Keith Olbermann offered ESPN an ultimatum: silence Stephen A. Smith or fire him.
Olbermann uploaded a video detailing his orders Monday, including a meandering 393-word caption. In short, he called upon ESPN to take immediate action after Smith appeared on Fox News last week.
"WHY ESPN MUST EITHER SILENCE OR FIRE STEPHEN A. SMITH: Its longstanding policy - no, you can't be a sportscaster on one station and an advocate for a presidential candidate on another station - is right. I know: I helped to author it because the day when you (or I) could straddle both worlds is long gone," started Olbermann.
For background, Sean Hannity asked Smith about polls demonstrating the growing support for Trump among black voters. Smith attributed the trend to black Americans relating to how the law has been weaponized against the former president.
"By Donald Trump’s statement weeks ago, talking about how he’s hearing that black folks find him relatable, because what he’s going through is similar to what black Americans have gone through. He wasn’t lying," Smith told Sean Hannity.
"He was telling the truth. When you see the law enforcement, the court system, and everything else being exercised against him, it is something that black folks, throughout this nation, can relate to."
You are likely wondering at what point during the segment Smith "endorsed," as Olbermann stated, Donald Trump. Here's the catch: he never did.
In fact, Smith is open about neither supporting Trump nor planning to vote for him.
He simply answered the question Hannity posed with analysis supported by polling. Anyway, Olbermann wants him fired for that.
Secondly, ESPN allows Smith to discuss politics on Fox News (and other cable news networks, like CNN) because he negotiated a clause in his contract that allows him to operate a political/cultural podcast outside of ESPN. In doing so, Smith bypasses ESPN's standard booking restrictions.
Olbermann didn't have that clause in his contract during his several stints at ESPN. Most commentators don't. Stephen A. Smith does because he has leverage over ESPN, as the biggest drawing card at the company.
Notice below the logo behind Smith during his appearance on Fox News. Notice how the chyron reads "Host of the Stephen A. Smith Show" and not "ESPN Host."
Thirdly, Olbermann promises that he'd insist on the same ultimatum if Smith "were campaigning for Biden." Hmm.
So how come Olbermann didn't call for Stephen A's job when he appeared on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation program last month and criticized Trump?
Likewise, Olbermann had little to say when ESPN contributor Pablo Torre mocked then-Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on MSNBC late last year.
KO only screeches about ESPN's tolerance for political discourse when it involves Sage Steele (a moderate conservative) or Smith (who, occasionally, departs from the pre-approved liberal orthodoxy).
Lastly, there was a time when Olbermann could inflict real damage on one's career.