Stephen A. Smith claims too many non-players act like they know it all

Stephen A. Smith knows he didn’t play professional sports, and claims to lean on that self-awareness when speaking with athletes.

After spending Friday morning debating sports with ex-pro athletes Cam Newton and Ryan Clark on First Take, the trio moved to Smith’s Mad Dog Sports Radio show on SiriusXM. Near the end of their segment, Smith said he watches the NFL as a spectator, but it’s Newton, Clark, Marcus Spears, and others who taught him the game.

“When I walk in on a set or when I walk into an arena. I’m proud and my chest is sticking out and I know I know what the hell I’m talking about,” Smith said. “Because not only did I do my homework, I talked to the people that know.”

However, according to Smith, not every non-athlete in sports media is as self-aware as he is, with a willingness to credit former athletes for the knowledge they possess.

“Unfortunately, on too many occasions, cats that didn’t play, they want to act like they knew it all on their own, when it’s impossible. I will never disrespect an athlete by acting like I know what people who actually did it know,” Smith insisted. “I don’t know more. I know what I know. I can come at you from a scribe, from a pundit, from a commentator’s perspective. But I never disrespect, I always make sure you know, I don’t know what you know.”

Smith, Clark, and Newton did not connect this discussion with ESPN’s Peter Schrager in any way. But it’s worth noting we’re just two weeks removed from Clark calling Schrager out for bringing his “non-player” view to Get Up. Perhaps it’s just happenstance that Smith, Clark, and Newton were now discussing the non-player versus former player perspective, but they were aware of how much the topic had blown up two weeks ago.

Smith similarly brings a non-player view to ESPN; he just claims to be self-aware about it. But that same self-awareness didn’t stop Smith from saying he would have “swung on” LeBron James after their altercation during a Lakers game earlier this year. It hasn’t stopped him from mocking Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard. It also hasn’t stopped him from threatening Kevin Durant and Tiki Barber.

So, yeah, maybe Smith won’t disrespect an athlete by acting like he knows what they know. However, he will disrespect an athlete by acting as if they don’t know what he knows.