Stephen A. Smith, Pat McAfee Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
By Matt Yoder on

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Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee are unquestionably the two most important and most visible people at ESPN. It’s hard to turn on ESPN these days and not see one of them talking loudly at you at any hour of the day.

So it’s only natural to compare the two and how their personal empires have grown to the point where they have arguably become bigger than ESPN. And the jockeying over who has the lead in the horse race to be the face of the network is always going to be intriguing to watch.

But despite all their success, their multi-million dollar contracts, and what appears to be the ability to do whatever they want on the network, Stephen A. Smith knows there is at least one key difference between the two.

Pat McAfee owns his own stuff.

In an interview with the new Front Office Sports Tonight program, Smith sat down for an interview with host Matt Iseman. He talked about the independence McAfee has in licensing his content to ESPN, which he doesn’t have at First Take.

“I have to give respect and praise where it’s due. This is a man who bet on himself. I don’t think it’s fair to be compared to Pat McAfee. Pat McAfee has a level of independence I’ve never had. He owns his own platforms. He leases that to ESPN. I’m employed by ESPN because ESPN owns First Take. Pat McAfee, when he says he’s his own boss, he truly is his own boss. They are not his bosses. He is his own boss. That’s the model. And he deserves a lot of respect and a lot of credit for that,” Smith said.

The direct relationship between the pair is fascinating. Reports of an “explosive” argument between the two in 2024 described a behind-the-scenes disagreement at the network. And although the pair have both played nice in public, they have rarely, if ever, been seen together on the network since.

But Stephen A. Smith is right that Pat McAfee plays by a different set of rules at ESPN. And to a degree, he’s certainly earned it with his meteoric rise in the industry. But it’s also allowed him to step through a number of controversies unscathed. And ESPN has become so beholden to him as a personality that he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, wherever he wants. In many ways, the network is even shaping its broader direction in McAfee’s image.

You can’t help but wonder whether Smith’s new setup, where he has built his own platform and media company, is inspired in part by the freedom McAfee enjoys. Smith can now step into politics or any other subject away from First Take and ESPN airwaves. However, he’s still an employee of the network. Even his immense power there has limits. We’re still waiting to find out if the same is true with McAfee.

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