‘I’m Here for the Kids’; Stephen A. Smith Broadcasts Live and Engages With Students While at Seton Hall

This article was originally published in The Setonian on March 24, 2026.

The closest students at Seton Hall could get to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was on the television screens in the University Center (UC) — until now.

On Tuesday, not far from those same screens, Smith broadcasted live from the University Center's John P. and Glynda Gallagher Studio and Control Room, where he hosted ESPN’s morning debate show First Take from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by his radio show, The Stephen A. Smith Show, on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio from 1 to 3 p.m.

Upon his arrival in an all-black Cadillac Escalade, Smith, dressed in a signature sharp suit, took the time to greet the growing crowd of onlooking students who wanted to introduce themselves (or just bear witness to his impeccable strut into the building).

“We got a jam-packed show coming your way,” Smith said to open First Take just minutes later, a banner featuring Seton Hall’s various logos behind him. “I’m at Seton Hall University. Why? Because the kids have summoned me.”

“I’m here for the kids,” Smith later added. “I’m here for the kids, y’all.”

The kids, indeed, “summoned” Smith: in anticipation of his visit, students of the University’s Center for Sports Media utilized the 3D-printing technology of the newly-renovated Innovation Hub to design a bust of Smith’s likeness, which was given to him ahead of the broadcast.

“And look what they got for your boy,” said Smith, holding the bust to his face, giggling. “They love me, they really, really love me.”

“I wasn’t good or talented enough to hold no trophies athletically,” later added Smith, who was on a basketball scholarship at Winston-Salem State University once upon a time. “So I appreciate it.”

After Smith and his co-hosts discussed all things NBA, an aerial view of the university on the broadcast was accompanied by a video welcoming Smith back to The Hall from iconic ESPN anchor Bob Ley, who joined Smith for a symposium during his first visit to The Hall in 2019.

“Bob Ley has touched me in so many ways on such a positive level,” Smith said. “I owe him so much, I love that man dearly, and it means a lot to me that he took the time to make that video for me, I really appreciate it.”

For First Take’s final segment, the banner behind Smith was dropped, revealing a crowd of students standing in anticipation to get a glimpse of Smith in his element (or to get a chance to be on the live broadcast).

But before the final segment, Smith came outside the studio to interact and offer advice to those same students.

“Do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do,” Smith said. “So if you got an attitude where you just want to do what you want to do, you’re gonna fail before you walk in the door… because you’re about what you want to do instead of looking out for somebody else.”

“So you remember something that basic, everything is going to work out. You feel me?” Smith said, the crowd responding accordingly.

But Smith’s advice for students didn’t end there, nor did his workday even once he was done broadcasting.

After the conclusion of his radio show, Smith stayed on campus for an exclusive Q&A session, in which students had the opportunity to pick Smith’s brain on all things sports media. Joined onstage in the UC’s Event Room by Center for Sport Management Director Charles Grantham, who helped organize Smith’s visit with the Center for Sports Media’s Director B.J. Schecter— Smith was first asked to give an opening monologue about his career and rise in the sports media industry.

“Sports saved my life,” Smith said. “Growing up in the streets of Hollis, Queens, and getting left back in the fourth grade because I had a first grade reading level, suffered from dyslexia and all of that.”

“And the reason why I bring that up is because everybody has a source of motivation that inspires them and propels them to certain heights,” Smith added. “I wanted to position myself where nobody could ever look at me and call me a dummy, and to this very day, I hold on to stuff like that.”

The first question for Smith posed by a student was what advice he has for students who want to stand out in the sports media and sports management industry.

His answer: a mix of authenticity, but also consistency.

“My authenticity is what got me to where I am,” Smith said. “Everybody talks about ‘keeping it real,’ but they leave out the word ‘consistent.’”

“When you are consistently who you are, you are telling an audience they can trust you to be what they see, what they hear, what you project,” Smith added.

Other students asked Smith about how he sees shows like First Take evolving with the emergence of other shows that offer a similar mix of analysis and entertainment — a sports reporting style he helped revolutionize.

Smith said he plans on “feeding the beast” that is his young audience, while also “keeping himself around young people” — advice he gained from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

“I walk into the show every day thinking about what y’all want to see, not what I want to see,” Smith said, addressing the students in attendance.

For the very last question of the session, Smith was asked about a belief that has gotten him to where he is today.

“It sounds bland, it sounds very, very predictable, but I’ll always lean on hard work,” Smith said. “And the reason why hard work matters is because it breeds a multitude of results.”

“But most importantly, it breeds faith, because you’re somebody who really cares about what they are doing,” Smith added. “And when you show that you care, that goes a long way towards people in a position to give opportunities to people who do.”

Categories: Athletics, Campus Life