Stephen A. Smith Has Hated the Dallas Cowboys for Years Because of an Old Flame

The Gist:

• Stephen A. Smith has long fostered a hatred of the Cowboys, and that hatred apparently started when he dated a Cowboys fan and it didn’t end well.
• Stephen has said that he is "nauseated" by Cowboys fans and that he finds them annoying.
• Following a loss to the Bills son Dec. 17, Stephen A. was over the moon and rubbing it in many Cowboys fans' faces.

Some sports pundits try to play it cool about which teams they root for, but others are much more open about their feelings for various teams. Stephen A. Smith has long been one of the most colorful and entertaining men in sports television, and he has also fostered a reputation for really loathing one franchise in particular.

Over the years, Stephen has said that he is "nauseated" by the fanbase of the Dallas Cowboys and that fans of that team "make him sick." Following those severe remarks, it was only natural for many people to wonder where Stephen's loathing of the Cowboys comes from.

In October of 2023, Stephen dove into the reasons for his hatred after going on yet another tirade against the team. Marcus Spears, one of his co-hosts, pressed the issue, asking him to explain why he hates the team so much.

"They just annoy me," Stephen said in response. "They just annoy me. I'm not gonna lie to you in my lifetime. I had a lady friend, and they were a Cowboys fan."

Stephen's declaration that he once had a partner who was a fan of the team did clarify his vitriol to some extent, but he didn't go into much more detail about that relationship.

Fans offered some additional detail, saying that Stephen had first told that story a decade ago, and that the woman apparently ghosted him. She was a Cowboys fan, so now he hates the Cowboys.

Following a 31-10 loss to the Bills on Dec. 17, Stephen took the opportunity to gloat, clearly glad that one of his least beloved franchises had been on the receiving end of the blowout.

“You sat up there listing to old Stevie Atell you Dak Prescott MVP candidate. ... I didn't tell you about the running game of Buffalo. I ain't tell you about the inclement weather. I ain't tell you about Western New York and how the Dallas Cowboys ain't fit to deal with such adverse conditions," he said.

"I let it set up there and believe that those Dallas Cowboys gonna be special. ... And they got stomped. What did I tell you? I'm gonna leave you alone for now," he added.

The Cowboys are 10-4 following the loss and still playoff bound, and it seems like Stephen will be rooting against them the whole way.

There are plenty of neutral, impartial commentators out there, but Stephen has never been one of them, and that's why people love him.