Stephen A. Smith can’t catch a break in latest ESPN BET spot

The new spot titled Deli, from Arts & Letters and partners ESPN and PENN Entertainment, stars legendary on-air personality, ESPN on NBA analyst and host of First Take, Stephen A. Smith, along with a cameo from Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.

In Deli, Smith debates his local deli owner on whether you need a “superstar quarterback” to win.

“We’re excited to debut this fun, new ESPN BET spot featuring Smith as football season gets underway. Sports and betting discussion is happening around the clock and this ad puts Stephen A. in his element as he weighs in on a football debate,” said Jennifer Weissman, Chief Marketing Officer, PENN Entertainment. Deli reinforces a key theme in our approach with the ESPN BET product and brand, that betting is a natural extension of sports fandom."

ESPN BET – Deli

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Agency Arts & Letters/Richmond
Production Company O Positive
Director Kenny Herzog

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Credits

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Agency Arts & Letters/Richmond
Production Company O Positive
Director Kenny Herzog
Executive Producer Marc Grill
Executive Producer/Founding Partner Ralph Laucella
Head of Production Devon Clark
Editorial/Finish XYZ (In-House at Arts & Letters/Richmond)
Editor Pat Blumer

Executive Producer Arts & Letters/Richmond
Color Company 3/New York
Colorist Tim Masick
VFX/Finishing Method Studios/New York
Executive Producer Ananda Reavis
VFX Artist Wensen Ho
Sound Design & Mix Sonic Union
Sound Designer/Audio Mixer Steve Rosen

Sound Producer Gina Petrarca
Executive Creative Director Charles Hodges
Executive Creative Director Molly Jamison
Creative Director Christine Kim
Creative Director Andrew Kong
Creative Sam Christian
Copywriter Brendan Howard
Designer Justin Herb

Head of Production Lisa Gatto Setten
Executive Producer Calleen Colburn
Senior Producer Momo Berg-Munch
Senior Producer Momo Berg-Munch
Executive Producer Ken Licata
DP Jonathan Freeman / (DP)
Assistant Editor Sho Kellam
Post Producer Rob Rosko

Color Producer Gwen Frey
VFX Producer Laura Duncan

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“For this most recent round of ESPN BET we wanted to capture that playful tension you get when having a sports debate with a friend, family member, or even your neighbourhood Deli owner,” said Chris Kim, Creative Director at Arts & Letters Creative Co. “And who better to have that debate than one of the most notorious debaters, Stephen A. Smith.”

The spot will air across ESPN platforms and paid media through this fall. What a Play. launched in November 2023 when ESPN BET debuted. Previous work in the campaign has featured ESPN talent including Scott Van Pelt, Elle Duncan, Mike Greenberg, Stanford Steve and Kendrick Perkins.

This is Smith’s second appearance in BET’s What a Play. brand platform, following his Pool Hall debut timed to the NBA Playoffs earlier this Spring.