basketball camp

Stephen A. Smith Responds To Controversy Over Basketball Camp Pricing

by

Stephen A. Smith is one of the most popular television personalities in the entire sports world. Although not everyone is a fan of Smith, they at least know who he is. First Take is a massive force in the sports talk world, and Smith serves as an influential individual. While some athletes absolutely hate him, there are others out there who love him and his contributions to the airwaves. His polarizing nature has ultimately led to great ratings for ESPN, and that probably won’t change anytime soon.

However, Stephen A. recently got hit with some criticism over an upcoming appearance at a basketball camp at IMG Academy. According to reports, the basketball camp cost upwards of $3000 USD. Many felt like this was an astronomical price, and with Smith’s name attached to it, there was this sense that he was making a whole lot of money from this. Subsequently, Smith heard about the backlash and decided to respond on social media.

Read More: Stephen A. Smith Gives “Props” To Israel Adesanya For Vanessa Hudgens Thirst

Stephen A. Speaks

“‘How could you do this to people in terms of taking money?’ Do you have any idea who the hell you’re talking to,” Smith said. “I am a graduate of an HBCU. I donate a minimum of $50,000 to $100,000 a year to my alma mater… minimum. Did you know that I am the ambassador for HBCU Week and I have been for years? $46 million dollars in scholarships.” Stephen A. also went on to say that there is an HBCU month at ESPN because of his leadership. Needless to say, he was feeling pretty defensive, although he did make some good points.

Smith is someone who is very defensive of his brand, and this is certainly an example of that. Overall, Smith should feel defensive. After all, this is not just his livelihood, but his integrity as well. Let us know what you think of all this, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the sports world.

Read More: Shannon Sharpe Responds To Stephen A. Smith’s Promise To “Address Things” As “First Take” Rumors Swirl

The post Stephen A. Smith Responds To Controversy Over Basketball Camp Pricing appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Stephen A. Smith’s Basketball Camp Boasts Astronomical Price Tag

by

How much would you pay for a basketball camp? Maybe a few hundred dollars at most? Possibly even go over a thousand if there was an elite name attached? Well, next week the IMG Academy in Florida is hosting a basketball camp August 6-12 with a price tag of $2899. And the elite basketball talent behind this camp is… ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.

That’s right, broadcast veteran Stephen A. Smith is hosting a $3000 basketball camp. Smith, who averaged 1.5 points per game as a combo guard at Winston-Salem and has played exactly 0 games of high-level basketball since graduating college in 1991 is ready to take your child’s game to the next level. But what does your $3000 get you? Well, according to IMG’s website. “IMG Academy is getting loud and providing a once-in-a-lifetime camp opportunity for young athletes with its Stephen A. Smith Basketball Camp at IMG Academy taking place Aug. 6-12. As part of the camp package, Smith will participate in several engaging opportunities with camp participants, including sharing an inspiring message to the young athletes and hosting a Q&A-format discussion. All camp participants will receive exclusively branded Stephen A. Smith Basketball Camp at IMG Academy apparel to wear for the week of camp.”

Read More: Stephen A. Smith straight up called Kim Kardashian a “prostitute” on social media

Explaining Stephen A.’s Basketball Camp

Based on the description, it sounds like the $3000 price tag is mostly for IMG to cover Smith’s speaking engagement fee. Aside from a few structured speaking events provided by Smith, along with some photography moments, it’s likely that the rest of the event is just a regular basketball camp. Of course, Smith makes no mention of the price tag in his tweet promoting the event. Instead, Smith chooses to focus on the 10 children that they are getting in for free from the local Boys and Girls Club.

Also, this camp has a massive age range of 10-18 and also offers both a boy’s and girl’s camp. However, nothing on the website changes aside from the images when you switch between the girl’s and boy’s camps. In short, you are paying $3000 for your kid to be able to tell their friends that they met Stephen A. Smith. Unless your child is allowed to humiliate Smith on the court, there are so many better ways to spend that kind of money.

[via]

The post Stephen A. Smith’s Basketball Camp Boasts Astronomical Price Tag appeared first on HotNewHipHop.