Michael Irvin’s debates with Stephen A. Smith are passionate and sometimes sweaty on-air, and this also can apply to their chats in real life.
“Depending on the conversation, you better believe we’re right up there,” Irvin told The Post.
“When we’re off-air, he’ll tell me, ‘Sit down. We’re not on TV!’ “
Irvin said it’s always been that way with the “First Take” host, dating back many years when they would collaborate on the long-defunct “Best Damn Sports Show Period” on Fox Sports Net, when Smith was just beginning his TV career in the early 2000’s.
Despite their fractious debates, Irvin marvels at Smith’s perseverance. People don’t reflexively remember this, but Smith was discarded by ESPN 13 years ago. They canceled ‘Quite Frankly’ in 2007 and he left the company in 2009. Smith eventually clawed his way back, through debates with Skip Bayless, before ultimately becoming the man who is widely considered the face of the network.
“Stephen A.’s story is an inspiring story,” Irvin said. “I judge a man in miles traveled. Don’t tell me where you are, tell me where you started and let me see where you are. I watched him have shows and lose them, have shows and lose them. All of that, and he never quit. And now he has the number 1 show.”
Irvin said he also is thrilled for Smith’s new ESPN colleague — and his own former quarterback — Troy Aikman, who alongside Joe Buck left Fox Sports for ESPN to call “Monday Night Football.” Both received considerable money to make the switch.
“I’m absolutely happy for Troy,” Irvin said. “I didn’t think Fox would let him go. He’s been great at what he does, so I was absolutely shocked by that. But to be tied to a great franchise in ‘Monday Night Football,’ and to have the opportunity to restore it, as he restored the Cowboys — he loves challenges, and it’s a great challenge for him.”
The Playmaker, who won three Super Bowls as a wideout with the Dallas Cowboys and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, spoke to The Post on behalf of TradeZing, a platform for traders to educate and/or be entertained in crypto, stocks, NFT and the metaverse. Irvin recently invested in the company, and serves as an advisor.
Irvin, 56, still appears to be in magnificent shape through the TV screen, but he doesn’t give himself as high of marks in that regard.
“I wish my body felt as great as you’re talking about,” he said. “I used to always joke about guys I saw with beach muscles that weren’t functional — ‘He doesn’t play anything. He’s just lifting weights.’ I joked about those guys, but now I’m the guy that’s not functional! It’s just a look. But I do try to work out and keep myself active, and get tested and everything. I am going to fight Father Time as best I can. I know I will lose that battle, but he shall know that he’s been in a battle.”
But it’s not just his body — his energy remains aspirational as well. This isn’t by accident; he lives very deliberately.
Asked about his energy and generally positive aura, Irvin cited speeches that he gives in corporate settings, analogizing their work to winning championships.
“Whatever field you are in, know that you are called to do it,” he tells audiences. “Just this little belief — If I know I’m called to doing something, it changes my approach to it every day. This is not a job. It’s a calling. When it’s a job, I feel duty-bound. Nobody wants to feel duty-bound, like here we go I have to go do this again.
“No! You’re feeling destined! This is what you’re supposed to be doing. You feel different when you feel you’re being called to do what you do. It’s as simple as how you approach the day. And what I’m doing right now, I’m called to do it.”
