By: Nebai Esaias
For many young Black professionals, making it in the sports industry feels nearly impossible. Opportunities are limited, competition is relentless, and success often demands persistence, resilience, and creativity.
A major problem within sports media is the lack of representation among African Americans. “According to a research group Zippia, Caucasian sports reporters make up almost 67% while Hispanics (13%), Asian Americans (almost 9%) are ahead of African Americans, who make up less than 7% of all reporters.”
Many aspiring young people hold the same ambitions to break into this industry that they are deeply passionate about. The sports industry is a cut throat field where opportunities are limited and competition is fierce. Getting a foot in the door can be just as difficult as finding the right fit.
But, for all who are worried, there is no need to be. There is light at the end of the tunnel; these professionals serve as living proof that dreams can become reality.
I dived into a compelling exploration of Black excellence in sports media through the lens of three figures: Rob Parker, Eric Sellers, and Janae Adams. Each one of them have unique pathways and have endured a ton of adversity to get to the position they are in today. Without these people, sports media would not be the same.
ROB PARKER
Rob Parker is an American sports journalist and commentator born and raised in Queens, New York. Parker attended Southern Connecticut State University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. He received his masters degree in Journalism at Columbia University.
Parker started his professional career at the age of 21 as a high school sportswriter for the Times leader in Wilkes-Barre. His mindset, centered on determination and a strong work ethic, has remained unwavering from his first gig to today.
“Hard work, dedication, and the idea that I want to be the best. I really live with that everyday, always trying to get better, I never thought or think that I arrived and I escaped. So, I think that’s what has fueled me especially when you talk about being successful and longevity,” Parker said.
Parker has worked in the sports industry for 39 years. He has worked for the most notable sports companies in the world including ESPN, where he served as a debate panelist on First Take alongside Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. Parker also worked in radio as he co-hosted “The Odd Couple” in Detroit at WDFN. Later in his career, Parker was co-host of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard on Fox Sports Radio, and is now co-hosting the show with Kelvin Washington.
Parker’s relentless work ethic has led to remarkable success, earning him an induction into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame and the honor of having the press box at Southern Connecticut State University named after him.
Parker offers advice to young aspiring sports journalists who hope to have an established career like himself.
“To believe in yourself and also to not accept criticism without having someone explain the criticism and how to correct it. So, it’s not good enough for somebody to just tell you your not a good writer, well why am I not a good writer? What do I need to improve to be a better writer? Have the person thats given the criticism also be the person that helps you get better and develop, does that make sense? So it’s not enough just to criticize me, I’m gonna accept your criticism, but I’m going to have you help me get better and get to the place that I want to get to. I wish that I had that from the very beginning,” Parker said.
ERIC SELLERS
Eric Sellers, on the other hand is another success story in sports. However, the casual sports fan wouldn’t know who Sellers is. Sellers, born and raised in Lanham, Maryland, always had a passion for sports growing up. Despite his endearment for sports, he didn’t quite know what career he wanted to pursue. Sellers received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. After graduating college, he pursued a career in the business industry, starting as a Facilities Coordinator at GPG, a top public relations firm based in Washington, DC. Despite the income benefits, Sellers didn’t feel satisfied within his career choice.
It wasn’t until Sellers attended his first National Association of Black Journalists convention in Washingotn D.C. in 2016. Sellers was not eligible to attend the career fair or panels because he was not a registered member of NABJ. But, that did not stop Sellers. The ESPN booth was set up in front of the registration table, so Sellers was able to network there and leave a great impression. Sellers was then able to land a role as a Production Assistant at ESPN couple months later.
Sellers advocates the youth to attend NABJ as a way to break through in the sports industry.
“As you said I was fortunate enough to get my start at ESPN through NABJ and what I love about NABJ they have so many opportunities to cater to aspiring professionals, young professionals. In addition to internships, they have fellowships, they have scholarships, they also have networking events. And then we talked about it but at the convention we have a huge career fair and that’s where I got my opportunity… I think NABJ does a great job of supporting their young and aspiring journalists,” Sellers said.
Throughout his career, Sellers has been an advocate of the power of networking. Sellers always informs the young generation to build genuine connections with others because you need one another to make in this competitive industry. He strongly implied that building strong professional relationships can open doors to mentorship, job opportunities, and long-term career growth. Sellers, is a living testimony, as his connection with an ESPN representative landed him a position with the prestigious company.
Sellers has worked at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, for the past nine years, experiencing numerous ups and downs along the way. Despite all of the challenges he’s faced, Sellers remained persistent in hopes to achieve more for himself and his family. Sellers started off as Production Assistant, then got promoted to Content Associate, and now works as a Full-Time Associate Producer. His determination combined with personable qualities led to him being an invaluable member at ESPN. Sellers mentality and high character are instrumental qualities for the youth to possess, which have played a significant role in his success at ESPN.
Sellers offers advice to the youth, as he hones in on certain characteristics that are important to obtain to have a successful career in sports.
“Certainly, so first thing I would say don’t burn bridges. A lot of times you’ll meet someone and the energy may not be right you may not get along, whether it’s a student, whether it’s a colleague, don’t burn your bridges, you never know who’s going to be in a position to assist you down the road… Just be kind to the person next to us if we have some issues let’s work those issues out. Also, I’ll say finding the right job for you. Since you’re young you have the opportunity to move around and find that right fit, but I love the quote “find a job you love you’ll never work a day in your life,” Sellers said.
JANAE ADAMS
Another successful African American in sports is Janae Adams. Adams is from Antioch, California and has always had a desire for sports growing up. Although she was initially unsure which area of sports to focus on, Adams was unafraid to explore multiple roles within the industry.
Adams journey kickstarted in Atlanta with Turner Sports where she was a production intern. Adams later pivoted as a Rhoden Fellow at Andscape, which was a year long fellowship for six HBC students. Once Adams graduated, she still wanted to work in production. She was able to land an opportunity with MLB Network in New Jersey, where she did some time cutting highlights for the TV shows. Her next opportunity came with the New Orleans Saints, where she was in a similar role as a production assistant. Adams then decided to transition back to more of the editorial side landing a full opportunity with the Athletic.
Two years later, Adams decided that pursuing the journalism and production field was not for her anymore.
Adams wanted to pursue a career in sports, but wanted business to intersect with it. She then landed a new opportunity at CSE talent as a Broadcast Agent. As a broadcast agent, Adams role consisted of representing broadcasters and helped with the marketing influencer work for her clients. Adams gained a newfound passion in sports business at CSE talent where she worked for three years before receiving the opportunity to work at ESPN as an Talent Negotiations Manager.
Adams touches on her role at ESPN as an Talent Negotiations Manager.
“We’re the ones who are doing the contracts for the broadcasters, we’re the ones recruiting people to come to ESPN, we’re the ones working with every broadcasters agent … I do a lot of baseball, softball, do radio, football, some other sports wrestling and things like that volleyball. So, yeah anybody who’s a broadcaster under those lanes like that’s what i’m working on just trying to make sure that they’re getting paid,” Adams said.
Adams is proud of having explored different areas within sports because she was able to gain clarity on what she wanted to pursue long term. Adams was clearly able to depict what her strengths, weaknesses, and interests were throughout her journey in sports. She recommends the next generation to be open-minded in finding new opportunities so that they can find the career path that best fits them.
Working in sports has always been a dream for Adams and potentially many other women. But, the lack of representation of women working in sports has always been a significant issue.
The left chart illustrates the percentage of journalists, both men and women, working in their respective fields. The most significant disparity appears in the sports section, where 83% of men work in sports compared to only 15% of women. The right chart indicates women feeling that the industry is biased towards men and almost no women saw gender equality.
Despite pursuing a career in a male-dominated sports industry, Adams remained confident and undeterred. She understood the lack of women representation in sports, but she did not let that faze her from pursuing her dream.
Adams touches on working in sports as a woman.
It’s it’s challenging… when your like on the journalism side of things and you’re like asking questions going into the locker room postgame, the biggest challenge is that you’re sometimes one of the only women in the space. So at first you could take it as awkward, but it’s kind of just knowing how to own a space even when your the odd one out,” Adams said.
Conclusion
The journeys of Rob Parker, Eric Sellers, and Janae Adams demonstrate that while the path into sports media is far from easy, success is attainable through perseverance, dedication, and purpose. These three figures have played a crucial role in reshaping the demographics within sports media. Despite their unique pathways to the top, their success in sports highlights what is possible within this industry.
Their stories not only display the importance of Black voices in the industry, but also serve as inspiration for the next generation of aspiring Black journalists and media professionals. As representation continues to grow, these individuals stand as a reminder to the future generation that with hard work and belief in oneself, it is possible to defy the odds too.