Stephen A. Smith Rants About Why He Hates the Cowboys—And It Has Nothing to Do With the Players

There are few things in sports more guaranteed than a priceless reaction from Stephen A. Smith clowning the Cowboys after a loss. But, while many have assumed his longstanding hatred for Dallas has to do with the team itself, the beloved ESPN personality shared Thursday that’s actually not the case.

Smith admitted during an appearance in Arizona on Super Bowl LVII Radio Row that he can’t stand the Cowboys on account of their, as he put it, “disgusting” and “nauseating” fan base. As expected, the answer, which followed a question asking why Smith hates “America’s Team” so much, prompted yet another classic tirade from the man himself.

“It has nothing to do with the Cowboys,” Smith told The Ringer’s Kevin Clark. “It has everything to do with their disgusting, nauseating fan base, which I can’t stand. That’s who they are. For me, I have nothing against any player on the Dallas Cowboys. … it’s their damn fans that get on my nerves. Their fans are so nauseating to me, they are just so annoying that nothing pleases me more than to watch a Cowboy fan miserable.”

During the rant, Smith surprisingly stopped for a moment to shout out star cornerback Trevon Diggs and pass rusher Micah Parsons, both of whom the noted New York native and sports team enthusiast said he roots for. The praise soon stopped there, though, as Smith unleashed another rant after letting out a stunned “What?” when asked what he finds so annoying about Cowboys fans.

“Their season could end on Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. after a 1–15 record, 15 minutes later, they’ll go like this, “You know we’re gonna win the Super Bowl next year, right?’ They don’t take any time to smell their own stench,” he said. “They walk around like they’re champions, they ain’t won a damn thing in 28 years, this is what Cowboy fans do. Cowboy fans are what makes you hate the Cowboys.”

Judging by his latest tirade, Smith clearly has zero intentions of letting up on Dallas should its woes continue, although the 55-year-old would likely still find a reason to fire off a few jokes even if the club won next year’s Super Bowl. In the meantime, the Cowboys and their fans will have to endure more of Smith’s jabs on the heels of a 12–5 season that ended in a divisional round loss—extending the club’s NFC title game drought to 27 years.