For many years, Smith's role as senior writer at Sports Illustrated has been to write four lengthy feature articles per year, most of which are in-depth personality profiles.[1][3] His wife, Sally, has described his motivation as follows: "He is not satisfied with putting facts together. He wants to understand what is the core conflict that has driven that person. He hopes to tell a secret that a person might not be aware of."[4] Several of Smith's subjects have attested to his profound insight.[5]
Smith has received many awards and honors for his work at Sports Illustrated. He won the National Magazine Award for non-fiction, the magazine equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, a record four times and was a finalist for the award a record ten times.[2][5] His stories have appeared in The Best American Sports Writing series a record 12 times.[3] Some of his literary peers have called him "the best magazine writer in America"[4][6] and "America's best sportswriter".[6] He also has been cited as a role model by younger sportswriters.[7][8]