Stephen A. Smith’s HBCU Underdog Story
From the classrooms of Winston-Salem State University to starring on national television, Stephen A. Smith has one of the most iconic rises in sports media. Today, Smith is the star of ESPN’s First Take, and makes appearances on other EPSN programs such as Get Up, NBA Countdown, & SportsCenter.
Smith also hosts his own podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, and published his memoir Straight Shooter last year. However, prior to making 12 million dollars a year and being the face of ESPN, Stephen A. Smith almost was on the path to becoming an electrician.
Per Smith in his memoir, he majored in electrical installation in high school.
“My assignments ranged from chancing light bulbs to installing outlets and other electrical equipment. It excited my mother because there was always something in the house that needed to be fixed and she was more than happy to let me experiment on small jobs. It spared her having to pay an electrician.” he said.
Smith didn’t stick on the career path, however. He found himself continuing his basketball pursuits. A year removed from high school, Smith Joined the Winston-Salem STate basketball team by scholarship following an unreal workout for legendary basketball coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines. During the workout, Smith “hit 17 straight threes, and that that was that,” per his comments in an interview with HBCU Times.
Unfortunately, Smith’s playing days were cut short due to injury. Yet, Smith still graduated from Winston-Salem State with a degree in Advertising and communications and speaks glowingly about his time there.
“Life at an HBCU was a revelation. I was surrounded by Blackness…proud Blackness. At Winston-Salem there were black kids that were well-off, black kids who weren’t, and everything else in between. Yet, It felt like all of us were there to handle our business, aspiring to get a college degree.”
Given Smith’s athletic background, it came as no surprise that he fell in love with sports writing.
Smith Wrote for publications such as the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News & Record, and the New York Daily News early on.
One of Smith’s most interesting early articles was a story that he wrote calling for the job of his NCAA Champion and Hall of Fame Head Coach Clarence Gains. Smith bravely penned the article while also currently playing for coach Gaines. On “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Smith stated that the school chancellor wanted him expelled, but Gaines came to Smith’s defense.
A few years later, Smith’s major breakthrough came while writing for the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1994. Smith spent nearly 20 years as a general sports columnist and NBA columnist for the Philadelphia 76ers.
As Smith became a reputable writer, he also continued to refine his craft outside of print journalism.
Smith hosted his own self-titled radio show between 2005 and 2008 on ESPN Radio. During this time, Smith additionally hosted Quite Frankly with Stephen A Smith, a sports news and commentary show on ESPN2. Smith continued to climb the ladder in sports radio with additional radio stints with Fox Sports and Sirius XM. However, Smith’s fiery hot-take style seemed destined for television.
After Joining First Take as a commentator alongside Skip Bayless, Smith’s career began to reach unreal heights. Since joining the show in 2012, Smith has been the sole constant on the show despite the show’s constant fluctuation of on-air talent.
Today, Smith has grown into one of the most popular faces in all of sports media. First Take is currently the most popular show on ESPN today, even surpassing SportsCenter. Stephen A Smith. brings an extremely passionate and unique style to sports television that has granted him longevity. Regardless of whether people agree or disagree with Smith, they still watch him.
Now a multi-million dollar man, it is safe to say that Stephen A. Smith is the ultimate HBCU success story.
The post Stephen A. Smith’s HBCU Underdog Story appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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