ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith delivered his latest comments regarding former ESPN colleague Dan Le Batard on Saturday as the longtime sports personalities continue their public war-of-words over the state of sports media.
Appearing on his self-titled YouTube show, Smith looked to clear the air about still being friends with Le Batard, his friend of “over 20 years,” despite their recent spats. However, the 55-year-old reiterated he still didn’t appreciate Le Batard’s perspective, which first made headlines in March after he criticized Smith’s impact on sports media.
“Dan and I have spoken off the air because I went at him before I went on vacation because I didn’t appreciate some of the bulls--- he was saying on his show,” Smith said. “And I still don’t. Just because I don’t like what you said doesn’t mean you’re not my friend. We can disagree and still be friends.”
Smith then doubled down on the stance he first gave during his March appearance on the South Beach Sessions show, where Le Batard blamed Smith and ex-First Take co-host Skip Bayless for influencing sports TV shows to focus more on argumentative debates as a means of entertainment.
“I did not appreciate when he was that saying me and Skip Bayless, he hates what we did to sports television. Acting like he was teaching at Miami U and he wasn’t a part of this industry,” said Smith in another defense of his influence.
A message to @LeBatardShow pic.twitter.com/X0gJJSKy1Z
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 22, 2023
Since March, both Smith and Le Batard, who left ESPN in January 2021, have not hid their views on each other’s pointed opinion.
Smith’s response followed up another brutally honest retort from Le Batard on his show responding to the outspoken analyst’s views and his take on his old ESPN show, Highly Questionable.
“I don’t like what he’s done with sports television, I think he’s helped make it dumber,” Le Batard said July 17. “This has bothered him that I said this to him the last time we talked, and I would like to talk to him in the future, in a way that is conversational and not performative, about how dumb sports debate television has made everything.”
While Smith maintains he and Le Batard are on good terms, his fiery message suggests things aren’t quite over between the two. In addition to bashing his media hot take, Smith blasted Le Batard again for his critiques of ESPN dating back to his days as an employee, calling them “bush league.”
