Name: Kristen Claiborn's review of Straight Shooter by Stephen A. Smith
Item: Straight Shooter
Rating: 4
Author: Kristen Claiborn

Stephen A. Smith

America’s most popular sports media figure tells it like it is in this surprisingly personal book, not only dishing out his signature, uninhibited opinions but also revealing the challenges he overcame in childhood as well as at ESPN, and who he really is when the cameras are off. Stephen A. Smith has never been handed anything, nor was he an overnight success. Growing up poor in Queens, the son of Caribbean immigrants and the youngest of six children, he was a sports-obsessed kid who faced a number of struggles, from undiagnosed dyslexia to getting enough cereal to fill his bowl. As a basketball player at Winston-Salem State University, he got a glimmer of his true calling when he wrote a newspaper column arguing for the retirement of his own Hall of Fame coach, Clarence Gaines. Smith hustled and rose up from a high school reporter at Daily News (New York) to a general sports columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer in the 1990s, before getting his own show at ESPN in 2005. After he was unceremoniously fired from the network in 2009, he became even more determined to fight for success. He got himself rehired two years later and, with his razor-sharp intelligence and fearless debate style, found his role on the show he was destined to star in: First Take, the network’s flagship morning program. In Straight Shooter, Smith writes about the greatest highs and deepest lows of his life and career. He gives his thoughts on Skip Bayless, Ray Rice, Colin Kaepernick, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Cowboys, and former President Donald Trump. But he also pulls back the curtain and talks about life beyond the set, sharing authentic stories about his negligent father, his loving mother, being a father himself, his battle with life-threatening COVID-19, and what he really thinks about politics and social issues. He does it all with the same intelligence, humor, and charm that has made him a household name. Provocative, moving, and eye-opening, this book is the perfect gift for lovers of sports, television, and anyone who likes their stories delivered straight to the heart.

A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes

Straight Shooter

Steven Ledbetter

         I have been a fan of the Dallas Cowboys for as long as I’ve been a fan of football.  When I was a wee lass and discovering football, I lived in New Mexico, so I didn’t have many options when it came to professional football teams.  Everybody was either a fan of the Denver Broncos or the Dallas Cowboys (though we did have a HUGE fanbase for the Raiders as well).  Back then, the Cardinals were still in St. Louis.  I have remained a Dallas fan since then, through the good years and the bad (soooooooooooooooo many bad years), which dictates that I absolutely have to dislike Stephen A. Smith. 

            Smith has been around for a while, and for the most part I can ignore his anti-Dallas rhetoric.  It used to infuriate me, but I have since realized that he really just says what will get him noticed and what will make him more money.  Hating Dallas and Dallas fans has been something I’ve been familiar with since the 1990s (much like now, in the 2020s, everybody hates the Patriots).  Smith claims that Dallas fans are the most obnoxious and that is why he hates them, yet it’s not Dallas that has to grease light poles and clear streets when they win a playoff game.  Let’s think about who really has the most obnoxious fans.  I was pretty curious about his story, hoping to gain some insight as to how he developed such a deep hatred for an NFL franchise, but alas, this book does not shine a light on the origins of his disdain. 

            It does, however, tell the story of a man with the drive of a starving lion.  He was a fan of sports, pretty much all of them, from a very young age, but had few opportunities. He was finally given an opportunity to play basketball, eventually getting a scholarship, then it all fall apart with a knee injury.  He came close to giving up completely, until he stumbled into the world of sports journalism.  He endured a childhood of poverty with an overworked mother and an abusive father, rising to become one of the most well-known voices in sports television. 

            I didn’t want to like anything about his guy.  I’ve actually heard people I know personally quote Stephen A. Smith when they go on rants about the Cowboys and their fans.  He fans the flames of Dallas hatred, and it drives me batshit crazy.  I was ready to read this book and scoff at his entire life, but that didn’t happen.  I found myself inspired by overcoming his father’s BS, the coaches and teachers that told him he wouldn’t ever be successful at anything.  It’s hard to be great at anything when nobody believes you have anything to contribute.  Though there have been some painful (and glaringly public) missteps along the way, he continues to be one of the most well-known faces of sports journalism.  While it seems like he does struggle with close, personal relationships, he is a very devoted and loving father.  After reading about his childhood, it isn’t surprising that he has trouble allowing anybody to get too close to him, except, of course, his children.  His tale is about perseverance, and it is inspiring.  While I have a newly discovered respect for him, that doesn’t mean I have to actually like him. 

Kristen Claiborn

         I have been a fan of the Dallas Cowboys for as long as I’ve been a fan of football.  When I was a wee lass and discovering football, I lived in New Mexico, so I didn’t have many options when it came to professional football teams.  Everybody was either a fan of the Denver Broncos or the Dallas Cowboys (though we did have a HUGE fanbase for the Raiders as well).  Back then, the Cardinals were still in St. Louis.  I have remained a Dallas fan since then, through the good years and the bad (soooooooooooooooo many bad years), which dictates that I absolutely have to dislike Stephen A. Smith. 

            Smith has been around for a while, and for the most part I can ignore his anti-Dallas rhetoric.  It used to infuriate me, but I have since realized that he really just says what will get him noticed and what will make him more money.  Hating Dallas and Dallas fans has been something I’ve been familiar with since the 1990s (much like now, in the 2020s, everybody hates the Patriots).  Smith claims that Dallas fans are the most obnoxious and that is why he hates them, yet it’s not Dallas that has to grease light poles and clear streets when they win a playoff game.  Let’s think about who really has the most obnoxious fans.  I was pretty curious about his story, hoping to gain some insight as to how he developed such a deep hatred for an NFL franchise, but alas, this book does not shine a light on the origins of his disdain. 

            It does, however, tell the story of a man with the drive of a starving lion.  He was a fan of sports, pretty much all of them, from a very young age, but had few opportunities. He was finally given an opportunity to play basketball, eventually getting a scholarship, then it all fall apart with a knee injury.  He came close to giving up completely, until he stumbled into the world of sports journalism.  He endured a childhood of poverty with an overworked mother and an abusive father, rising to become one of the most well-known voices in sports television. 

            I didn’t want to like anything about his guy.  I’ve actually heard people I know personally quote Stephen A. Smith when they go on rants about the Cowboys and their fans.  He fans the flames of Dallas hatred, and it drives me batshit crazy.  I was ready to read this book and scoff at his entire life, but that didn’t happen.  I found myself inspired by overcoming his father’s BS, the coaches and teachers that told him he wouldn’t ever be successful at anything.  It’s hard to be great at anything when nobody believes you have anything to contribute.  Though there have been some painful (and glaringly public) missteps along the way, he continues to be one of the most well-known faces of sports journalism.  While it seems like he does struggle with close, personal relationships, he is a very devoted and loving father.  After reading about his childhood, it isn’t surprising that he has trouble allowing anybody to get too close to him, except, of course, his children.  His tale is about perseverance, and it is inspiring.  While I have a newly discovered respect for him, that doesn’t mean I have to actually like him. 

Steven Ledbetter &
Straight Shooter by Stephen A. Smith

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Steven Ledbetter &Straight Shooter by Stephen A. Smith

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Steven Ledbetter &
Straight Shooter by Stephen A. Smith