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Stephen A. Smith: ‘I Am A Winner, Bro. I Am Not Trying to Lose’

“I don’t worry about fans. Hell with that. You watch me for a reason. It ain’t the other way around. My attitude is this is my job and it’s what the hell I’m going to do.”

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Whenever Stephen A. Smith is on another podcast or you see him making a guest appearance somewhere, he knows how much of an influence that he is because of who he is and who he represents.

Smith was a guest on the most recent episode of The Pivot Podcast with Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor, and Ryan Clark and told the trio that what makes him one of the most, if not the most influential person in sports media is the trust that ESPN shows in him.

“The biggest thing that makes me influential is the trust that they have in me. When I’m on a podcast or a news network, they don’t worry about me the way they would worry about other folks because they know I understand that I get the big picture,” said Smith.

“I am constantly aware of the fact that I don’t just represent me, I represent ESPN. As a result, I have to take into account what they think and what they feel… They appreciate that because I’m not throwing them into the bowl with me.”

Whenever Smith makes a point during a debate, he is very confident in what he says and it does not matter to him what any fan or player thinks.

“I’m incredibly confident in what I say. Meaning that I pride myself in being a human being,” he said. “I know I’m not trying to get personal and I know I’m just doing my job. I don’t worry about fans. Hell with that. You watch me for a reason. It ain’t the other way around. My attitude is this is my job and it’s what the hell I’m going to do.”

Sometimes, Smith can be hard on athletes for some of the things that they do. However, he says he is trying to protect those athletes from people who try to change their character off of one mistake.

“What I mean by that is I don’t try to protect players from being held accountable for what they do. I try to protect players from being character-assassinated as to who they are,” said Smith. “We have all made mistakes. What I’m not going to do as a black man in a position of influence is allow folks to look at another black athlete… I’m never going to allow somebody to look at y’all and say this is who you are because of something you did.

“For me to get in that position and forget that inherent responsibility that I believe I am supposed to have to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. To provide perspective is very, very important to me. It doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything. What it means is I try to articulate where you are coming from so people can understand that and judge it according to that.”

Even though Smith can show a variety of different moods away from the camera, he knows that when he’s on television, it’s about making sure that the audience is tuning in and stops flipping the channels because they want to hear him.

“I’m a multitude of things. I can be mellow, I can be loud, I can be bombastic or demonstrative, I can be quiet, I can be pissed off and mean as hell,” Smith said. “I can be very jovial and fun-loving. It all depends on what the moment calls for. None of us are truly, truly one-dimensional.”

“What I would tell you about me on television is this. I believe this in my soul. I am a winner, bro. I am not trying to lose. In television, it is about ratings and revenue. My whole position is who do you want to watch when you flip the channels?” he continued.

“When you are flipping through the channels, who are you going to stop and say let me see what this person has to say? In my mind, it is always me because I’m trying to show you that I am passionate and enthused about what we are talking about. I can’t do that if I’m mellow chilling in my house. I am projecting and asking the audience to stop what they are doing to watch me.”

Even though the show First Take was on the rise when Smith was debating Skip Bayless, he told the trio that whenever people would talk about the show to him years ago, he always gave credit to Bayless because in his mind, it was his show. Once Bayless left, it became Smith’s show in his eyes, as talented as Max Kellerman is:

“The moment Skip was gone, it was mine just like when I was there, it was Skip’s,” Smith said. “Once 2016 came, those four years that we were together, go back and read my clips. I don’t give a damn how much my star supposedly was rising. I always made it clear it was Skip’s show because he brought me there. He knew the formula for which the show would work, I followed his lead and I became what I am for First Take because of him.

“The same applies to anybody that comes to First Take now because just like he set the stage for me, I am setting the show for everybody.” 

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Report: NFL to Put Christmas Day Doubleheader Up For Bids

Bidding is expected to start at $50 million among the current NFL media partners but some think the games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

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The NFL will reportedly put its Christmas Day games up for auction, allowing its current media partners to bid for the games. Now, it’s up to CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video to pay up for rights to one of these two marquee games.

According to Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy, preference will be given to linear networks, so Prime Video and Peacock may sit this one out. Bidding is expected to start at $50 million but McCarthy and his sources expect that number to rise. John Kosner, the former ESPN executive, thinks the new Christmas Day games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

The NFL announced a Wednesday Christmas Day doubleheader during its annual league meetings. The league originally said it wouldn’t force games on Christmas Day if the holiday fell on an odd day of the week, though as the NFL continues to put games on days outside of Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, we’re running out of days that don’t feature NFL football.

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Colorado Rockies & DirecTV Reach Agreement to Carry Games on TV

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination for their favorite local teams. We will continue to work with MLB…so fans can get their games.”

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Colorado Rockies

Breathe easy, Rockies fans — you will be able to watch your club on linear TV this year. At the buzzer, DirecTV and the Colorado Rockies agreed on terms to distribute the team’s games throughout its local service.

Starting today, DirecTV Choice subscribers across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Southern Idaho, Western Nebraska, and Northern New Mexico can now watch the Rockies on a special channel simply titled, “ROCKIES.” The games will be available on DirecTV and DirecTV STREAM via channel 683.

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination to get all their favorite local teams,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer of DIRECTV. “We will continue to work with MLB, the NBA, NHL, and other top leagues and their local franchises so the most avid fans can get the games they want while other customers have more choice over the content they want to pay to have in their homes.”

Reports just days ago out of Colorado said there were “no guarantees” the Rockies would not find a TV home in time for Opening Day following the sunsetting of AT&T SportsNet. The only other way to watch the team is to use its direct-to-consumer Rockies.tv streaming service, which fans say is too pricey for a team that lost 103 games last season. Luckily, the team was able to secure a TV home for 2024, though the future is still uncertain.

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Erin Andrews Reveals Infertility Journey in Emotional ‘Today Show’ Interview

FOX reporter Erin Andrews sat down with ‘The Today Show’s’ Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

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Erin Andrews

FOX reporter Erin Andrews shared her story of infertility and surrogacy with NBC’s Today Show. Last summer, Andrews and her husband welcomed a baby boy via surrogate after trying for a decade to get pregnant via IVF, during which she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016. Today, she sat down with Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

Andrews says Welker’s announcement on the Today Show made her think a baby could be possible. “I remember Kristin Welker’s announcement on your show,” Andrews said last year, “and I actually watched that the morning Mac was born, because that just hit me.”

When they finally sat down, Welker asked Andrews why her journey resonated with the sports reporter so much:

“Because I see myself in you. Kristen, the video of you moderating debates after you’re waiting on bad news or maybe you just received it, that’s me. I can tell you every stand-up I’ve done at a football game where I’ve gotten the news that it didn’t work. I’d be talking about Tom Brady going for this record and my record is that I still was failing…I would have chest pains every time I was waiting for the call if it worked, and I knew it wouldn’t work.

Erin Andrews on ‘Today’

Andrews knew surrogacy was the only path to having a child. Although her family’s first attempt failed, her second attempt was a success, and she got to hear her child’s heartbeat for the very first time. The pair discuss the complex emotions that come with surrogacy, saying that bonds with their child could be affected because they didn’t carry their child. However, Welker assured Andrews that those feelings go away once you can talk to your child.

Once her son was born in June, who Andrews called, “a miracle,” she then talks about her child glowingly, talking about how he is just like mom — vocal. “He’s all me,” she says.

Andrews supports Baby Quest, a non-profit that grants money to families in need of IVF or surrogacy to have a baby but don’t have the funds to pursue these expensive treatments. Both Andrews and Welker acknowledged how difficult and unattainable their journies are for some families — and Andrews even used the NFL’s “My Cleats, My Cause” initiative to raise awareness for her cause.

“People don’t need to feel embarrassed that they have a surrogate or are looking for other help,” Andrews said.

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