It’s getting spicy at ESPN headquarters.
Social media was buzzing after the tense exchange between Stephen A. Smith and Monica McNutt on ESPN’s “First Take” Monday morning.
Discussion around the WNBA at ESPN has significantly increased this year, largely due to the impact of Caitlin Clark and the 2024 rookie class. This surge in coverage raises the question: should ESPN have amplified WNBA coverage sooner?
During a “First Take” segment, ESPN analyst Monica McNutt challenged co-host Stephen A. Smith for not sufficiently covering women’s sports in the past.
“Who talks about the WNBA, who talks about women, who talks about women’s sports more than First Take?” Smith posed during the show.
“Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to,” McNutt responded, prompting a surprised “Wow” from Smith.
Smith has now fired back at McNutt on his personal podcast, and he didn’t hold back.
“Ever heard of Monica McNutt? You have now…she’s on First Take a lot…I’ve sat back for years taken a lot of sh*t…Highly offensive when somebody implies or flat out states like Monica McNutt did…factually incorrect”
You can watch the full video here.
Regardless of the context, it’s undeniable that women’s basketball is drawing more interest than ever before and it will be interesting to see if McNutt offers a reply to this.
