STEPHEN A. SMITH SAYS HE’LL WHIP ALL DEMOCRATS — AS ESPN GIVES HIM $100 MILLION

The sports network is beyond desperate, paying off the “First Take” yapper with an all-time contract yet allowing him to say he “can beat them all” in 2028 — and making the chairman look foolish

In my Thursday interview with Front Office Sports, I repeatedly mentioned Stephen A. Smith. I said “Around The Horn” turned mushy and must leave the air in May, losing ratings well into hundreds of thousands. Further, I said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro abandoned political talk years ago and prefers a thorough embrace of sports, led by Smith’s big mouth.

I did not mention how our “ATH” ratings, during my era, were bigger than any number generated by Smith on “First Take.” And I didn’t mention how Smith dominated a pickup basketball game in Chicago, before he was STEPHEN A. Basically, I said he is the only network employee who rules the opinion roost, knowing Pat McAfee is licensed for $85 million and should be dismissed for referencing Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett and describing Canada as a “terrible country.”

So what happened later in the day? Smith signed a five-year contract extension for at least $100 million and is allowed to appear on other non-network programs — to discuss politics. Whoa. Is Pitaro phonier than his predecessor, John Skipper, who turned shows into anti-Trump melees and was dismissed after a cocaine incident? When he took over in Bristol, Pitaro said, “This is not a political organization. We are a sports media company.”

Now, he is jumping into the morning DreamCloud with a pundit who might run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. Smith does not take Pitaro seriously except for his name at the bottom of his check, having said recently, “You can’t let one person get away with (talking politics) and not let the other person get away with it. The rules have to be for everybody.” We’d better get used to Smith addressing President Trump with Sean Hannity — on Fox News — and via his individual podcast. On “The View” this week, Smith said he’ll soar as the eventual Democratic favorite in three years.

“I can beat them all,” he said.

He says he is “not qualified” to be the president, but so what? Asked host Sunny Hostin: “What does that say about the Republican Party?”

“It’s about what it says about the Democratic Party!” said Smith, claiming the party is “catering towards others and other issues and forgot about the people that brought them there.”

This is about laughable desperation at ESPN. First Pitaro sinks into gambling and lets ESPN Bet slide into Debt. Now he’s turning loose Smith against his own morals. Is Sir Robert Iger still thinking about him as the Disney Company chief? Or, might Iger opt for Smith instead of Pitaro? I am not kidding. “When it comes to sports, I find him to be really insightful. When it comes to politics, he don’t know his ass from a hole in the ground,” Democratic strategist James Carville said.

What’s awkward and debilitating about ESPN is that only Smith rampages. The other shows, linked with the NFL and NBA and college football, rarely say boo. “ATH” was allowed to bash Trump years ago with Jemele Hill and Michael Smith, which brought down ratings. Stephen A. says what he wants at all times. He says Democrats “suck” and adds, “I mean that citizens, particularly on the left, are desperate. And I mean it: I think I can beat them all. And I have no desire whatsoever to run for office. I am not a politician.”

Is he worth $100 million, or $20 million a year? Tony Romo makes $18 million a year through 2030 at CBS. Joe Buck makes $15 million a year at ESPN. Bob Costas, the best of the all-time bunch, made $7 million annually when he retired at NBC. Tom Brady? He is the one sportscaster who makes more, at Fox, with $37.5 million a year.

And he is allowed, as a part-owner of the franchise, to run the front office of the Las Vegas Raiders. So Stephen A. Smith is allowed to run for president.

Did I mention our “Around The Horn” ratings beat his?

Often.

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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.