Stephen A. Smith is a 46-year-old man under constant duress. He has to put up with ESPN's most famous blowhard, Skip Bayless, on a near daily basis for over an hour. Then he has to put up with his bosses and the faceless critics on social media. You add all that to the stress of being a black man in America and you have a personality who's visibly agitated, possibly afflicted with hypertension, and constantly on a short fuse.
Smith is cool enough to barely hold it together—emphasis on barely. One of his trademarks, besides his clear passion, is how quickly his face contorts when he wants to react to some malarkey Bayless or any of his colleagues say. The end result is the instantly meme-worthy Stephen A. Smith face that is over-reactive, yet somehow perfect for the situation.
You need quick reactions whenever you get caught in a sports debate with somebody. Keep these 20 Stephen A. Smith Faces to Use During Sports Arguments With Your Friends at close reach and you should be fine.
1. If you were a Giants fan when they played the Eagles on Sunday.
2. That moment you not only realize that you can't believe you're arguing with this dude. You're upset this is the guy you've voluntarily picked to be your friend. The hell were you thinking?
3. When someone who you know for a fact doesn't actually watch basketball goes, “I love LeBron James.”
4. You win at Fantasy Football and bust out the Old Man Shmoney Dance.
5. When you're trying to argue when Happy Hour is at full swing.
6. When it's not the argument, but the sound of the dude's voice that's irritating you.
7. Cowboys fans are all like…
8. When your boy stops in the middle of an argument to check his phone while his girl happens to be around. He says, “I gotta make it home for Thursday Night Football.” You know damn well he's seeing his side chick.
9. If you can't wait until it gets to December so Cowboys fans can shut up.
10. “Why you gotta hate on the Knicks already? It's preseason.”
11. When you hear someone say something stupid like, “The Spurs are overrated,” on the train, but you don't say anything because you don't know the person and don't want to sound arrogant.
12. When you might have to violate probation for fools talking foul about Kobe Bryant.
13. “I can't believe I have to listen to this dude for an hour.”
14. What follows after you say, "Let me break it down like this."
15. When you're trying to wrap up this conversation because Chipotle closes in an hour and you're trying to get this burrito.
16. You're disappointed with your friend, because he knows better.
17. When you're about interrupt an argument with, “Hold up wait a minute, ya'll thought I was finished?”
18. When you friend uses the, “I know these things! I used to play [Enter sports here],” argument. It's like yeah, but you weren't that great at it anyways.
19. When you have to smack someone upside the head for a ridiculous argument. You don't want to, but it's for their own good.
20. “At the end of the day, it is what it is.” When you win an argument with that conclusion.
