Stephen A. Smith has elevated ESPN to the top of sports broadcasting.

Stephen A. Smith

With superstars of the game signing $300 million contracts, the days are finally here when athletes are joining the super-rich leagues. Alongside them, sports broadcasters have also seen their pay rise over the years. After all, their debates and coverage of the said NBA stars are one of the reasons for the meteoric rise of the league as a whole. Enabling the likes of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith to command a record-breaking deal of his own.

Front Office Sports writer Michael McCarthy covered the negotiations the long-time analyst is engaged with ESPN and its parent, Disney. He eventually revealed the figures Smith has been looking for.

Sources have relayed that his new compensation could eventually come in between $20 million and $25 million per year over five years, compared to five years, $90 million for Aikman, five years, $85 million for McAfee and five years, $75 million for Buck. Michael McCarthy wrote

With that 5-year $125 million contract, Stephen A. Smith will leapfrog everyone to become the highest-paid sports broadcaster. A deserved deal for the New York native for all his work. Stephen A. Smith has single-handedly elevated his shows to the top of the ratings charts. Of course, he has the help of moderator Molly Qerim. But where Smith shined is in his push to bring in Hall of Famer turned analyst Shannon Sharpe onto First Take. He also pushed for the likes of Pat McAfee to get a deal with ESPN.

It is not just in his debates that he captivates audiences. Rather his decisions as executive producer have helped the company continuously establish itself as the best sports network. McCarthy stated that the universal belief is that Smith deserves this record-breaking deal.

Stephen A. Smith has risen from the bottom to the top

The now 56-year-old’s first tryst with journalism started when he was playing basketball for Winston-Salem University. One of his articles’ happened to call for his head coach to be fired. His logic was the failing health of his head coach. However, that started his journey as a sports journalist.

After getting writing gigs for publications, he also dabbled in radio broadcasting. Then he got his major breakthrough when he was hired by ESPN to host one of their radio shows. His both thoughtful and wild takes helped him garner a spot on television. However, some of his comments received a lot of backlash and even strained his relationship with ESPN.

He left the company once, then was hired back. He was even suspended for his controversial comments. Even then, his work has contributed to ESPN’s success. Something that has helped him garner the reputation of being one of the best debaters in sports broadcasting. A reputation that helps him command such a massive salary.