ESPN did it again, and this time, the experiment blew up in its face. Already under fire for a string of questionable decisions, the network decided to throw Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith together on Monday Night Countdown and hope the star power would carry the show. Instead, the experiment quickly backfired. Fans tore into the pairing, with Smith drawing the most heat and many questioning why ESPN put him on its biggest NFL pregame stage.

During ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown ahead of the Giants-Rams Week 2 matchup on September 21, Smith’s appearance alongside Pat McAfee quickly drew criticism. “Stephen A. shouldn’t be on ESPN’s main NFL pregame show. He doesn’t know football,” wrote FOX News analyst Bobby Burack. “He’s an NBA guy. This feels like ESPN management trying to show how diverse they are between this, the statement to AA, and the re-hiring of Stan. DEI is back at ESPN as a makeup for firing Ryan Clark.”

In 2025, Monday Night Countdown featured Scott Van Pelt with Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce and Marcus Spears, all backed by real NFL experience.

Smith was an NBA guy at ESPN before he became an everywhere guy. He joined the network in 2003 as an analyst on NBA Shootaround, later NBA Countdown, before expanding into First Take, radio, and other shows. His reach eventually went far beyond basketball, but that is still where his ESPN career was built.

In 2012, ESPN put Smith alongside Skip Bayless full-time on First Take, turning him into an all-sports debate personality. But even as he started weighing in on the NFL, basketball remained the lane that built his ESPN career.

The contrast got harder to ignore after ESPN fired Ryan Clark in July 2026. Clark had been with the network for more than a decade, worked on Monday Night Countdown since 2023, and brought 13 years of NFL experience plus a Super Bowl ring with Pittsburgh.

Then came more controversy. Clark accused ESPN of racism over his firing, and Burke Magnus later brought Stan Verrett back. ESPN has never said the two moves were connected, but the timing only added to the scrutiny.

Burack doubled down by arguing ESPN had several stronger football options already on its roster. He named Kurt Warner, Dan Orlovsky, Peter Schrager, Stacey Dales, Steve Smith, Jeff Saturday, Alex Smith and Field Yates before questioning why ESPN still chose Stephen A. Smith. His takeaway was blunt: “Didn’t earn it.”

And Burack was hardly alone. The post quickly filled with fans questioning why Smith was getting the Monday Night Countdown opportunity in the first place.

“Why in the heck is Stephen A. on Monday Night Countdown???? Get him off my screen!! He has no place on this show and no one wants to see him on it!!” a fan wrote.

“To be fair, he doesn’t know the NBA either; he’s just good at talking and sensationalizing for headlines,” read a comment.

“He’s nothing but a loud mouth b****,” wrote a fan.

“Pulled up the ESPN app to see what’s going on before the game. Stephen A. Smith is screaming about Aaron Donald as he warms up. Couldn’t even make it 5 seconds before closing the app. I’m married to a Latina, I don’t need anyone else yelling at me in my house,” a fan wrote.

Monday’s response had less to do with Smith and McAfee’s individual appeal and more with what happened when their personalities collided. Both are accustomed to commanding attention, but some viewers found the combination overwhelming.

McAfee has already been called out for using too many expletives during his broadcast, while Smith also added to that displeasure with his voice, more so when the fans are aware that his knowledge bank runs dry when it comes to the NFL.