Most weekday mornings, Stephen A. Smith sits in a studio in New York and spends several hours filling ESPN’s airwaves with a steady stream of righteous indignation. There is “First Take,” the debate show he hosts, then a national radio show and appearances on “SportsCenter.” Smith bellows, he gesticulates, he furrows his brow, all in service of the take.
The Dallas Cowboys lack mental toughness.
LeBron James can never surpass Michael Jordan.
The most fiery of these opinions invoke a sense of outrage — or blasphemy, to use one of Smith’s favorite words. And the theatrics extend to the digital realm, where in a series of recent tweets, Smith turned his attention to Washington Wizards star John Wall.