-checked bullshit columns and his attention-whoring ways. if there’s a God, Whitlock’s next.
Then again, there is no God.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Even though I can’t stand the guy 95% of the time, I don’t think you can put Mariotti in the same breath as SAS or Woody Paige, he puts in a lot of work at his job. The guy usually cranks out a column on the Cubs/Sox/Bears/Bulls every 2 days for the Sun-Times, always on whatever the hot local topic is (or unfortunately what HE thinks it is or should be). He may not show up in the press box or locker room most of the time, but he’s definitely all over Chicago sports, and hasn’t abandoned cranking out 3-4 opinions a week while still being on ATH daily.
Man, I can’t believe I just attempted a “defense” of Mariotti. Eck.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Ahem.
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:07 PM
I hope the Detroit Free Press has taken notice. Mitch Albom has been mailing it in for years, let alone there’s the fact he rarely writes about sports anymore. Yet he’s still considered their “Lead” columnist.
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:30 PM
It’s because they use his ears as satellite dishes.
August 23rd, 2007 at 2:13 PM
Yay!
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:05 PM
I guess I’m the only one who thought the post from ‘God’ was hilarious.
Jesus, please forgive me, but you know it was funny too.
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:43 PM
My My how the fast high-flying hath fallin-Deadspin couldn’t get to the computer screen fast enough to gloat about StephenA’s inglorious journalistic demise. Of course, the days of the true sports newspaper gum shoe seemed to have died once WWL launched it’s pet mud wrestling shows. Then all these columnists suddenly saw themselves as TV stars-peddling stupidity and low brow self-promotional controversy. Perhaps, this is just one of many shoes to start dropping where newspapers start telling these frauds to choose their profession.
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:54 PM
Page D-2 in today’s Inquirer….It must be incredibly painful to have your dick stepped on and everybody see it.
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:05 PM
Steven A Smith has a lot of potential as a columnist, but unfortunately for him, the time for him to grow at his craft was simultaneous with the newspaper reporter going to tv boom and he over extended. Kornheiser in the 90’s (when I moved to the area) was a beast at the Post. “The Bandwagon” “Curse of “Les Boulez” etc. He was so good, he was banging out columns for the Style section. I don’t see the same from him now as before. SAS will be alright.
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:20 PM
All you SAS haters, the Philly Inquirer is facing the same type of problems many newspapers across the country – namely, being overcome by websites such as ESPN, SI, et al. Add blogs such as this, and its no wonder that people no longer want to read the newspaper. SAS is not the only prominent journalist who lost a column at the Inquirer – Gail Schuster lost her column – in effect, the Inquirer has let 66 staffers go in the last few months. See the columnhttp://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=14432
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:42 PM
ScottVanPeltStyle:
You are forgiven. It was God after all. He has good timing.
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:54 PM
Man is the people on this site haters or what. Everyone has different styles and SAS has his own style that some people enjoy! If he didnt get on TV, alot of people would love his work!
Its just like TBL getting on tv and becoming a SCREAMIN butt like most of the TV personalities today (NOT saying that you would TBL, just making a comparison). Would you still come to this site and speak to what TBL has to say?
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:29 PM
i live in suburban philly and i cant stand stephen A, another thing, does anyone but me noticed this or has Stephen A ever had a white guest on his show, whenever i watched it their was always an african american and stphen A was alwas talking about how difficult it is for a black athlete, anyone notice this?
August 23rd, 2007 at 6:27 PM
Dude, is that English you’re using there?
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:18 PM
WTF !! u ppl act like the fckin guy is osama bin laden or sum shit. the man has his own style …and a lil’ swagger. just bc he aint all ‘vanilla’ like mainstream mutha fckas in journalism. he speaks his mind and shouts a lil’ bit …but shit. he is entertaining as fuck. and i like seein cats like him on TV reppin. maybe he didn’t give 100% lately in philly but fck it …stephen A. nyc is where its at. bring it home brah.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:58 PM
I don’t see Wilbon being forced out at THE Washington Post, his column is still syndicated and turning a profit for THE Washington Post.
Paige is a possibility because of the sexual harrassment suit against him.
Mariotti still got on TV while writing bad columns (see Rob King, Paige, Mitch Albom, most people ESPN hires); I bet his paper can’t tell whether the quality is suffering.
That’s the real reason newspapers are hurting, they have the same attitude as pro athletes — only they can do what they do — we just don’t understand what it takes (day in and day out) to be a journalist.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:14 AM
Print is being besieged by a downturn in newspaper subscriptions and readership, which affect ad sales and the economy viability of that entity. In 2/47 information age, it’s tough for papers to compete with WWL and electronic media, which is why many are trying to figure out how to many money off of their websites. The Post is an established paper with a high end readership base that hasn’t dropped much, so they can afford to keep part-timers like Wilbon and loafers like Kornheiser (they’ve adjusted they pay rate). Sports columnist either writer opinion pieces or report on events. Trust me, that’s not 60 Minutes work-you’re watch a game and then write about what happened. Not difficult at all, especially for anyone who took writing or literature classes in school.
August 24th, 2007 at 3:09 AM
It’s fun to count how many times he would use the word “I” or just generally inject himself into a story for no reason.
Anchor: “Do the Celtics want to make this trade?”
SAS: “Well, I talked with Danny Ainge yesterday. He told me, yes, they do…”
Makes my head hurt.