Dear Steven A.,

My name is David Canton, and I am the Director of the African American Studies Program and Associate Professor of History at the University of Florida.

I am writing this letter to applaud you on your success in journalism and television and to congratulate you on your brand new five-year, $100 million dollar contract at ESPN.

We share a lot in common. We are one year apart in birth, you were born in the Bronx and raised in Hollis, Queens, and I was born and raised in the Bronx. You graduated from Winston Salem State University, and I graduated from Morehouse College, both HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). We are members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated,

Last, but not least, our fathers Basil Smith and Alvin Canton, Jr. were born in St. Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands. They were best friends who played baseball. Your father was a pitcher, and mine was a catcher. My dad told me your dad was an outstanding pitcher who was so dominant that my dad caught a game with no mask. Not one ball hit him in the face.

I respect your knowledge of basketball. However, when it comes to politics, as James Brown says, please, please, please Steven A., just stick to sports.

We both arrived in Philadelphia in 1994, you as a sports journalist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and I as a first year Ph.D. student in history at Temple University.

I remember when the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Allen Iverson as the number one pick in the NBA draft. Many white fans were concerned. In 1993, Iverson and his Black friends had gotten into a fight with white teens who yelled racial epithets at a bowling alley in Hampton, Virginia. Iverson received a 15-year sentence, but our fraternity brother, and then governor, Douglas Wilder granted him conditional clemency.

Iverson entered the league with cornrows, chains, and tattoos. He introduced Hip Hop culture to the NBA. Older white fans and white male gatekeepers in sports journalism and sports talk radio were appalled. They viewed Iverson as a “thug and gansgta,” a racist stereotype for young African American players. But in numerous essays, you defended and critiqued Allen Iverson.

African American men applauded your support and viewed you, one of the few African American journalists at a major newspaper, as the voice of African American sports fans because white journalists refused to recognize their racist socialization and biases when covering African American athletes who are not the Michael Jordan.

You have a television career that spans 34 years, starting with CNN and Sports Illustrated. And you have served as host on First Take since 2012. It is one of the most successful morning sports shows in America. The show has provided you a platform to build your brand and share your knowledge of sports, politics, and any issue that you desire.

In 2019, you created the Stephen A. Smith Show, a podcast that has 1.2 million subscribers, and you have appeared on a wide range of shows and networks such as The View, CNN, Hannity, MSNBC, NewsNation, and Fox. (You even play Brick, a character on General Hospital.)

Starting the podcast was a brilliant move because it provides you the space to discuss politics and not get in trouble with your employers at ESPN. Over the last eleven years, you have emerged as an iconic figure in American sports and entertainment and have earned every penny of your $100 million dollar contract.

In 2009, you became an independent. You have that right, of course. But what I noticed about independents is that they tend to speak as if they have some esoteric knowledge about American politics that neither Republicans nor Democrats have. Independents are critical of both parties and are convinced they are the ideal voters because they are not beholden to any political party.

Every election cycle they get attention from both parties. I suspect that is the biggest thrill about being an independent, because at the end of the day, the majority are voting Democrat or Republican.

African Americans have critiqued the Democratic Party for years, but the reason the overwhelming majority of African Americans vote Democrat is because their policies have historically served the interests of the majority of African Americans. Most white voters vote Republican, though I have never heard you say white voters are loyal to the Republican Party.

Since the birth of social media, we have entered an era where expertise does not matter. For example, The Florida Atlantic and Mechanical University (FAMU) Board of Trustees just hired Maya Johnson as their new president. She even managed to negotiate a $750,000 annual salary—$300,000 more than the previous president, despite the fact that she does not have any experience in higher education. Johnson is, however, connected to Republican Senator Rick Scott and Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

Stephen A., the only qualifications you have for running for president is that you are over 35 and an American citizen. In fact, if you run for president I will apply for the next head coach job in the National Basketball Association. I have watched thousands of hours of professional basketball and can provide facts, Wilt Chamberlain was the only player to score 100 points in a game; and opinions, LeBron is better than Jordan, and so on. But that knowledge does not make me qualified to coach a NBA team.  Steven A., just because you have an opinion about politics does not make you an expert in politics.

Most Americans are obsessed with celebrities because they have fame and money. But that does not mean they have expertise outside of their profession. Why, for example, is the Democratic Party listening to actor George Clooney? Did he serve in office?

Neither the Democratic Party nor this nation needs any celebrity—whether it be Oprah, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Taylor Swift or The Beast running for president. We need qualified candidates with a commitment to public service and social justice.

Steven A., you have worked hard to reach an influential level of celebrity. Yet your bid for the White House seems to be aimed mainly at  keeping your audience entertained.

Another area of concern I have when it comes to your politics is your false equivalency between the  “extreme right and extreme left.” According to you, “both sides” are to blame for the nation’s struggles.

As a centrist, you believe the extreme Republican Congresswoman from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greenem and the progressive Democratic Congresswoman from the Bronx, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, are both equally the problem. This is not true. Have you viewed their voting records? Greene is anti-environment, pro-billionaires, anti-health care, anti-public education, anti-racial and gender equality. Cortez, by contrast, supports universal health care for all, which is a human right in all Western democracies, public education, as well as racial and gender equality.

Stop saying the extreme right and extreme left are the same. Yes the Democratic Party is far from perfect. But make no mistake: Republican policies, such as tax deals for the wealthy, Medicaid cuts, and public funding for charter schools are the major reasons for our problems.

On a recent show, you said you would vote for Republican Byron Donalds for Governor of Florida and Maryland Governor Wes Moore for US President if he ran as the Democratic nominee in 2028. Yet, as the historian Howard Zinn once remarked, “You can’t be neutral on a moving train.” Stephen A., the notion of voting for Donalds and Moore—whose politics are completely at odds—raises serious concerns.

Politics are not about personalities. They are about policies. You have said that you are a fiscal conservative, but you never give any specifics. Fiscal conservatives do not believe in taxing the wealthy or corporations, providing increased funding for social programs, or ending corporate loopholes.

This letter is not an attempt by an African American man to “destroy another African American male.” As your fraternity brother I wish you continued success. All I ask is that you stick to sports, and leave the politics to the experts.

Dr. David A. Canton is Director of the African American Studies Program and Associate Professor of History at the University of Florida.