Love him or hate him, there is no arguing that Stephen A. Smith has found a lot of success in the NBA media world. As the premier broadcaster for ESPN, and one of the faces of NBA media culture, Stephen A. is also one of the highest earners in the industry with a whopping $8 million salary.
But according to the iconic sports broadcaster, he’s actually underpaid by the network. Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, he explained why.
Stephen A. Smith Points To Racial Reasons For Being Underpaid By ESPN
According to Smith, his identity as a Black man has something to do with his salary, and he had no problem elaborating on his position to his audience on the air.
“We are still Black in this country. We don’t trust this country in terms of meritocracy always. We know the bottom line is that just like women are underpaid compared to male counterparts, Blacks are underpaid compared to White counterparts,” Smith said. “And so when you look at it from that perspective, and of course people look at me, I’m not talking about me even though, I got news for you, I am underpaid compared to some people on television what they get paid, but that’s a subject for another day. I ain’t apologizing for that to a damn soul. I am underpaid. Having said all of that, it ain’t about me.”
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says he is underpaid because he’s black
He makes $8 million a year pic.twitter.com/wffqohrmr5
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 30, 2022
To a certain extent, Stephen. A. is right. ESPN is worth over $50 billion, and Stephen A. brings in thousands of viewers every time he’s on the air. He probably is worth more than $8 million to them.
Still, it’s quite a stretch to call yourself underpaid when you’re literally making more than most others in your field. But Stephen A. has always had big ambitions, and it’s no secret that he carries a lot of confidence in himself.
He would even consider a run for President if the situation arose.
“I said ‘If the American people wanted me to run for the presidency of the United States of America, I would strongly consider it’ And damnit I mean it!” Smith said. “Listen, it ain’t that big of a standard, I mean let’s call it what it is. I think I got a shot!”
Mr. Smith is unlikely to become the leader of the free world, but it’s clear that he’s not satisfied with his current situation. He wants to earn more, do more, and grow his empire bigger than it’s ever been before.
Regarding a possible pay raise, we’ll just have to wait and see what ESPN decides to do at the end of his current contract.
