Dan Rafael has been let go by ESPN

Yes, however his severance package includes a years worth of food from The Cheesecake Factory, Applebee's and The Waffle House. He'll be okay.

 

I swear ESPN are shooting themselves in the foot with holding onto Smith.
The dude has created a controversial character and is a "ratings" hit.
But ESPN should be catering to their sports fans, Smith is the opposite of that goal.
I see an interview and he is there? Yea, I dont watch those anymore. Time to tune into something else.

He creates nothing but negative narratives and actually more often than not, he belittles ESPNs own programming.

****ing moronic to keep him around IMO.

 

Substance walks and clickbait stays forever, same everywhere in media. Smith is a mediocre product that makes money versus Rafael who's a legit journalist breaking stories, pounding pavement, ear to the ground, but which generates less revenue. Also, I was looking at journalism statistics the other day and it said that print is the only medium declining. Internet and tv journalists are doing as well as ever because their standards are much lower. They don't break stories. They repeat what real journalists, the print journalists produce, except they usually dumb it down and add buzz words to take advantage of Facebook's sharing algorithm.

 

Dan Rafael always seemed to just do the minimal amount of coverage when it came to boxing. His coverage never seemed like it was benefiting the sport at ESPN.

I can’t ever recall after a huge fight that I couldn’t wait to see what Rafael said.

 

That's because he was never happy to go to Vegas for the fights alone. He was happy to go because of the buffets. It showed in his entire commentary, his heart wasn't in it.

 

This MF got some nerve callin anybody fat. Ole ugly, no-neck havin ass.

 

Rafael who used to be average and biased tired to change up his act later, being someone he's not. Why work for ESPN? They are top heavy when it comes to who's on the air, pun intended

 

Agree he didn't fit, but no way did he build boxing on ESPN!. That was Al Bernstien, Charley Steiner, Teddy Atlas, those guys.

 

I suspect that Fat Dan was let go because he's obsolete at the network with Kellerman around. Max provides more boxing insight than Fat Dan, and Max has a face for TV - Fat Dan does not.

I doubt ESPN valued his writing much - he's not an in-depth reporter. 90% of his pieces were just press release-type stuff. Anyone on an editorial staff can bang out press releases.

 

Smith is the resident loud mouth, and controversial say anything type. He's there for ratings. The moment they dip, or he's suspended for saying something controversial he's either out or gone when his contract expires. I think there is a time and a place for Smith, and that is not every day. More like once or twice a month. The athletes must dislike him. He is a boxing guy.

EPSN has lots of problems. A tell all book on the rise and fall of ESPN sports could something I'd buy.

 

Stephen A Smith decided long ago that he doesn't mind looking stupid on national TV. He's the guy who reads a quick sports article so he can make conversation at work, only to get found out.

Dan Rafael was alright tbh, was just surplus to ESPN's requirements. A lot of what he does can be (and is) tweeted and working all those years probably made him too expensive for that.

 

L

Reminds ne of Harold Lederman who would time and time again ***** and moan when a fight was a tad bit booring.
It's like he had forgotten what his job even was.
And no one seemed to care at all.
I would be furious as a promoter or Tv exec if someone belittled my product like that.

 

I. B. ripping dem body shots.

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His heart was struggling to stay beating. Give the man a pass.