JR Jackson, better known as JR SportBrief to CBS Sports Radio listeners, is Stephen Strom’s guest this week on the Sports Talkers Podcast. The two touch on the lack of minority representation in sports talk radio. Jackson is one of the very few Black full-time solo hosts in the country.
He told Strom that it doesn’t have to be that way. It is just a matter of where those doing the hiring are looking for talent. He pointed to Chris Russo’s infamous 2014 comment that he could not find a Black host worthy of being on Mad Dog Sports Radio.
“That was a very ignorant statement,” Jackson said. “People only know what they are exposed to. They only know what they are given a chance for.”
JR SportBrief started as a YouTube show that Jackson’s able to parlay into mainstream radio success. He told Strom that he knows everyone listening or watching will realize he is Black. It is why he never second guesses his hairstyle or beard. His achievements have given him a level of confidence.
He knows that not all Black content creators have been so lucky. That is why he takes any chance he can to give one of them a leg up.
“I’m realistic enough to know that all of these things change in time and that’s a reason why I’ll help anybody if I can go ahead and help them out, because I know what means to walk into a room, into a TV studio pre-me having a beard and an afro, and me walking in with a suit and a tie and being asked ‘oh what camera are you gonna operate?’.”
