Stephen A. Smith gets what he wants. And it sure does help to have direct access to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. While very few executives can call the boss directly, Pitaro barely minds when Smith does so. After all, the man with all the hot takes cost him a ton of money. One could say the same about Pat McAfee. But this narrative has taken an unexpected shift in the light of the recent layoffs at the broadcasting company. 

ESPN’s wave of layoffs continues to fuel debate about how the network treats its biggest personalities. This time, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand raised a compelling argument that the network seemingly handles its marquee stars differently from the rest of its talent roster. He offered a blunt assessment of the network’s current hierarchy. 

“There’s rules for Stephen A., there’s rules for Pat McAfee, and then there’s a different set of rules for everyone else,” Marchand said on his podcast. “And I think there are. I mean, Ryan Clark learned that, I think, in this situation to some degree.” 

During his commentary, Marchand specifically called Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Tom Pelissero, Karl Ravech, and others the “real victims” of ESPN’s layoffs. On the other hand, he branded Smith and McAfee as the “fake victims.” His characterization seems to be based on the notion that the network’s top-tier stars enjoy significant contractual protection and internal influence, unlike Clark and others. 

NFL biographer Jeff Pearlman had a similar opinion. Taking to TikTok, Pearlman shared a rant slamming McAfee for indulging in gambling talk on the Pat McAfee Show. McAfee claimed that he got insider information about LeBron James’ free agency destination from Shams Charania and reportedly placed a wager. 

“ESPN just laid off a bunch of people, real reporters, real journalists, people who take this seriously,” Pearlman said. “And we’re listening to Shams, who’s their NBA insider, on the show with the guy talking about how he used information that he received on his show from people involved with his show to gamble on where LeBron James is going.”

However, Marchand’s reasoning seems to center around leverage and security. His comparison perfectly highlights the reality of ESPN’s current, star-driven strategy. As Jemele Hill highlighted earlier this week, ESPN has started building around the massive draws of McAfee and Smith. 

Hill claimed that ESPN and other media houses used to invest in developing their in-house shows. But that’s no longer the case. Because The Pat McAfee Show already functioned as a highly successful, plug-and-play unit with a massive digital following, ESPN licensed the show while allowing McAfee to retain total creative control over his own production. 

The ESPN layoffs happened after Disney acquired NFL Network. The deal gave them a 10% equity stake in ESPN. But Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, told Front Office Sports that the decision around the layoffs was based on a careful evaluation of the company’s collective teams, resources, and organizational structure. 

Whether one agrees with Marchand’s assessment or not, his comments have added another layer to the ongoing conversation surrounding ESPN’s business model. 

How did Stephen A. Smith react to Ryan Clark’s firing?

Smith was unhappy with the firing.

Reacting to the incident earlier this month, he shared: “It hurts. It really does. I understand the business. I understand layoffs come. I understand that there have been other names that have been a part of it in the past and there’s going to be names in the future. Hell, one of them might be mine.

“I want it recognized for the record, how much I’m gonna miss this brother, how much I appreciate this brother, how sad I am that this brother is gone from ESPN. And I’m not going to have the absolute pleasure of working with him for years to come.”

What made it shocking was the fact that Clark got to know about it during ‘NFL Live’ on July 20. He couldn’t finish that episode and broke his silence a day later on social media. And while many well-known names have reacted to the incident, Pat McAfee had to defend himself against the growing scrutiny.

Pat McAfee was blamed for ESPN layoffs

It is no secret that McAfee receives a massive check from ESPN. Suddenly, social media narratives turned on him, suggesting the company had to fire others to be able to afford him. It goes without saying that McAfee didn’t like that.

“Obviously, this is terrible,” he said on Tuesday. “We don’t like that, but we are very honored that we are still partnering with ESPN and Disney for the good of sport for the future, and I hate this.”

Further, he added that during the previous layoffs too, his show had been blamed. 

“I feel like you don’t fully understand budgets and where things are coming from, but I do appreciate that. This time, we’re getting blamed, as well, which I guess I can understand. But, I mean, there’s billions and billions of dollars in these companies, and hard decisions have to get made, and we don’t like any of them, and we hope we’re an asset to the company going forward.”

Clark was the most prominent name to be let go by ESPN. Other names include Karl Ravech and Tom Pelissero.