Stephen A. Smith shockingly reveals being underpaid by ESPN because he's Black

Boston Celtics v Miami Heat - Game Five
Stephen A. Smith claims he is underpaid by ESPN

Stephen A. Smith is one of the biggest faces in the sports media industry. He is arguably the face of ESPN and is one of the most famous sports broadcasters in the world.

He is known to be quite good at his craft as well and earns a significant amount of money for his work. As per reports, Stephen A earns around $8 million a year from ESPN for his endeavors spent across various shows and sports.

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However, Stephen A. recently came out and claimed that he is underpaid as compared to his peers. The First Take star talked about how being black has impacted his window of earnings in the industry.

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As per FOX News, Stephen A. Smith said this about why he is underpaid in the media industry:

"We are still Black in this country. We don’t trust this country in terms of meritocracy always. We know the bottom line is that just like women are underpaid compared to male counterparts, Blacks are underpaid compared to White counterparts,"

Stephen A continued:

"And so when you look at it from that perspective, and of course people look at me, I’m not talking about me even though, I got news for you, I am underpaid compared to some people on television what they get paid, but that’s a subject for another day. I ain’t apologizing for that to a damn soul. I am underpaid. Having said all of that, it ain’t about me."

Although SAS reportedly earns a handsome amount of money from ESPN, he can certainly earn more than that. He is the backbone of that organization, and without him views plummet across boards as it was seen earlier this year.

With Stephen A. now starting a new show called 'NBA in Stephen A's World', we can see him getting an increased pay check from ESPN pretty soon in the future.


Stephen A. Smith ESPN contract in 2022

2021 NBA Finals - Game Three
2021 NBA Finals - Game Three

As per New York Post, Stephen A. Smith earns around $12 million a year from ESPN. His personal salary is to be estimated around $8 million but he also has an additional $4 million given as part of production contract.

Stephen A.'s counterpart Skip Bayless earns around $5 million a year from FOX Sports, while Colin Cowherd earns around $6 million a year from the same organization. However, none of them work as much as Stephen A. works for ESPN, which is why he still thinks he is underpaid.


Stephen A. Smith's net worth (2022)

SiriusXM At Super Bowl XLIX Radio Row
SiriusXM At Super Bowl XLIX Radio Row

Stephen A. Smith has worked hard throughout his life and made his way to the top from absolute bottom. As of now, per Celebrity Net Worth, Stephen A. Smith has a net worth of $16 million.

His net worth is bound to increase in the future as he continues to make more name in the sports media industry and become an inspiration for future generations.


If you use any of the above quotes, please credit First Take and H/T Sportskeeda.

Edited by Shivam Damohe
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