Politics and sports media have been blending more and more lately. With Stephen A. Smith teasing a potential run as a Democratic candidate and the recent debate around Jackie Robinson lighting up sports talk shows, there’s been a lot to unpack.
One voice pushing back is former NFL quarterback and current sports analyst Robert Griffin III. Unlike many in the media space, he’s made it clear he doesn’t think sports shows should mix in politics. In a recent conversation with Smith, he explained exactly why.
Robert Griffin III Talks Politics and Sports
When the topic of Jackie Robinson came up, many sports journalists — like ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Stephen A. Smith — spoke out strongly. But RG3 fired back with a tweet disagreeing, saying politics shouldn’t be part of sports talk.
Smith responded by inviting Griffin onto his podcast. Ever the showman, Smith gave Griffin the floor to explain why he wants a clear line between the two worlds.
“This is why I believe sports shows on TV should be about sports, not politics, or made personal,” Griffin said. He tied that view to one moment that shaped his life and career. “Thirteen years ago, Stephen A, on ‘First Take,’ there was a conversation that happened on that show involving Rob Parker.”
Parker, who is no longer with ESPN, had questioned Griffin’s identity, asking: “Was I a brother? Was I a real brother? Was I really down for the cause?” Griffin said that moment deeply affected both his personal and professional life.
He added, “Do you know what his point was for why he asked that question? It had nothing to do with sports. It had nothing to do with my performance on the field.”
Instead, Griffin said, “It was because my fiancée was white. It was because he thought I was a Republican. He made ‘First Take’ in that moment a political forum for personal attacks and political conversations. Stephen A, that single conversation has followed me for 13 years of my professional career, as an athlete and also in the media.”
Griffin believes that moment opened a door to criticism he had never faced before. “You can’t find a single instance of someone questioning my Blackness before that conversation happened on ‘First Take.'”
While he acknowledged that sports and politics will always intersect, that moment made him realize there need to be limits.
“Sports and politics always intertwine. What you said about Jackie Robinson wasn’t making the show political. That’s what you’re supposed to talk about. But then, removing it and turning it into a presidential campaign, to debate these guys or this and that.
“To me, that was emblematic or representative of what I went through with Rob Parker. That stuff sticks.”
Smith has said he’s not seriously considering a political run, but his recent comments have gotten people talking.