Most viewers assumed that Stephen A. Smith’s 20-minute cameo on Monday Night Countdown last week was a one-off special appearance. Little did the football world know that ESPN was running a pilot test around the sportscaster. Now, he’s expected to return as a panel member for the Monday Night Football pregame show. But not everyone is a fan of that news.
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“Stephen A. Smith is returning to ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown,” Front Office Sports announced on X. “Smith is expected to appear on three or four episodes of the pregame show this season, an ESPN spokesman confirmed to FOS.”
Smith has expressed his desire to get behind the Monday Night Countdown desk a long time ago. As a native New Yorker, Smith idolized Howard Cosell and aspired to cover the NFL in the same style.
“I don’t want to insult the legacy of the great Howard Cosell, who’s somebody that I idolized,” Smith told Front Office Sports during ESPN’s Media Day two years ago. “But that’s what I want to do. When I think about the NFL, I’m not talking about being in the booth with Troy Aikman and Joe Buck. You don’t mess with that chemistry; you leave that alone. But I’m unapologetic about what I want. I would love to be a part of Monday Night Football.”
ESPN heard that request and debuted Smith on Monday Night Countdown in the 2025 season. He appeared thrice on the show alongside Scott Van Pelt. Following Pat McAfee’s debut in Week 1, Smith is expected to join the panel for the MNF pregame show.
But most people seemed disappointed at the news. And they fired shots at the network for putting Smith and Pat McAfee all over ESPN’s productions.
“You got to be kidding me. I gues its all about Stephen A Smith and McAfee. Wow, how ESPN has gone from bad to worst,” one fan wrote. “@espn no one wants to see @stephenasmith stop with that #s—,” another fan added.
It’s worth noting that ESPN witnessed its biggest Week 1 Monday Night Football viewership this season. The number averaged around 23.2 million viewers as the Kansas City Chiefs secured a 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos. But now, several fans have claimed that they’d tune out of the show because of Smith’s addition.
“This is awful news. We have to put up with mcafee, now this loudmouth? I wont be watching,” one fan commented. “I would usually turn the pregame on a little bit prior to the game. I absolutely will not be doing that now @espn,” another fan wrote.
Meanwhile, a few fans decided to bring in a bit of humor while resisting the network’s decision. They argued that Smith is a better analyst for basketball, not football.
“I have a 5 year old Irish Doodle dog named Jovie,” a fan commented. “She has better MNF insights than Stephen A does in any given week.”
However, through First Take, Stephen A. Smith has shared his football analysis with his audience quite a few times. And with his experience around the NBA’s pregame show, some fans expect him to entertain them with football takes as well.
“The guy carrying ESPN on his back,” a fan wrote, in support of Smith.
ESPN seems to be gambling that star power outweighs traditional analysis. It’s a move that could seriously alienate their record-breaking Monday night audience. Nevertheless, Smith finally secured the Howard Cosell-style NFL platform he always wanted.