As part of the Jefferson Educational Society’s (JES) Global Summit, renowned sports media icon Stephen A. Smith visited Erie and spoke to several hundred people.
Smith talked as a guest on the future of sports as well as how name, image and likeness have impacted sports.
Furthermore, he talked about pop culture, answered questions from the audience and discussed America’s current political climate.
Smith shared strong words about college athletes being paid and the NCAA’s role in not allowing it for years.
“In a roundabout way, the NCAA got away with doing the same thing hiding behind a scholarship to declare that they were really amateurs when in fact you were padding your wallet for years with billions of dollars that were coming into the sport that you refused to share with the students. They deserve what they get. No one deserves to suffer more than the NCAA,” said Stephen A. Smith, sports commentator and executive producer of ESPN’s First Take.
The JES Global Summit continues over the next several weeks.