There’s no love lost between Stephen A. Smith and Dallas Cowboys fans. That’s by design and it’s a rivalry that probably won’t end anytime soon.
Just like former debating partner Skip Bayless, Smith is obsessed with the Cowboys, though for very different reasons. While Bayless (kinda) roots for the Cowboys, former Philadelphia newspaper columnist Smith seemingly despises Dallas and takes every chance he gets to revel in their misery when they lose.
Smith dreams of doing Dallas even dirtier. Per a recent chat he had with USA Today, the host of First Take and The Stephen A. Smith Show says he has a deep-seated desire to produce an episode of his podcast in “Jerry World” and talk smack directly to Cowboys fans’ faces.
“One of my dreams is to do a show from the parking lot of AT&T Stadium during a tailgate party, before the game,” Smith recently told USA Today Sports.
Just to make sure there was no confusion about where he stood, Smith dug the knife in even further.
“Their fans are the disgusting, nauseating fanbase that gets on my last damn nerves,” said Smith. “I don’t think there is anything that’s really sane about them.”
That said, the Awfulies winner for Best Sports Debate Personality of 2023 also insists that his jabs are “all in fun,” and that Cowboys fans are “arguably the greatest fanbase in sports,” giving away the game a bit.
Talking Cowboys remains good business for Smith, First Take, and ESPN. Despite the complaints about the overabundance of segments dedicated to “America’s Team,” the numbers don’t lie. So Smith always has a vested interest in making sure Cowboys fans are worked up about him, so he can justify being worked up about them, whether they’re good or not.
If he ever does do a podcast from the AT&T Stadium parking lot, we do hope Smith considers putting up some plexiglass or hiring a few security guards. Maybe he’s just doing a schtick, but there are probably more than a few Cowboys fans who don’t know that or care. Take, for instance, one Cowboys fan he met in an airport once.
“I had an old Black lady in her 70s come up and punch me in the arm like I was Felix Unger from the Odd Couple,” Smith said. “(She said), you leave my Dallas Cowboys alone. It was adorable; what are you going to say?”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.