Stephen A. Smith usually has an answer for everything. It doesn’t matter whether he’s right. However, even the ESPN broadcaster isn’t immune to committing occasional blunders. This time, it happened during a unique broadcast from Brazil, as Smith’s attempt at inclusivity backfired.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“What’s up, everybody? Do you see the field behind me?” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on September 24. “Here’s what I have to tell you, Bom dia. That’s “good morning” in Brazil, because that’s where your boys are. I’m in Brazil; I’m not in America. I’m here today, living in the Maracanã Stadium in Brazil. That’s the name of it, okay? I got my Brazilian people here with me; they’re telling me what I’m saying, right?”
Smith took a trip to Brazil to cover the NFL’s international matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens at the Maracanã Stadium. While his energy was on top, he confidently said ‘Bom Dia’ in Brazil. The only problem is that there is no language called ‘Brazil,’ as pointed out by Awful Announcing.
The people in the South American country mainly speak Portuguese. According to publicly available data, around 95% to 97% of the country’s population speaks the language. Rather than ‘Brazil,’ Smith should have said ‘Portuguese.’ The video was clipped online, and the ESPN broadcaster got called out by the fans.
In his defense, Smith could say that he was referring to ‘Brazil,’ the country, rather than the language, while saying ‘Bom Dia’ means good morning in the nation. However, even before the viewers could react, the host of his own show pointed out Smith’s blunder. “Stephen A. is in Brazil, and suddenly Brazilian has become a language. I didn’t know until today!” First Take host Shae Cornette said during the show.
Rather than addressing the blunder, Smith just moved on to discussing the game. Beyond the desk duties, ESPN has utilized Smith’s trip to heavily promote the NFL’s expanding international footprint. He has had a busy itinerary. He made a guest appearance at the local ESPN Brasil newsroom to collaborate with South American sports anchors.
Moreover, Smith toured the famous Museu do Futebol museum to understand the soccer-rich history of Brazil before American football took over the stadium turf.
The Cowboys and the Ravens are scheduled to face each other on September 27 in Brazil. As stated, it’s part of the NFL’s International Series, which has now become a key affair in the regular-season calendar of the teams.
To start Week 1, the Rams and the 49ers traveled to Australia to play a game in Melbourne. Future international sites also include games in Ireland and France. Within the continent, the NFL has already expanded its roots in Mexico and Brazil. In Europe, Germany and the UK have also hosted several games.
As the NFL schedules an increased number of international games, it also provides broadcasters like FOX, CBS, and ESPN with an opportunity to introduce their audiences to these new countries. However, this needs to be done in a sensitive manner, as a blunder like Smith’s can happen.