ESPN on Friday announced that the company has officially re-signed Stephen A. Smith to a multiyear deal, and the deal worth reportedly at least $100M marks the “largest contract ever given out by ESPN” to on-air talent, according to Ben Strauss of the WASHINGTON POST. Smith will “remain a daily fixture on ‘First Take’ each morning” and will “continue to develop content with his production company and deliver his non-punditry across the media landscape.” Sources said that the negotiations between Smith and ESPN “dragged on for months, long after the money had been agreed upon.” Among other options, Smith “had talks with private equity groups about launching his own media company” (WASHINGTON POST, 3/7). THE ATHLETIC’s Andrew Marchand, who first broke the story, reported Smith will be “scaling back some of his ... appearances on the network” and he “will not be a regular” on ESPN’s NBA pregame show anymore. Smith could still “make occasional appearances on top basketball studio programs,” as well as the “MNF” pregame or during other big time events. That new freedom “figures to allow Smith to make even more appearances on other platforms to talk politics” (THE ATHLETIC, 3/6).
EXPANDING HIS PROFILE: VARIETY’s Brian Steinberg wrote the deal keeps one of ESPN’s signature voices at the network at a time when Smith is “looking to extend his influence.” He has “tried his hand at an independent podcast” and has made recurring appearances on Fox News Channel, NewsNation and HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” to “talk about politics and national issues -- fare he does not often allude to when he is hosting ‘First Take’” (VARIETY, 3/6).
EVERYBODY WINS WITH THIS DEAL: POYNTER’s Tom Jones writes this is “a good deal for Smith” and a “smart move by ESPN.” Smith gets a “chunky raise (he was believed to be making about $12 million a year) while doing less work for the network.” However, he “remains the network’s biggest personality and has a huge following among ESPN viewers and sports fans.” While Smith is “probably not” worth $100M, his absence would have created a “big hole in ESPN’s programming.” Jones: “It might be better to overpay for a superstar who delivers solid programming than not have a superstar at all” (POYNTER, 3/7).
ALREADY CREATING BUZZ: SI’s Liam McKeone noted Smith sat courtside for Thursday’s Knicks-Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena and had “what seemed to be an intense conversation” with LeBron James following the game. Smith addresses the situation on Friday’s “First Take” and said, “That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure I mind what I say about his son.” Smith: “That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent. That was a father. ... Based on some of the comments he had heard, or shall I say I think he thought he heard, he clearly took exception to some of the things he heard me say. He confronted me about it.” Smith earlier this season had a “strong take about LeBron’s son, Bronny, go viral in which he made a plea to James ‘as a father’ to stop allowing Bronny to play in NBA games before he’s ready” (SI, 3/7).
