Just when you thought Stephen A. Smith couldn't be more full of it and tone deaf, he outdid himself with his comments on the Rose Bowl and it's location.
Smith said on First Take that he believes the Rose Bowl should be moved from its historic venue and be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. due to (get this) traffic considerations.
"“How about having the Rose Bowl at SoFi? How about that?” Throw a few roses there… I mean listen, there are a whole bunch of things in life that are historical. That damn traffic in Pasadena, I mean, come on y’all! SoFi Stadium, let’s get with the times!”"Stephen A. Smith
Needless to say, college football fans spewed outrage at Smith for his tone-deaf comments and desire to put personal comfort over tradition.
I will be boycotting first take after hearing that @stephenasmith wants the rose bowl game to be moved from Pasadena to that god forsaken dome called sofi stadium. Absolutely disgusting take and I think he should not be allowed to mutter a word about college football #firsttake
— Jake Ksiazek (@JakeKsiazek) January 3, 2024
Stephen A. Smith says the Rose Bowl should be moved to SoFi Stadium.
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) January 3, 2024
All because he wanted to be able to arrive by Helicopter and avoid bad traffic.
Talk about being out of touch 😬 pic.twitter.com/zn6XMDGBSn
Stephen A. Smith saying that the Rose Bowl should be moved to SoFi is absolutly crazy 🤯
— Brendan Bisson (@Brendan__Bisson) January 4, 2024
There is no way he's actually serious about that
Does Stephen A. not get that the Rose Bowl is played AT the Rose Bowl?
— Dave Vande Bunte (@VBunteDavid) January 3, 2024
I mean, this is just insane, don’t even need to say anything else about it, just pure insanity.
— Matthew Travis (@MatthewJTravis_) January 3, 2024
The Rose Bowl is a bucket list item for college football diehards and casual fans alike and to say it should be moved because of traffic is as Stephen A. would say BLASPHEMY.
We’re… https://t.co/5YhO02c2Su
Stephen A. Smith angered college football fans with Rose Bowl comments
In fairness, the Rose Bowl stadium could use a few upgrades like better seating and maybe a few fixes in plumbing here and there. Having said that, to just leave the site and move it because of "traffic" is beyond pathetic. The history of the game is too great to do such things.
Furthermore, the history and the view is too magnificent to suddenly deviate from. In other words, just because Mr. Smith whines about moving it, doesn't mean it's going to happen. Granted, Mr. Smith will lash out on his podcast and call everyone who opposes him dumb, and claim that he doesn't care. The reality is, he does.
The vast majority of people who saw what Mr. Smith had to say vehemently disagree, and those folks, even if they happen to have rival fansbases linking up with each other just this once, are all correct. The Rose Bowl is a bucket list item for so many people, players, coaches, and fans. That's not changing anytime soon.
If Mr. Smith doesn't want to be stuck in traffic, why not leave earlier to avoid it? Why wait? The Rose Bowl is not going anywhere, and the traffic is worth it, considering how prominent the game is.