Stephen A. Smith took another step towards further cementing himself as one of the busiest men in all of sports media by making his debut on Monday Night Countdown ahead of Monday’s matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions.
We already know that a debate-style format as we see on First Take is perhaps where Smith thrives the most. But in terms of how Smith fits in a pregame show setting, which he obviously has experience in as a regular on NBA Countdown, reviews are largely mixed.
Especially last postseason, there were complaints about Smith perhaps overexposing himself to ESPN audiences through is various appearances on NBA Countdown, First Take, and SportsCenter among other shows.
We already know that Smith will be taking on less NBA pregame show assignments this coming NBA season with the addition of the Inside the NBA crew to ESPN. But Smith’s decision to appear on several editions of Monday Night Countdown throughout the NFL season shows that Smith is far from done with pregame show responsibilities moving forward.
Joined by Scott Van Pelt and Jason Kelce to make up the Week 3 on-field panel for Monday Night Countdown, Smith made sure to share how much of an honor serving on the show was to him.
“First thing’s first, honor to be here brother,” said Smith as he shook Jason Kelce’s hand.
“Honor for you?” replied Kelce. “I am sitting here between Stephen A. Smith and Scott Van Pelt. What is happening?”
“Come on now, it’s an honor to do my first Monday night game ever,” added Smith.
Stephen A. Smith makes his “Monday Night Countdown” debut for ESPN. pic.twitter.com/jncDNhXp4W
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 22, 2025
As for how Smith was perceived by the majority of fans watching at home, there were naturally plenty of critics who weren’t overly fond of his analysis and believe that his addition on the show may not be a positive one.
Mr. Smith is not a positive addition to MNF.
— KDM (@kdmurray622) September 22, 2025
Nobody asked for this!
— cowtown5 (@texasoccer5) September 23, 2025
Nobody asked for this https://t.co/5qHZFSRebO
— Brandon Velaski (@bvelaski) September 22, 2025
Stephen A has ruined the MNF Countdown.
He’s turned this in to First Take. I purposely don’t watch that bullshit because everything is about viral clips and clickbait. Don’t want to listen to it on a pregame show.
— MJD (@Baltimore_MJD) September 22, 2025
The problem with Smith taking on as many responsibilities as he has for viewers who may not be his biggest fan is that it is simply hard to escape Smith’s commentary on any and all things sports.
But as the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity. And it is hard to argue that whether you love Stephen A. Smith or hate him, it is hard to argue that Smith is one of the most highly discussed personalities in all of modern-day sports media. So chances are, he likely won’t take his critics’ complaints to heart as he learns the Monday Night Countdown ropes throughout the 2025 season.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.