The “E” in ESPN stands for entertainment, and “nobody in the history of the network has exploited it to his advantage the way Stephen A. has done"Jim Cowsert/NBAE via Getty Images
Reporter James Andrew Miller said that Stephen A. Smith is “looking for a big, big number” following
a report from PUCK's John Ourand of an $18M per year offer from ESPN, but Miller also feels that given the content world, Smith “doesn’t even have to have another offer from one entity for that big number,” according to Jimmy Traina of SI. Miller on “SI Media With Jimmy Traina” said, “I think what ESPN is up against is the possibility that [William Morris Endeavor] could go out and create an architecture where Stephen A. has a podcast, a this, a deal with this, a deal with that, whatever, and at the end of the day, it’s $20 million a year.” When asked if there was “any chance Smith wouldn’t return to ESPN” Miller said, “To tell you the truth, at this point, I’m not sure because I do believe there are enough possibilities that Stephen A. can get outside of ESPN and even outside an exclusive deal with another network that could make him very happy and very rich” (
SI, 6/21).
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE: In Colorado Springs, Mark Kiszla wrote sports are our “opiate,” and Smith “fuels our jones in a voice too loud to be ignored.” The “E” in ESPN stands for entertainment, and “nobody in the history of the network has exploited it to his advantage the way Stephen A. has done.” Kiszla: “In America today, where no middle ground is allowed, nuance is bashed as weakness and any opinion voiced outside our echo chamber is considered stupid, we are Stephen A. And he is us” (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 6/22).
