ESPN undervalues Stephen A. Smith with $18 million offer

Posted on June 22, 2024 by angelo

ESPN undervalues Stephen A. Smith with million offer

Negotiations between Stephen A. Smith and ESPN appear to be underway, with the world leader’s latest offer coming in at $18 million. Although this massive figure represents the largest payday for any talent at ESPN, longtime ESPN host and writer Dan Le Batard believes it’s not enough for the First take host.

In the last episode of The Dan Le Batard show with StugotzLe Batard described Smith as “the modern-day Howard Cosell” and predicted that ESPN would have to increase its offer to surpass what Smith can do going it alone.

“It’s not just going to be about money. He’s going to want power and a bunch of other things, because he’s the modern-day Howard Cosell, whether you like it or not,” Le Batard said. “And beyond sport, he has ambitions of conquest because he casts a wide net, going to Fox, ensuring that the audience is as wide as possible as he moves towards the lever of negotiations. Because he can do it alone for over $18 million. He doesn’t need ESPN.

This week, John Ourand from Puck reported ESPN’s $18 million offer. Ourand also indicated that Smith’s representatives view the production deals with Pat McAfee and Omaha Productions as points of comparison more than as talent contracts.

So while an $18 million salary would make Smith the highest-paid talent at ESPN, he wants more. Previously, Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg noted that a sticking point between Smith and the network could be whether Smith could offer his growing digital show as part of a package deal.

“I find it interesting that in this day and age, the person who is at the top of our profession is now being offered, apparently, at ESPN, the highest salary for a talent in the history of the company” , said Le Batard. “It used to be for Jon Gruden at $6.5 million, but the explosion of everything that’s happened has made everyone realize that all of these talents are extremely undervalued. Even though all of those who listen to this would think it’s ridiculous that anyone makes so much money doing this nonsense that people can do.

Smith has all the leverage, given ESPN’s pressure to retain a loyal audience as it evolves into a digital-focused company and ultimately tries to build a paying subscriber base for its direct-to-consumer product. First take is a huge draw, and Smith is the most recognizable face in the company.

(The Dan Le Batard show with Stugotz on YouTube)