Stephen A Smith says he argued with Michael Jordan about whether NASCAR drivers are athletes
Stephen A. Smith saying that NASCAR drivers are not athletes has long been one of my favorite stories.
There’s someone who makes a blatantly wrong assessment and then takes immediate action.
The great and the bad of sports media all rolled into one package.
THE NASCAR DRIVER WHO BLOODED AFTER THE HORRIBLE DAYTONA ACCIDENT HAS HARD WORDS TO STEPHEN A. SMITH
NBA star and NASCAR team owner Michael Jordan reportedly called Stephen A. Smith to explain why NASCAR drivers are athletes. (Scott Kinser-Imagn Images and Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
But I thought that if there was one person who could reach Stephen A. and show him a mountain of evidence as to why NASCAR drivers, and racing drivers in general, are not just athletes, but high-level, highly trained athletes, it would be Michael Jordan.
But I would be wrong.
Stephen A. has been called out on this issue by drivers like Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, who have offered their own in-car fitness tracking information as evidence. So Smith, being the savvy media personality that he is, brought this to his show.
That’s when, according to him Terrible AnnouncementHe received a call from Airness.
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If you don’t know, Jordan is a longtime NASCAR fan and currently co-owns 23XI Racing, one of the hottest teams in the sport, with current Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin.
Of course he could talk some sense into Stephen A.
Stephen A. Smith speaks onstage during the 2025 ForbesBLK Summit at the Ray Charles Center for the Performing Arts Morehouse College on October 9, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images) (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
“You know who wants to correct me about the NASCAR thing? Michael Jordan,” Smith said on his SiriusXM. “Michael Jordan. I argued with him! Because that’s how I feel! I’m being honest. That’s how I feel. That’s it, it’s not a crime. That’s what makes radio and sports talk.”
Okay, so not at all.
I mean, people are entitled to their own opinions, but when someone says “Here are a few dozen reasons and examples of why you’re wrong” and you stick to your guns, you’re just causing a hassle.
ESPN commentator and executive producer Stephen A. Smith is on set in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX on February 7, 2025. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
But remember, the person who is under attack throughout this entire process is Stephen A.
“Aren’t you paying attention to what we call gang mentality?” Smith asked. “The one where everyone in my line of work jumps on popular opinion and gets lumped in with the vast majority of people who feel the way they do? That’s easy. The hard part is, ‘I’m standing here and I really feel this way, and here’s why.'”
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It’s not common for NASCAR drivers to be athletes.
It just is.
