The NASCAR Teams and Drivers Rip Stephen A. Smith for Saying Drivers Aren’t Athletes
What’s Happening? The NASCAR world didn’t take long to respond when Stephen A. Smith dismissed stock car drivers as “not athletes.”…
After a controversial week following an episode of his show on SiriusXM where he said that NASCAR drivers aren’t athletes, Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith doubled down on his take and specifically addressed comments from three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano.
When Stephen A. Smith took the stance that NASCAR drivers were not athletes, few expected the ESPN veteran to back down from it.
While he made it clear that NASCAR and auto racing are sports, that does not mean those competing are athletes, and that some drivers can be athletic while others are not.
This week, returning to the topic, Smith again backed his own stance, while, granted, backing up the fact that NASCAR is a sport.
Still, the 58-year-old did not stop there, with one target in his sights: 2018, 2022, and 2023, NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano.
After the viral episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, Logano was one of many industry members who pushed back at Smith’s comments, saying in an interview, among other things, “Listen, I think people like that have to make comments to stay relevant. Right? And that’s like part of their game.”
As part of his fiery response to Logano, whom he said he didn’t know “from a can of paint,” Smith said that Logano is a great driver and is allowed to oppose him, but why does that mean what he said was for attention?
“You’re 35 years of age. You’re a three-time champion. You’re great at what you do, bro,” Smith said. ” If you want to disagree with me, let me help you, and you help me make the world a better place. Why can’t I just have an opinion about NASCAR? Why do I have to be doing it to stay relevant?”
Smith then listed his own accomplishments, telling Logano to “Google” him, saying that he is not worried about his job or his place in the world of sports media.
“I need to say something to be relevant? Do I look like somebody that needs to be relevant? I am relevant! I have a show that airs nationwide every weekday for two hours on radio. After I have a national, number one morning show on television for two hours, every day, for the last 14 years. What are you talking about? This is the problem. Can we grow up?” — Stephen A. Smith
In closing out the discussion, Smith again reiterated his stance, this time to Logano directly.
“I’ve been in this business for 33 years. You’re 35. That means I was here since you were two years old, just removed from diapers,” Smith said. “Pump the brakes, bro. Calm down. Nothing but respect for you and the sport, I just don’t believe it requires you to be an athlete to participate in it.”
While Smith has his fair share of supporters and a few detractors who agree that drivers aren’t athletes but that NASCAR is not a sport in and of itself, much like last week, this latest batch of comments struck a nerve with the NASCAR industry.
For one, fans have pointed out that Smith has actually interviewed Logano for his ESPN show First Take, and, in other posts, fans noted that Smith calls Denny Hamlin “Hamilton,” which some have taken to be confusion about F1 legend Lewis Hamilton and Michael Jordan’s co-owner of 23XI Racing.
Fellow SiriusXM host Dave Moody, who works for SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, invited Smith “down the hall” to get “educated” on NASCAR.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe joined in as well, tagging along with a video of him shooting baskets on an Arcade machine, making a joke of the entire situation.
While Smith may be one of the most well-known commentators in the world of sports, many have also pointed out that the conversation had died down a bit, only to be brought back up by Smith himself.
What’s Happening? The NASCAR world didn’t take long to respond when Stephen A. Smith dismissed stock car drivers as “not athletes.”…
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