June 4th 2024.
It's not often that someone can leave sports analyst Stephen A. Smith at a loss for words. However, fellow analyst Monica McNutt did just that when she called out Smith's coverage of the WNBA on a recent episode of ESPN's First Take. On Monday, June 3rd, Smith was joined by McNutt and Shannon Sharpe as they discussed the backlash over a controversial foul in a WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever.
During the 40-minute segment, Smith expressed his frustration over not receiving enough credit for his coverage of the WNBA compared to other sports shows. McNutt then accused him of making a big deal out of hard fouls in the league. In response, Smith asked, "Who talks about the WNBA and women's sports more than First Take?" to which McNutt replied, "Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted." Smith was taken aback and responded with back-to-back "wow"s.
The exchange quickly gained attention on social media, with fans offering mixed reactions on which analyst was in the right. Some viewers pointed out that Smith has been showing the WNBA more love than other platforms, but also acknowledged that it's difficult to force topics onto an audience that may not be interested. Others agreed with McNutt's point, stating that the league has missed out on marketing opportunities by not having their storylines and narratives debated on popular shows like First Take.
Later that day, Smith addressed the situation on his own show, The Stephen A. Smith Show, where he doubled down on his argument that he and female analysts like McNutt have been responsible for bringing more attention to the WNBA in recent years. He even jokingly stated, "You ever heard of Monica McNutt? You have now, because she's on First Take a lot."
However, fans called out Smith for his response, saying it was a "terrible look" as it seemed like he was taking credit for launching the careers of female analysts instead of understanding McNutt's point. McNutt's original point was that the WNBA has always had a "welcome to the league" moment for new players, which is a common occurrence in other professional sports as well. But the discussion around Chennedy Carter's foul on Caitlin Clark has been blown out of proportion and has painted the league in a negative light.
Shannon Sharpe invited McNutt onto his Nightcap podcast with former NFL player Chad Johnson to give her the opportunity to fully explain her perspective, which she did eloquently. As McNutt stated, she's not new to this and is true to her beliefs and opinions.
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