Pablo Torre explains why Stephen A. Smith has unmatched power in sports television

Stephen A. Smith enjoys an unmatched position in American media. But Pablo Torre wants to spare a thought for those that may have been left behind.

Appearing on the Consensual Concussions podcast with Joe Budden, Pablo Torre opened up about the unique position that Stephen A. Smith has at ESPN, where he has the power to be a kingmaker at the network and has maximized every bit of his drawing power.

When Torre was asked about what happened to Molly Qerim after her abrupt departure from First Take, and the cryptic way that Smith addressed it, he said that Smith is the most powerful person in televised sports.

Torre also touched on Smith’s relationship with others at ESPN, his recent feud with Michelle Beadle, and some fascinating overall thoughts on the current state of the sports media industry.

Joe Budden asking Pablo Torre about his relationship with Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim leaving ESPN First Take. They also talk about Michelle Beadle and her thoughts on Smith doing all the shows and is that a fair assessment since he gets the ratings. Via Joe budden Patreon pic.twitter.com/8zM4HdWiKl

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“I think Stephen A. is acutely aware of his VORP [value over replacement player]. He knows, and he’s priced it at $100 million or whatever it is. He’s like, you take me out of that show, you don’t have a show. Everybody else though, pretty much like, just let me be the GM and the player,” Torre said. “No one has the power that Stephen A has in sports television from that perspective. He staffs the show, he picks the players on the team. He is the star of it. That’s his.”

It’s not to say that Smith doesn’t deserve it. You can say what you want about his television persona, his judgment, his political forays, or what his rise has meant for the overall industry, but his work ethic is unmatched and he is obviously a huge cross-cultural star. There’s a reason why he’s landed cable news roles, radio jobs, and even acting gigs. Most importantly, ESPN sees incredible value in his presence, otherwise they wouldn’t have handed him a nine-figure paycheck while also giving him the freedom to build his own independent media empire.

But as Torre points out, when Godzilla is allowed to freely roam Tokyo, there are inevitably some buildings that are going to be smashed along the way. After working 10 years at First Take with Smith, Molly Qerim was quickly discarded and not even afforded the opportunity of a television goodbye.

“What’s frustrating for anybody who worked at ESPN and sort of felt like, I’m on the team too, is that there’s a pretty brutal math problem that I think Stephen A. is happy to do in which he’s like, we can find someone to play that role. And that sucks. I like Molly a lot, that sucks. And I don’t know the interior monologue or the back and forth on that, but Stephen A. has been extremely consistent in being pretty brutal about what his own value is and what people’s value is in comparison. Like, it’s not close,” Torre added.

While Smith rose to prominence on First Take opposite Skip Bayless, he has crafted the show completely in his image, which helps when he also serves as executive producer. The result is a continually rotating cast of personalities where Smith can remain the one true constant, increasing his power and influence even more.

“Stephen A. was like, I can do this Mortal Kombat totem pole style. I can just debate whoever you want, over and over again, rotating them in and out. He doesn’t need an equal co-partner. He doesn’t need a host who is the host that needs to be permanent. He is the sun of that solar system and no one else has a job like that in sports television.”

As Pablo Torre said, those sentiments aren’t necessarily meant to be automatic criticisms of Stephen A. Smith. But they are a reality of the present situation at ESPN where the network has given the First Take star more power and a bigger platform than maybe anyone in their history. It’s ironic because the First Take audience itself isn’t truly that big, it only draws about 500,000 viewers.

But the way that Smith has used that show to launch his podcast, his own media company, his political career, and appear on major ESPN coverage from the NBA Finals to Monday Night Football shows how strategically he has worked over the years to set himself apart.