Introduction
Stephen A. Smith is the sports media’s brightest shining star, despite never having played professional sports himself. While many top analysts have been pro athletes in their time, Smith stands out as an exemption, making his professional start as a journalist, and now shines brightly as ESPN’s golden boy.
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The face of ESPN’s top debate show, Smith hosts ‘First Take,’ and also appears as an analyst on the network’s NBA pregame show ‘NBA Countdown.‘ He is now even branching out, making an identity for himself outside of ESPN with his own ‘The Stephen A Smith Show.’
Stephen A. Smith’s Broadcast Media Origins
Smith started his journalistic career in print media with the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News and Record, and the New York Daily News, eventually making his way to the Philadelphia Inquirer and reporting on the 76ers for the Inquirer’s NBA column.
In 2003, he joined ESPN and worked on ESPN Radio in the mid-2000s. However, he was let go in 2009, making a move to Fox Sports Radio. In 2011, his broadcast career really took off as he started appearing alongside Skip Bayless on ESPN’s debate show ‘First Take.’ The bold and often controversial debates between the two helped make the show what it is today and bolstered their popularity.
How Did Smith’s Partnership With Skip Bayless Help Make Him One of the Faces of Sports Media?
Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless took ‘First Take’ to new heights, setting the groundwork to make what the show it is today. While they were constantly at odds due to the bold and affirmative personalities of both analysts, Sharpe has credited Bayless for reviving his career.
Talking to Shannon Sharpe, Smith once said about Bayless, “No matter how problematic he can be, the reality is that I wouldn’t be where I am today if he didn’t give me that opportunity on ‘First Take…For me to insult him in any way is just disrespectful.”Smith and Bayless had a dynamite partnership, firmly establishing them as the sports analyst icons.
While the partnership lasted less than four years, it significantly impacted ESPN, the predominant force in sports media, spawning numerous imitators and sparking extensive debates about the nature of television and cable news. Both of them like to summarize their relationship as such: “We always love each other. We rarely seem to like each other.”
Now, Stephen A Smith has a new budding partnership with former tight end Shannon Sharpe, who previously also had a stint with Skip Bayless on FS1’s ‘Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.’
What is Unc Shannon Sharpe’s net worth?
Stephen A Smith and Shannon Sharpe now host First Take together, with Sharpe becoming a permanent fixture in September. And they seem to get along better than they ever did with Skip. Much like Smith, Sharpe’s broadcast career was bolstered after his partnership with Skip Bayless, which again ended explosively.
After leaving Undisputed, Shannon Sharpe launched his own podcast called ‘Club Shay Shay,‘ which has blown up since then for Sharpe’s explosive interviews. His interview with the comedian Katt Williams became a viral sensation, where Williams went off on almost half of Hollywood’s comedy scene. His recent interview with former football star Johnny Manziel gave an insight into all the things everyone’s been wondering about his downfall.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Shannon Sharpe has an estimated net worth of $14 million. Per Spotrac, Sharpe earned $22.3 million across 15 seasons and two teams. His successful career as a sports analyst has further bolstered his earnings and net worth. In 2021 Sharpe also launched “Sharpe by Le Portier,” a premium cognac in partnership with Le Portier.
Is Stephen A. Smith worth more than Shannon Sharpe?
A vet in sports broadcast journalism, and ESPN’s brightest shining star, Stephen A Smith has done pretty well for himself financially, considering his humble beginnings in print media. Per CelebrityNetWorth.com, Smith’s net worth is $20 million. So yes, he is worth more than Shannon Sharpe.
This largely comes from his massive contract with ESPN which he signed in 2019. According to the New York Post, that contract was worth a reported $12 million per year for five years. However, Smith has ambitions bigger than this and has expressed his desire to be the highest-paid personality on ESPN. He has even hinted that Shannon Sharpe could be his successor.
