Being a sports debate show with various personalities trying to put forth their point, at times ESPN’s First Take opens a whole new can of worms. Something very similar happened this Monday when while dissecting Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter’s flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark. Monica McNutt accused Stephen A. Smith of his imbalanced sporting coverage, saying, “Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to”. While the vet was taken aback by the claim at that moment and was left speechless, he revealed his side of the story with an unfiltered take on his podcast later that night.

Addressing the allegations on The Stephen A. Smith Show, the analyst reminded McNutt and the world how frequently First Take has covered women’s sports and their issues while giving several women from the field an opportunity to work at the show, “Ever heard of Monica McNutt? You have now, because she’s on First Take a lot… I’ve sat back for years and taken a lot of sh*t from people… it is highly offensive to me when somebody implies or flat-out states like Monica McNutt did… which was factually incorrect.”

Then, listing out the talented women who contribute to First Take including Chiney Ogwumike, Andraya Carter, Molly Qerim, and more, Stephen A. revealed he is the one who handpicked the show’s crew as the Executive Producer of the show. Proud of the diversity it has, he was highly offended by McNutt’s accusation, “I challenge anybody to find a show in sports television that discusses women issues… WNBA… that highlights and profiles women analysts more than First Take.”

Even WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert herself made an appearance on First Take recently and thanked the show for the way it has helped promote the women’s league. While no love was lost between Smith and McNutt, the veteran analyst claimed McNutt put out a false narrative because of her lack of information. “First Take has spearheaded diversity and equity,” Smith added in the show’s defense. “I will always support her…it is by far the most disappointing moment I ever had with her,” he concluded.

Was Stephen A. Smith’s original point lost in McNutt’s allegations?

Before Stephen A. Smith was left speechless on the show by Monica’s comments, he was trying to explain how the women in the WNBA are failing to identify the opportunity that Caitlin Clark’s arrival has opened up for them. And Smith further dove into the point on his podcast. Ever since the star rookies Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and more have entered the WNBA, the veterans of the league have not had a very friendly approach with them during games. Hitting them with hard unnecessary fouls leading to flagrant calls and even ejections it seems like the rookies are being tested every step of the way.

However, deeming that behavior as resentment and jealousy because of the attention Clark and Reese are getting from the world, Stephen A. wanted the vets to realize that the rookies’ success would eventually benefit them as well. “The rising tide lifts all boats.”

Then, talking about the superstar potential in Clark, Smith told the WNBA players, “This girl right here is a box office attraction… Look at the big picture!” While there have been many legendary players in the past who have paved the way for Clark to do her thing, the attention she has brought to the league is unprecedented. And that was evident from the moment Clark stepped foot in the WNBA. With 2.4 million viewers tuning into ESPN to watch this year’s draft, Clark’s arrival became the most-watched draft in WNBA history.

Even of the four games that have crossed the 1.3 million viewership so far, three of them have starred Clark despite her team being the second-worst team in the league. Smith told the players who have been in the league for a long time to realize that they should reap the benefits of this opportunity rather than trying to hinder Clark’s rise to stardom. Do you agree?

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.