Stephen A. Smith: Shohei Ohtani ‘harming’ baseball because he ‘doesn’t speak English’

New York Post ^ | 7/12/2021 | By Jared Greenspan

[NohSpinZone]

Shohei Ohtani has 33 home runs and a 3.49 ERA, but Stephen A. Smith believes the Angels’ two-way star is detrimental to Major League Baseball.

During Monday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” the show’s host, Molly Qerim, asked Smith and Max Kellerman if “it’s good for Major League Baseball that Ohtani is the top attraction.” In response, Smith answered “not to me,” reasoning that Ohtani’s use of a Japanese interpreter diminishes the sport’s popularity domestically.

“The fact that you got a foreign player that doesn’t speak English, that needs an interpreter, believe it or not, I think contributes to harming the game to some degree, when that’s your box-office appeal,” said Smith, who is paid a reported $12 million annually to share his opinions with the ESPN audience. “It needs to be somebody like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, those guys. Unfortunately at this moment in time, that’s not the case.

[NohSpinZone]

That seems to be pretty much the consensus response right not to this tweet, which I’m sure took some heavy-handed threats from his management.

[TBP]

Once again, Stephen A. Smith shows himself to be a vile, virulent racist.

[Deplorable American1776]

So if the Red Sox signed a baseball player from PRC, he’ll hate it? Stephen A(sshole) Smith is a nut. The Red Sox had a signed players across the global, and some never spoke English...

[ealgeone]

Let a white guy say that.....

[ratzoe]

I think that’s a first, an apology without a ‘but’ in it. I’ll give him credit for that even tho I can’t stand his commentary.

[Red Badger]

Because Asians come here with little to nothing and within a few years own their own businesses, send their kids to elite colleges and universities and become American success stories.

Blacks have been here and freed since 1865 and are still trying to find a way to not have to work...................