Jeff Pearlman has never been shy to opine about the state of sports media.
And for whatever the reason, Stephen A. Smith’s analysis of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold set the longtime author off.
In a video posted to TikTok, Pearlman showed a clip from First Take in which Smith expressed skepticism that Darnold would be able to replicate his successful Week 1 performance against the New York Giants in a Week 2 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. The Showtime author proceeded to explain why the clip is “perfectly emblematic of what’s happened in media. Also what’s happened at ESPN.”
“I am quite certain Stephen A. Smith knows nothing about Sam Darnold. He’s probably seen him throw 20 passes total. He’s guessing,” Pearlman said. “And he’ll have a hot take on that and then a hot take on that and a hot take on that and a hot take on that. And we have lost nuance in sports media. And we have lost thought in sports media.
“We’ve also lost the ability to say, ‘I probably shouldn’t tackle that subject because I don’t know anything about it.’ Or, ‘Maybe I’ll take this one off because it’s not my specialty.’ He doesn’t know enough about Sam Darnold to offer an opinion on Sam Darnold. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re Stephen A. Smith. There’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘I’m not going to offer an opinion on Darnold because I haven’t seen him enough.’ But we never have that anymore. It’s all about, ‘I think this. I think this. I think this.’… it’s about being loud and being right, even if you don’t know what it means to be right.”
@jeffpearlmanauthor Stephen A. Smith has probably seen Sam Darnold throw 20 passes. Ever. So why pretend to be an expert? (Answer: media is broken) #stephenasmith #samdarnold #espn #nfl #nba #mlb #writersoftiktok ♬ original sound – Jeff Pearlman
It’s unclear what, in particular, about Smith’s analysis set Pearlman off.
While Darnold may have proven him wrong with a strong showing against the 49ers, the First Take star’s stance that Darnold is who he is at this point in his seven-year career seemed more than reasonable. It was also hardly a stretch for Smith to suggest that the former No. 3 overall pick would have a more difficult time against San Francisco’s defense than he did the Giants.
It’s also worth noting that while Smith isn’t a film guru, he was on air with two colleagues — Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky — who have established reputations for their Xs and Os analysis. Smith might not be everyone’s cup of tea — and he clearly isn’t Pearlman’s — but it’s not as if this particular segment was lacking in football acumen.
Is there plenty wrong in sports media? Of course. We are a website named “Awful Announcing,” after all. But while Smith is obviously a polarizing figure in the industry, this was ultimately a fairly harmless example of his contributions to it.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.