Listeners of Mad Dog Sports Radio got a little more than they bargained for yesterday, when Stephen A. Smith golf and NASCAR rant crossed some lines. When Smith was talking about LeBron James ‘ longevity in the NBA, a caller brought up Richard Petty and his lengthy career in NASCAR. Smith pushed back against this idea.
“You can be behind the wheel of a car in your 60s and 70s for crying out loud. A golfer is not an athlete. A NASCAR driver is not an athlete. Just because you gotta walk the course for 18 holes for four days, that don’t make you an athlete.” -Stephen A Smith
On top of being factually wrong about both sports, Smith’s rant also reveals how far sports media has fallen.
What’s Wrong With Stephen A. Smith Golf, NASCAR Rant
NASCAR does have an image that its drivers are not legitimate athletes, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. During races, drivers have to deal with high heat levels inside the car, insane G-forces, constant bursts of adrenaline, and persistent strain on upper arm and shoulder muscles. This physicality makes winning regularly in the sport difficult, which is why Tyler Reddick winning five of the first nine races this season is special. Driving at the top level of motor sports is one of the most physically (and mentally) taxing things that a person can do, and it doesn’t get talked about enough when the sport gets covered.
The fact that Smith included golfers in this discussion is wild, considering ESPN has been glorifying Tiger Woods throughout his career, and his athleticism was a massive part of his game during his prime. Professional golfers aim to strengthen their core and improve their mobility and flexibility with their workout regimen. They do this to get more consistent, powerful swings. History-making moments like Rory McIlroy winning back-to-back Masters tournaments don’t happen if golfers aren’t committed to improving their game physically.
Smith’s rant was either willfully ignorant, facetious, or both. Golf and racing are physically demanding sports, certainly more challenging than whatever most of the NBA starters were doing at the end of the regular season. It’s hard to know what Smith’s point in this discussion was, other than to create a sound bite and react to the reaction the next day on First Take for content purposes. He has done so much damage to the sports media industry, as someone who makes $40 million per year to spout off nonsense every day, while everyone else has to grind to make a fraction of that.
These types of attitudes towards sports topics have been plaguing sports media for a while now. Smith has turned ESPN into a debate network, with actual sports journalists being let go left and right. The only things that fans get after consuming ESPN content are highlights, sound bites, and vitriol, and that has had an impact on other sports news outlets. With streaming services taking over how fans watch games, it has never been a more hollow experience to experience sports.
