Stephen A. Smith And The Power Of Race

    Mark Twain once said, “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.” I love that quote! Now, I’m sure some, or most, of you are saying, “Finally! Peter is going to write something autobiographical!!” Not this time. I have something better. You see, Twain’s quote leads me to none other than the face of ESPN, Stephen A. Smith. Mr. Smith, who seems to revel in proving the truth of Twain’s quote, recently said the “Los Angeles Lakers have too many White guys to succeed in the NBA.” Honest! I heard it! You can Google it! Last Wednesday, he mocked the team’s trade for Walker Kessler, pairing him with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

    “Where the hell the Los Angeles Lakers think they are going with a bunch of White dudes?” he asked on his podcast. “Your three top players are White dudes. Really? This is basketball.” He then asked, “In NBA history, when has a team led by three White dudes ever gone to the promised land? Somebody gotta say it.” 

    Ooh! Ooh! Mr. Kotter! I can answer that! Uh, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge. There have never been three guys “whiter” than those three. And they were 3 of the 5 starters (the others being the great Dennis Johnson and the shamefully underrated Robert Parrish) on what is, in my humble basketball opinion, the greatest team (the 1983-84 Boston Celtics) in NBA history. But back to Mr. Moron. 

    Stephen A. (and what degenerate demands that everyone call him “Stephen A.”) then declared, because he doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up (yes, I’m angry), “You ain’t going anywhere with three White dudes. Ain’t no way.” I would like to stress that Smith not only made these comments on-air, but also had his podcast team post the clip on social media. He and his team appear proud of his racist remarks. Like many Black members of the sports media, Smith takes pride in his anti-White bigotry. And that makes me sad. And before some of you prepare your idiotic “Peter is racist,” diatribe…grow up. I hate racism and have written about it for a long time. But I might hate stupid even more. It’s a close call. I’ll have to get back to you on that. 

    Where was I? Oh, yeah. Imagine the outrage if Smith heard someone question how far an NFL team could go with a Black quarterback, Black head coach, and Black general manager. In fact, Smith has long argued that the NFL has overlooked Black candidates at those positions because of racial bias.

    Yet, in this case, he is the one reducing athletes to their race. Apparently, that’s okay, so long as the athletes who are reduced are White. The comments also make Smith look uninformed.

    Luka Doncic led the NBA in scoring this past season at 33.5 points per game. Austin Reaves averaged 23.3 points. Walker Kessler averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds. And while this newly formed Big Three is hardly LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Lakers’ trio compares favorably with the top three players on most NBA teams, including teams led by three Black players.

    More broadly, the idea that White players are inherently inferior no longer matches reality. While the race idolaters, including Mr. Smith, had hoped Victor Wembanyama would surpass him, Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the NBA. He’s White. Cooper Flagg is a highly promising rookie. He’s White. Caitlin Clark, who single-handedly saved the WNBA and is the sole reason the players of that league now sign contracts for more money than they ever imagined, is a phenom. She’s White.  

    This reality seems to bother people like Mr. Smith, who appears uncomfortable with the infusion of White star players in basketball. He’s not alone. Jemele Hill, Monica McNutt and Gilbert Arenas have all made comments suggesting a similar discomfort at various points. I would add Sheryl Swoopes to that list, but as she once famously said, “Black people can’t be racist.” Well, yes they can. Just like degenerate White people can. Look at the racial and hostility that Caitlin Clark faces from Black players and media members on a nightly basis. 

    The worst part is that there are no repercussions for directing blatant racism toward White people. Nothing will happen to Smith. It’s called privilege. But imagine the message ESPN could send by suspending him for remarks that, by any ordinary definition, are racist. It would certainly make others think twice before making similar comments about White athletes.

    Finally, as the sports website OutKick has reported, “First Take” has posted sluggish ratings for months compared to other ESPN programming. Pat McAfee (who might be a bigger jack-ass than Smith) has surpassed Smith as the face of the network. Uninformed, low-IQ commentary like this is a huge reason why. That said, it may not be a coincidence that Smith sounds more and more like the current occupant of the Oval Office. I mean, they both sincerely believe they invented their current occupations, and the similarities in their over-the-top bloviating is also hard to miss. And if either of them possess above average IQs, they are both very good at hiding it. 

    Many people predicted that ESPN could soon regret agreeing to give Mr. Smith a five-year, $100 million contract last year. I suspect that is now officially the case. 

    I really, really dislike writing pieces such as this. Of all the places in our society, sports, which I was involved in for years and forged dear and lasting friendships with people of all races, should be the one place where these kinds of discussions no longer take place. Sadly, it would seem not to be the case. 

Write to Peter: magtour@icloud.com