Stephen A. Smith: 'It bothers me when nobody is criticizing me'

By Alex Weprin 

ESPN Radio and ESPN.com columnist Stephen A. Smith does not get bothered when people criticize or attack him. “I let most of it roll off me,” he told us in part two of our Media Beat interview.

“In my heart of hearts, I really don’t give a damn, I cannot emphasize enough how little it bothers me,” he added. “It bothers me when nobody is criticizing me, because then I am not doing something.”

We also talked about how athletes and journalists have become tabloid fodder, and why scandals–like the recent Kobe Bryant fiasco–become such big news.

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“I love when people say, y’all are so negative,” he said. “Negativity sells. Well who the hell is buying it? If you weren’t buying it, we wouldn’t sell it.”


To view this video at YouTube, click here.

Monday in Part I: Smith talks about his philosophy for being a successful journalist.

Wednesday in Part III: Is a Stephen A. Smith talk show coming soon?

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