In a viral moment on First Take this week, Molly Querim challenged Stephen A. Smith and his apparent bias for large markets. The scene got heated on live television as Stephen A. and Molly hashed it out over favoritism toward New York, Los Angeles, and Miami.
“It’s not sexy enough for you… Stephen A is all box office, he wants every free agent to go to the Lakers, he hates small markets, it’s just not sexy enough for him,” said Molly. “Every time there’s a good player in that’s in Milwaukee or whatever, it’s always ‘Bring him to New York! Go to the Knicks, go to the Lakers, let’s have LeBron and Steph play together!’ You don’t care about small markets and for you, it’s always box office. You’re a New Yorker that’s an Alabama fan — it’s just not sexy enough for you.”
Molly Qerim FRIES Stephen A and his big market bias 😳🔥
“It’s not sexy enough for you… Stephen A is all box office, he wants every free agent to go to the Lakers, he hates small markets… every time there’s a good player in Milwaukee, it’s always BRING HIM TO NEW YORK” pic.twitter.com/oSzIsNk5Ao
— BucksShowYo🦌 (@BucksShowYo) December 12, 2024
Not every city is built equally in the United States and some places are generally considered more attractive than others. For most sports fans, places like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco are all going to be considered more attractive because of their vibrant nightlife and countless business opportunities.
Stephen A. Smith, more than most journalists, has never been shy about his love for the more popular, high-market cities. Sunny and warm places like Like Angeles and Miami, specifically, have been favorite destinations for Stephen A. Smith and he has been vocal about his love and preference for the cities.
This bias is why Smith has typically spoken more highly of the Heat and why he has typically celebrated anytime they make a run or achieve any kind of playoff success. In the case of the Lakers, Smith has named them as his preferred landing spot in several trade scenarios, including for Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, and many other stars over the years.
And while Stephen A. Smith may not like to admit his bias, it’s actually a growing trend in the NBA community among both fans and especially the players. Now, more than ever, we’re seeing the game’s best performers gravitate toward the most iconic teams (usually the Warriors, Lakers, 76ers, Knicks, or Heat) and it’s almost completely shut out the other teams (like the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards) from luring any free agents at all.
Even when the small market teams can find a star, they eventually force their way out, like what happened with Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and Bradley Beal.
The result has been a lopsided balance of power in which most of the success is hoarded by the same bunch of teams every year. This season that trend continues to hold up. Teams like the Mavericks, Warriors, Knicks, and Celtics are near the top of the standings while the Raptors, Hornets, Jazz, and Pelicans are all near the bottom.
So while Stephen A. Smith is hardly alone in his bias toward big cities, he’s not helping the problem by being so vocal about his preferences on the air. Doing that only further disrupts the NBA’s level of parity and pressures the few stars remaining in the small market teams to give up and join the big city.
Stephen A. may not like to admit it, but he’s all about the box office and he wants to be anywhere that has the most exciting thing going on. Many athletes feel the exact same way and it’s why the bigger cities will always have an easier time attracting the stars.
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