Stephen A doesn't get paid for knowing anything or having any kind of expertise. He's paid to yell, scream, and get under people's skin.
Yep. This is true all over the place about personalities and social media but people don't think of it this way.
Like you said, Stephen A. Smith is not necessarily about anything he says. Soda cans are covered in complimentary colors because it is eye catching and boosts sales. Info about football players is delivered in such a way as to catch attention and boosts viewers, and it's done by people who are good at that kind of "under your skin" acting.
If you see a movie preview and it has Jason Statham in it, I can already tell you that his character will be action packed, punch first ask questions later, and capable with women. He's good at that role.
Statham is the action movie guy just like Stephen A Smith is the sports news guy that drives you crazy. It's their acting niches.
Drama makes people talk. The era of reality TV proved this. People talking boosts users/viewers. More of those means more money.
Consider a free service, such as Facebook. It isn't free because it's a free product, it's free because you are the product. Now go check your Facebook feed and indirectly generate ad revenue for someone who paid some money to have Facebook pick users to see their ad, and you were one of them, and that choice was made because Facebook knows everything you've ever told it about yourself.
Sigh. I'll be in my bunker, working on my full body tin foil suit.