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The Street

Colin Salao

Stephen A. Smith tops major executives and more in sports media power list

Stephen A Smith Andrew Marchand ESPN Lionel Messi Shannon Sharpe Fox Sports Apple CBS Sports Eric Shanks Jimmy Pitaro

Stephen A. Smith has had another strong year in sports media, and he was rewarded with the top spot on the group's power list.

The New York Post's Andrew Marchand — the prominent sports media columnist who leads in breaking many of the top stories on the beat — on Dec. 18 released his list of the 25 most powerful people in sports media for 2023.

Marchand placed Smith over some of the biggest athletes and executives in the game, writing that the face of ESPN's "First Take" is "on the top of the sports media personality mountain."

Besides the continued success of "First Take" and other ESPN programs driven by Smith, Marchand points out that Smith has "been plotting his next move in plain sight," including his YouTube channel, which has more than 435,000 subscribers.

Marchand has reported that Smith earns about $12 million a year with ESPN, but the five-year deal was signed in 2019, meaning Smith could soon become a free agent.

Smith could opt to stay with the Walt Disney (DIS) -) network; move to one of the many media companies that might be inclined to pay him top dollar to bring over his fans; go the independent route, or find a way to tie them together, as his "First Take" co-host, Shannon Sharpe, has done.

Smith's proved ability to garner an audience on live television and social media — both on a daily basis — makes him an asset that could shift the sports-television landscape depending on where he lands.

Second on Marchand's sport-media list was the soccer superstar Lionel Messi — a choice that may have many observers scratching their heads. Messi's placement there stems from his deal with Apple (AAPL) -) and Major League Soccer, which reportedly includes revenue-sharing from subscriptions and sponsorships.

Messi's arrival to MLS came during the first year of its 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with Apple, which has been considered an early success due to the legendary football player's move across the pond.

Marchand's top five are rounded out by three major executives:

Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports, who is retiring in 2024 but brought the National Football League back to the network in the 1990s;
Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, who brought Sharpe and Pat McAfee into the fold this year and is making headway toward moving the network to a direct-to-consumer package, and,
Eric Shanks, Fox Sports CEO, who helped push four major colleges to the Big Ten from the Pac-12.

Below are the 25 names and titles that Marchand and The New York Post included in their list of the 25 most powerful people in sports media for 2023:

1. Stephen A. Smith, ESPN personality

2. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF forward

3. Sean McManus, CBS Sports chairman

4. Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN chairman

5. Eric Shanks, Fox Sports CEO

6. Doris Burke, ESPN NBA analyst

7. Jay Marine, vice president, Prime Video, global head of sports, Amazon

8. Mark Shapiro, Endeavor and TKO president and COO

9. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs tight end

10. David Portnoy, Barstool owner

11. Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of services