A sports analyst and commentator who is described by Deadline.com as “one of the Worldwide Leader’s most popular and polarizing personalities” has signed a new multi-year deal with ESPN.
The deal will keep Stephen A. Smith in place on the popular ESPN2 sports debate show “First Take,” where Smith regularly battles with Skip Bayless.
“Smith will continue to appear regularly on the mothership’s signature ‘SportsCenter’ and on numerous other programs and platforms,” the report notes. “He also hosts ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show,’ a weekday program on SiriusXM radio.”
Smith has been with ESPN since 2003, when he signed on as an NBA analyst and reporter.
Said John Wildhack, executive VP of Programming and Production for ESPN: “Stephen A. is one of the strongest and most distinct voices in sports commentary today, and he will continue to enliven a wide variety of ESPN television and audio offerings with his thought-provoking takes on the news of the day and topical issues where sports and culture intersect.”
I thought for certain that this article was going to be about Keith Olbermann…