As part of the ongoing discourse surrounding the WNBA, Stephen A. Smith has opened himself up to criticism in an attempt to champion how women’s sports are discussed on ESPN, First Take, and other platforms. While that’s led Smith to be called out by fellow commentators like Monica McNutt, it’s also led to him being called by former players like Sheryl Swoopes and Sue Bird.
Right in the thick of things, Smith and Shannon Sharpe were called out by the former Seattle Storm legend and current part owner for “hating” on WNBA’s playoff ratings.
“These numbers are still really high, and they are still really meaningful,” she says. “And they still show and tell a story of the viewership that is being gained in the WNBA. And yet, some people continue to flip that.
“Those people, I’ve seen Stephen A. Smith talk about it. I’ve seen Shannon Sharpe talk about it. What I don’t understand is they work for ESPN. So why are you hating on a business you are in? It’s not that they can’t be critical of certain things. They can have their opinions. But I don’t understand the framing of that.”
Smith didn’t understand the framing either, and that’s why he used his platform on The Stephen A. Smith Show to take aim at Bird while being as respectful as possible, of course.
“To be quite honest with you, I’m disgusted,” began Smith in an impassioned 11-minute rant posted to his YouTube channel. “I’m disgusted with Sue Bird…As a matter of fact, one of the best people that I’ve ever met…in professional or collegiate sports — I love her. But I didn’t appreciate this article that I read when It came to her talking about yours truly.
“Because you see, far be it, this is the headline(s), y’all, ‘Sue Bird called out ESPN host for ‘hating on’ WNBA playoff ratings after Caitlin Clark’s exit.’… Really? This is where we have to go?”
Smith displayed the quote on screen before saying, “I’m going to dial it back and be as respectful as I can possibly be. Once again, Sue Bird is a champion, Hall-of-Fame caliber, and a beautiful person. I am a huge fan of her as a person and a player; one of the great pleasures I’ve had is interviewing her in the past. I’m only addressing her points about me and what she said in relation to the whole Caitlin Clark story.
“Respectfully, Sue Bird, you are inaccurate — it is just that simple. First things first, we cover sports, right?… I think we cover sports. So, if somebody got arrested, I can’t bring that up? When Britney Griner was taken prisoner in Russia unfairly, we didn’t touch that? When Ray Rice got in trouble, we didn’t touch that? When Rae Carruth did what he did — that was a crime; he was convicted of killing the mother of his unborn child — did we cover that? When ratings are through the roof, are we going to cover it? When Damar Hamlin nearly died on the field, did we cover it?
“Go outside the world of sports, the pop and entertainment world, they ain’t talking about P Diddy? The Hollywood Reporter ain’t talking about him? TMZ ain’t talking about him? Entertainment Tonight ain’t talking about him? CNN ain’t talking about him? CNBC ain’t talking about him? What are you talking about? The story is the story, Sue Bird!”
Smith wants to know exactly what he and his First Take counterpart in Sharpe were guilty of.
“You know everybody like Jon Stewart, who I love, by the way, calling Monica McNutt on his show,” said Smith. “She rolling out there like they just made a big-time movie, and she’s a guest rolling up on late-night television. Why? Because we got in an argument about the WNBA…What was Shannon and I saying? We was saying, ‘Do y’all see these numbers?’
“Thanks to Caitlin Clark, Indiana led the league in attendance both at home and on the road. The Indiana Fever — nobody cared about them — averaged 17,035 with Caitlin Clark and over 15,000 in arenas on the road. Four teams moved home games to bigger arenas when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans. I’m not finished; attendance for the entire league is up nearly 50 percent, according to data from across the timeline. And Indiana leads all teams with an average attendance of 17,035 — up 319 percent from a year ago. All other teams still grew by double-digit percentages, but not like that.
“And then we said, merchandise sales are also up 450 percent for the WNBA, according to Fanatics. And Clark was the top- selling player and is fifth amongst athletes across all sports. Fanatics also reported a 100 percent increase in sales for WNBA-specific merchandise.
“What’s the problem, Sue Bird? I know that you gave her props, and you acknowledged how phenomenal she was in terms of a draw. What Shannon Sharpe and I were guilty of saying was that not enough folks were appreciating it and riding the tide. A rising tide lifts all boats. People weren’t doing it — not you, not most of the league, but some. Was that not proven by the way Sheryl Swoopes acted? We showed it to you. Now, stories were exaggerated, stories were embellished… We know some of it was excessive. We also know that some members of her fanbase can be racially insensitive, dare I say?
“We know all of that. Guess how we know? Because we covered it. We’re in the news business. What do you mean, ESPN? Because I work at my day job on ESPN, I’m supposed to ignore the facts? I’m supposed to ignore the astronomical impact she has had compared to others. How Team USA was stupid for not putting her on the team to make sure you help uplift the sport even more? Don’t y’all want a greater profile? Don’t y’all want more notoriety? Don’t y’all want more hype?”
His rant went on for four more minutes, but you get the point.
Ultimately, Smith’s frustration with Sue Bird stems from feeling misunderstood.
He made it clear that he had nothing but respect for Bird as a player and a person, yet he couldn’t hide his disappointment over her remarks. Smith was “disgusted,” not by her as an individual, but by what he saw as misrepresenting his intent.
But, for him, being accused of “hating” on the WNBA playoff ratings felt like a direct attack on his credibility.
