This past week, discussions surrounding ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast team surfaced after the network renewed its deal with Joe Buck but not Troy Aikman.
The duo have called NFL games together for 25 years, so not having the two return next year will feel strange to some.
Some have surmised that they will eventually re-sign the former Cowboys QB while others have suggested that Pat McAfee might join the broadcast booth.
Regardless of the decision, looking at the primary broadcast teams across the NFL, NBA and FBS P4 college football, you come to a disturbing question.
Where are all the Black lead play-by-play broadcasters?
Trailblazers such as Irv Cross and Greg Gumbel, who made history as the first Black play-by-play announcer to call the Super Bowl (he called two in his career; Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII), passed away in 2021 and 2024, respectively.
We also lost HBCU legend Charlie Neal, who passed away this past May.
Currently, after Mark Jones retired from ESPN in April after a 36 year run with the network, NBC’s Mike Tirico and Fox Sports’ Gus Johnson are the only Black lead play-by-play voices on “A Teams” across the sports broadcasting landscape. Props to ESPN’s Tiffany Greene, who made history as the first Black woman to serve as a college football play-by-play commentator on the network, but she hasn’t called a P4 game as of yet.
Unfortunately, this isn’t surprising.
Over the past year, ESPN executed a talent purge, which including parting ways with a slew of Black broadcast personalities and journalists including Ryan Clark, Damien Woody, Jemele Hill, Cari Champion, Clinton Yates and many others.
And while many still remain at different networks in various roles, the void in the lead chair, specifically on the “A” team, is disappointing.
To be fair, there are many Black hosts in lead roles for networks and teams.
James Brown hosts CBS’s The NFL Today, Curt Menefee leads FOX NFL Sunday, Maria Taylor hosts NBC’s Football Night in America, Taylor Rooks leads Amazon Prime’s NBA studio coverage, Dave Simms is the current play-by-play voice of the Yankees and former play-by-play commentator of the Mariners, Robert Ford is the play-by-play voice for the Astros and Eric Collins does play-by-play for Prime’s NBA coverage and Fox Sports college football.
And there are others as well, but why haven’t more Black voices been selected for national play-by-play roles on broadcast TV?
Fox and CBS each have six broadcast teams for their NFL coverage and not one has a Black play-by-play commentator.
Is it due to stereotyping, the assumption being that Black talent can’t handle lead play-by-play roles?
Is it due to personalities or physical look, where networks don’t feel that Black talent are of the “traditional” look or sound and won’t be able to connect with viewers?
Is it because of the lack of opportunity, where networks favor Black talent as analysts instead of lead play-by-play commentators?
Is due to lack of experience, where Black talent seems to have more experience as analysts (particularly in studio) than in calling games?
Or could it be a lack of interest in, or understanding of, the play-by-play role?
Or is it a combination of everything?
Whatever the reason, it’s something that doesn’t seem to be addressed because it hasn’t changed.
I previously discussed the lack of Black national sports radio show hosts, something which has been trending in the wrong direction for some time.
Fox Sports Radio’s Rob Parker, a longtime sports media veteran, tried to change the trajectory of that trend by making a conscious effort to give Black voices airtime and experience. He even launched Sports Rap Radio on AM 1270 in Detroit, which was the first Black sports radio channel. While the effort, talent, enthusiasm and passion were all there, the funding wasn’t, an issue continually plaguing Black media, and sadly it folded a few months after launching.
While Parker’s effort to improve the presence of Black voices on radio continues, the effort on the television side isn’t as apparent.
According to Sports Broadcast Journal, in 2024 there were only four Black NBA play-by-play broadcasters, with Mark Jones being the only national voice (the others were local talent). With the NBC partnering with the NBA and Mike Tirico last season and Jones retiring, the latter number remains at one.
So is there any hope of reversing this disappointing reality?
It depends on the up and coming talent, of which there are some really bright voices on the rise.
There’s Monica McNutt, an award winning broadcaster for ESPN and MSG Network and Andraya Carter, who has continued to shine on ESPN’s WNBA and college basketball coverage.
We previously profiled USA Network WNBA play-by-play commentator Carlan Gay, who’s international broadcast experience gives him a unique perspective on basketball in particular.
And while there are many others currently in the analyst role who have the potential to be boosted up to the play-by-play role, and hopefully on the A team, the path to creating more diversity in this lead position is extremely challenging.
But Black people always find a way to thrive, so hopefully the current dimly lit broadcast tunnel will have some brighter lights shine through soon.
