Former ESPN host Jason Fitz criticizes Stephen A. Smith, calling him “one of the least prepared people” he’s worked with. Edit by Liam McGuire, Comeback Media.

We get it. You’re probably tired of reading our opinion on someone else’s opinion about Stephen A. Smith’s opinion.

But it’s firmly in our wheelhouse whenever former — or current — ESPNers take shots at the most talked-about man in sports media. This time, it’s Jason Fitz. A few weeks ago, it was someone else. And a few weeks from now, it’ll probably be someone new.

Michelle Beadle, for instance. Unbeknownst to the former SportsNation and Get Up co-host, Smith maneuvered his way into her and Cody Decker’s SiriusXM time slot without so much as a heads-up. Beadle hasn’t hidden her feelings since, saying flat-out that she doesn’t respect him.

We’re not here to litigate Beadle’s case. But she’s far from alone. There’s a growing chorus of people, Fitz included, who share her lack of reverence, especially when it comes to Smith’s thoughts on the Home of the Blues.

After the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, Smith claimed NBA players don’t feel safe in Memphis. That didn’t go over well. Bane pushed back. So did Ja Morant. So did the city’s mayor. Even Bill Simmons weighed in, saying he “power walked everywhere” during his visit.

Smith’s take, however, found support from a very different crowd, namely, a MAGA-aligned politician in Tennessee. Undeterred, Smith doubled down, citing FBI Director Kash Patel’s remarks to paint Memphis as the homicide capital of the country. And while Smith has since accepted the mayor’s invitation to visit the city, it wasn’t before lobbing a few daggers he can’t exactly take back.

And this week, one came right back at him. From yet another former ESPNer.

Jason Fitz, who joined ESPN in 2016 and went on to host a slew of radio shows — including College Football Daily, Spain and Fitz, and Fitz & Harry — was part of the network’s much-maligned 2023 layoffs. He’s since landed on his feet with Yahoo Sports and Fox Sports Radio and remains grateful for what ESPN did for his career.

Stephen A. Smith, however? That’s a different story.

During an appearance on 92.9 ESPN in Memphis earlier this week, Fitz made it clear he wasn’t buying what Stephen A. Smith was selling. He questioned how Smith, who hardly spends any time in Memphis, could speak so confidently about the city’s culture and safety.

Fitz began by acknowledging Smith’s effectiveness as a media personality, particularly his ability to generate attention and engagement. But he contrasted that with what he called a serious lack of preparation behind the scenes.

“Stephen A. is one of the least prepared people I’ve ever worked with in my entire career,” Fitz quipped.

Reflecting on his own time at ESPN, Fitz said that during his final fall with the company, he was clocking around 80 hours a week producing content across various platforms. Even then, keeping up with everything happening in sports was a real challenge.

Using that as a reference point, Fitz questioned how Smith — whose visibility is even more demanding — could possibly have time to form informed opinions about Memphis.

“Now, Stephen A. is busier than I ever was. We see him making content 24/7,” Fitz said. “So, I guess my question to people in Memphis is: how much Memphis do you think he’s actually absorbed? And I mean all of it. Memphis culture, Memphis basketball. What the hell does Stephen A. know about the city of Memphis? And the answer to that is only what his friends or his people on his phone, tweet him, or text him. That’s all he knows. He is so separated from actual reality. What does he know?”

Fitz argued that Smith’s take on Memphis was less the product of firsthand knowledge and more the result of a pattern of forming opinions based on filtered, secondhand sources that reinforce surface-level narratives.

“Stephen A. walks and talks and lives and eats and breathes stereotypes,” Fitz said. “That’s all he knows… Frankly, he has to talk about the city of Memphis because my guy hasn’t watched a single Memphis basketball game in probably three years.

According to Fitz, Smith depends heavily on a team of researchers and producers who feed him talking points to keep his on-air takes passable. But in Fitz’s view, that pipeline can only go so far when the person delivering the commentary doesn’t have time to engage with the material himself.

“Stephen A. has a staff and info group that feeds him information so that he can have somewhat informed opinions, and they’re usually not because he works too hard to actually watch any games,” Fitz claimed.

And in Fitz’s eyes, Smith might be the loudest voice in the room — and sports media — but when it comes to the city of Memphis, he’s just shouting into a void he hasn’t bothered to understand.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.