People In Memphis Should Be Thanking Stephen A. Smith For Calling Out How Unsafe The City Is | Mark Harris
Stephen A. Smith presented nothing but cold-hard truths about the city of Memphis.
Go ask anyone living in America today what the first thing that comes to mind is when they think of Memphis, Tennessee. Some will say Elvis Presley, others may say barbecue, perhaps blues music, but the overwhelming majority will say either danger or crime.
This isn't a case of Memphis getting picked on or being a part of a sort of stigma or some foe perception; it's simply true. Memphis is among the most dangerous cities in the United States. According to FBI crime reports, Memphis is the most dangerous city in the country based on city murder and property crime rates per 100,000 people.
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FBI Director Kash Patel labeled Memphis the "homicide capital of America" in May while announcing a task force is being sent to the city in an attempt to slow down the crime rate. If that doesn't send the message of ‘things are bad in Memphis,’ then nothing will.
With those inarguable facts based on statistics out of the way, this brings us to Stephen A. Smith, a person that Memphians and people across the Volunteer State should be applauding, not criticizing.
During Tuesday's edition of ‘First Take’ on ESPN, there was a segment centered around the idea of the Memphis Grizzlies trading away Ja Morant to undergo a rebuild. This then led Smith and his co-hosts to talk about the city itself, with Smith making the claim that players around the league don't want to play in Memphis because they "don’t feel like it’s the safest environment."
A pretty fair statement from Smith, given the fact that Memphis isn't a safe environment.
Stephen A. Smith has been critical of Memphis on 'First Take.' GETTY IMAGES
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Nevertheless, Morant didn't appreciate Smith's comments and called him out on social media for speaking negatively about the city "on a national level." Mayor Paul Young even put out a statement applauding Morant while explaining that crime is getting better around the city.
Smith reacted to the social media posts from both Morant and the mayor during Wednesday's edition of ‘First Take,’ and while he did note that crime is improving in Memphis, it is still one of the most dangerous, impoverished cities in all of America.
Morant, the mayor, and plenty of Memphians are making the mistake of reacting to Smith as if he's some sort of bully, picking on little ol' Memphis, home to the small-market Grizzlies to whom the city adores.
Instead of reacting with emotion, the city should turn Smith's comments around in a positive way.
Forget Smith's claim about NBA players not wanting to play in Memphis, they, nor results on the basketball court, make up a city of 615,000 people just trying to make it.
Imagine the impact Morant could have on the city if he said some version of ‘Stephen A. is right, enough is enough, we have to continue to clean Memphis up.’ Unfortunately, and fairly or unfairly, Morant has already burned many bridges when it comes to sending a positive message to youth around the city while brandishing guns on social media.
Morant was given a second and third chance, so the city deserves another as well.
Ja Morant has played six seasons in Memphis. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
As for the criticisms of Stephen A. Smith talking negatively about Memphis, I understand the pushback. Why is a sportscaster on a sports network talking about crime and poverty?
My answer to that is, why shouldn't he? Nobody else with his reach and platform seems to give a damn about Memphis.
Young people are committing a tremendous amount of crime in the city. Young people aren't watching local news to hear about how crime is impacting the community, they're not reading articles online about how violent their city is, but they may pay a little closer attention when Stephen A. Smith is talking about Memphis on the most-watched sports network in the country.
Smith isn't going to stop crime in Memphis, but at least he's willing to talk about it, highlight facts over feelings, and maybe instill just a much-needed ounce of urgency to take pride in the safety of a city that has desperately needed it for years.
As someone who has lived in the heart of Memphis for years, who still has very close friends and family living in the city, I'm on board with Stephen A. Smith and anyone else who wants to hold Memphis, its leaders, and its people accountable with the hope of provoking a positive change.