Stephen A. Smith, the fast-talking ESPN “quick take” guru (and occasional beef jerky salesman) is, in a roundabout way, a colleague of Joe Rogan: They’ve appeared together on ESPN’s UFC telecasts.
Rogan, of course, is one of the leading experts in cagefighting. He personally competed in martial arts tournaments throughout his early 20s and was an eyewitness to some of the biggest, most dramatic moments in MMA history. He knows the trainers and the fighters like the back of his (fist); they’re his closest friends.
So when Rogan heard Smith saying something stupid and disrespectful about a UFC fighter, he called him out. Here’s a short, one-minute recap of their (non-jerky) beef:
When it comes to MMA, Rogan knows more than Smith. Not by a little bit either! The gap in knowledge, experience, and firsthand insights is gargantuan: Rogan is an Ivy League scholar; Smith is just a casual fan.
But Rogan couldn’t pin Smith. Even amidst their feud, Rogan had to admit, “You’re a very entertaining guy… it’s fun to listen to — he’s a fun guy to listen to. He talks great s***.”
And soon, the fast-talking ESPN “quick take” guru was onto another controversy. (Including a rather nasty one with Jason Whitlock, who called him a liar and renamed him Stephen A. Myth.) The dude didn’t even miss a beat.
Pro Tip: You’ve gotta be careful around people with the verbal dexterity to win arguments even when they’re completely wrong!
Roughly 40 days ago, we predicted the following:
[T] he Democrats will be auditioning a new leader every month. Right now, their candidate du jour is Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). The tip-off is when “friendly” media outlets including NBC and the New York Times suddenly churn out over-the-top puff pieces — and other outlets, such as The Hill, are opening hard news stories with sentences liberals love: “Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who has emerged as one of his party’s loudest critics of the Trump administration…”
That’s how trial balloons work. And when Murphy flops, they’ll audition someone else.
You’re not hearing too much about Murphy anymore, are you? That “trial balloon” sprung a leak and farted away. No matter: On to the next shiny object.
From yesterday’s ABC News: “Stephen A. Smith says he has ‘no choice’ but to consider a run for president.” That was quickly followed with a slew of new “Stephen A. Smith for President” stories on Fox News, the New York Post, Axios, OutKick, Mediaite, and more.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have another trial balloon!
He’s a far more compelling candidate than Murphy. It’s unclear what lane Murphy could realistically own; he’s not only white, but he’s completely colorless, too. In the Democratic Party, personal identification matters greatly. Assuming that other white dudes — i.e. Gavin Newsom and Tim Walz — are also gonna run for president, Murphy is a question in search of an answer.
But Smith will probably be the only black man running on the Democratic side. Additionally, there’s reason to believe he’d do better with black voters than someone like Kamala Harris. (The ex-VP speaks like an alien visiting a strange, foreign world, whereas Smith exudes a far different vibe: He connects with people.)
And in the Democratic Party, if he only connects with black voters, that’s enough to carry him far in a crowded field. There’ll be over 35 million black voters in 2028, and even though Donald Trump has made tremendous inroads with minorities, they still exert an oversized influence in Democratic primaries.
Additionally, it seems that the Democratic Party has coalesced around the idea that their loss in 2024 was largely due to the abandonment of the young male vote. If that was their biggest problem, then a woman like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, or Gretchen Whitmer would be an ill-suited solution.
But a guy like Stephen A. Smith just might be EXACTLY what they’re looking for.
Newsom is also trying to ride in the “young male” lane with his new podcast, where he’s powwowed with such conservative influencers as Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon. According to Newsom, this will give him better insights into the MAGA mindset. But that’s not how the Democratic base wants to fight back! They don’t want peace or détente with us. They don’t give a damn about understanding us. They don’t wanna hold our hand or sing kumbaya. They want MAGA destroyed!
Newsom has it exactly wrong. It’ll kill his chances.
And in the process, it makes Smith a more viable option for the left.
Interestingly, for a political novice like Smith, the issue of electability is often their biggest liability. But given the loss of minority support and male voters, Smith could actually argue the opposite: Look at what Trump did! I’m the solution you’re searching for!
And he’s a helluva arguer.
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