Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has begun his offseason in the exact way that all of us media folk would’ve predicted -- he has been roped into a WWE-type of feud with ESPN media personality Stephen A. Smith.
It started when Smith said Brown needed to “be quiet,” after he fired up a Twitch stream 24 hours after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs. Brown replied by calling for Smith to retire and “give the people what they want.”
Since then, it’s escalated to new heights of nonsense, including Smith threatening to report “intel” he has regarding the way the Celtics organization and those within it, including Jayson Tatum, feel about the former Finals MVP.
Jaylen Brown challenges Stephen A. Smith
The latest chapter of the feud came on Brown’s Sunday night Twitch stream. It was there that he responded to the threat and proposed that he and Stephen A. squash their beef in front of a live audience -- at Harvard or MIT.
"So here's my proposal and after this that I'm done," said Brown. "Stephen A, here's my proposal. Why don't we have a live audience debate, traditional media versus us athletes? And let's do a live debate in front of a live streamed audience at a mutual location like a Harvard or MIT and let's talk about it. Let's see who comes out on top. Should be easy. Should be a piece of cake."
Brown prefaced the proposal by voicing that his issues stem beyond just Smith, but what he represents in the modern media space. The mid-day debate show model opens the door for discourse that benefits absolutely no one except for those raking in the advertising money that accompanies clicks and views.
Smith, in particular, has tried to gatekeep the media space, effectively relaying the message that Brown should just focus on his game and stay off of the airwaves.
"Mainstream traditional media versus the athlete. Let's set it up. Harvard, MIT, live and let's see who comes out on top. You know where to find me. We know where to contact my team. Let's set up a live debate at a mutual location and let's talk about it. Traditional vs. untraditional. Mainstream media vs. the dumb jock. Let's see who comes out on top."
What they’d actually debate wasn’t specified, but it almost certainly would be regarding whether or not athletes should infiltrate the media space while they’re still actively playing and under contract.
Nonetheless, it’d help Brown’s Twitch channel draw some numbers, and keep Celtics fans busy during a long offseason.
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