Stephen A Smith has never been shy about the fact that he doesn’t follow some sports as closely as others. Sure, Smith is right in his wheelhouse talking about the NBA or the NFL, and he loves to break down boxing matches, but there are plenty of sports out there, and despite the fact that it seems like he’s away for 27 hours every day, Smith’s focus isn’t always on a handful of them.
An example: Smith isn’t exactly on top of all the goings on in the world of soccer, but with ESPN broadcasting this summer’s European Championship, he’s diving in head first. In a segment on his ESPN+ show Stephen A’s World, Smith expressed that he is ready to pick a side for Euro 2020, so long as they fit five criteria:
Those criteria were, in order: 1. Must have star power, 2. Rabid fan base, 3. Past success is not a must, 4. No ugly uniforms!, 5. Old school coach. He goes into all of them a bit in the video, and then, he calls upon ESPN soccer analyst Taylor Twellman to help walk him through things. The full segment with Twellman starts at the 13:09 mark right here, but for those of you who do not have ESPN+, Twellman walks him through a trio of teams — France, Belgium, and England — before Smith ultimately decided on the French.
“I already broke down Belgium, I mean, you broke down Belgium and I told you why I didn’t want them,” Smith said. “You just told me England reminds me of the Cowboys, I damn sure ain’t rooting for them. Which leaves me with no other choice but France. I’ma have to roll with France, Taylor. I’ma have to run with France.”
Twellman then explained that France is “100 percent” going to win Euros and he would be “shocked” if they do not win the whole thing, which, anything can happen in a knockout tournament but it is extremely possible he’s correct. Anyway, Stephen A, if you are reading this and are open to picking someone else, please consider my beloved Italians, which trounced Turkey, 3-0, in the opener of Euro 2020 on Friday.