MoviesNewsTalk
Stephen A. Smith is a notable sports commentator and personality known for his direct, outspoken opinions. He has also gained some fame in media outside sports from various commentary. Recently he made comments which created wide reactions from several different communities that follow his various public appearances.
In his role as a media personality he is known for opinions on sports events. During a recent show his discussion with Travis Kelce on pop culture and sports merged when talking about Taylor Swift's concert. However other avenues were discussed with new takes regarding his current political viewpoint and that created discussion beyond sports.
Smith confessed to seeing Taylor Swift's show which he thought would not be his preference until it was all said and done. He shared with Kelce during a segment that he took his two daughters and ten of their friends which lead him to paying close to 20k . Despite his financial input he did state it was so great he went twice and now identifies as a “Swiftie” as part of that conversation.
A large change for the commentator included publicly voicing his frustrations with the past election and specifically towards the Democratic party. He claims the left tried to guilt him and others into voting and that he felt pressured.
Smith also shared an incident which was that former president Barack Obama seemed to suggest that misogyny was the reason Black men were not voting for Kamala Harris. The host found these statements to be offensive and also not a reality within his own personal experience and what was known.
Smith was vocal in his understanding of Donald Trump as they have known each other. Having conversations over phone or at events showed that their shared interactions were different than the image that was presented. Some views of the Trump administration's goals, such as “making America Great again” were ones that did resonate with Smith which caused him confusion in how to see himself during the most recent election.
The opinion also took a shift with how some people approach identity politics by questioning how often people are grouped and generalized without truly being looked at individually and more specifically at their situations which lead to individual choice and action.
It’s important to highlight that with these types of commentary it allows a space to discuss where people have different points of view. It created a situation for more thought and discussion about where people stand in the public realm, where some may find it refreshing while others find it jarring due to previous established perspectives from different people from different view points across the political spectrum.
Some people see Smith as making a point for people to view their vote as something important with careful consideration to the political platform, while others may see a strong bias from the host which then causes further conversations surrounding that point.