Many laughed when they first heard Stephen A. Smith say he might run for president. Some see him as an annoying, though imminently watchable, ESPN personality who would never get elected to a public office. But we also laughed when Donald Trump said he would seek the office back in 2015.
I’m sure others laughed when Ronald Reagan, a B-level actor at best, said he would run in 1975. Both Trump and Regan not only ran but won their elections handedly. Maybe it’s time we take Mr. First Take seriously.
This past weekend, Smith appeared on ABC’s This Week and made it clear that he was not playing about running for office. “I have no choice, because I’ve had elected officials…coming up to me. I’ve had folks who are pundits come up to me. I’ve had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires and others that have talked to me about exploratory committees.”
This doesn’t mean he will run. An exploratory committee is a step on the path to running, but it is an indication that he is looking seriously at entering the Presidential race….and I can’t blame him. There are two clear reasons why he could be a formidable candidate.
Smith is incredibly famous. People may hate or love him, but they know who he is…and that’s half the battle when running for president. Name recognition is incredibly powerful when seeking office. If he ran for a House or Senate seat, he would absolutely win. Hell, Hershel Walker ran for Senate and had a solid chance of winning his race despite saying nonsensical things on the campaign trail and having multiple baby mamas.
So to imagine ESPN’s most prominent star winning is not a stretch. We are living in a world where a reality TV star is the President of the United States. Why couldn’t a sports commentator occupy that seat?
For starters, Smith would wipe the floor with anyone he verbally goes toe to toe with. He does a sports debate show on television for two hours a day five days a week. Don’t underestimate how valuable that kind of experience would be on a debate stage. Ever since 1960 when John F. Kennedy embarrassed Richard Nixon in a debate, Presidential campaigns have been largely television productions. No one knows television better than a man who has been on it daily for over 20 years.
There is a lot to like about Smith when you look at what he does away from television screens. He is a proud graduate of an HBCU. He advocates relentlessly on behalf of these institutions. He has repeatedly spoken out against police brutality directed toward Black folks. He is a promoter of Black businesses, and he does not pull punches when he is in conversation with people he disagrees with.
Let’s take Stephen A. Smith seriously. He’s annoying, but we could do worse. Just look at who’s in the White House.