A sports figure entering a United States election is not unheard of, and one broadcaster did not rule out the possibility about one day putting his hat in the ring for presidency.
Stephen A. Smith appeared on Paul Finebaum’s radio show on Tuesday, and did not dismiss the idea. However, he did state that he has “no desire to ever be a politician, [to] ever run, but I would tell you I’ve lost so much respect from the nonsense that I see taking place on Capitol Hill” that he’d consider running if enough people told him he could win.
“If I thought that I could win, yeah,” Smith said. “I would have told you, ’Hell no. No way in hell’ years ago. I was a father out of wedlock. Obviously, when you think about the standards that were once held in the White House, I’m pretty damn good but I’m not perfect. And those imperfections obviously would be highlighted when … American citizens are relying on you to institute and implement policy that would affect their lives. So I would have told you once upon a time hell no.
“But when I see some of the things that has transpired, I can honestly tell you that even though that answer would still be no … if enough people came to me and said to me, ’Stephen A., you have a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States of America,’ I would strongly, strongly consider running.”
As Finebaum pointed out, Donald Trump was a reality TV show host and Ronald Reagan was an actor before both became President. Smith said he’d consider running because “I would know how to act” and “I would think about America.” He added that “of course I’m a Black man so I would think about the Black community, but I have always prided myself in stating, ‘I’m not just about Black appeal. I’m about mass appeal.’ And everybody in America would matter.
“And whatever it took to make this country better is what I would do.”
In the same segment, Smith made a bold proclamation about this year’s college football season—Alabama will go undefeated and win the national title. Although in the world of politics (and sports) anything can happen, it’s probably more likely that Smith’s prediction of the Tide’s return to prominence comes true than the broadcaster’s political ambitions.
