Helping women and minorities into newsrooms since 1993
Helping women and minorities into newsrooms since 1993
African Americans have made a lasting impact on the world of sports, breaking barriers, integrating leagues, setting records and documenting history from press boxes across the globe.
Yet despite these accomplishments, recognition has often been lacking. This past April, North Carolina A&T State University made what it hopes is a first step in rectifying this.
Black journalists from across the country gathered to show appreciation for three icons who paved the way for others in the sports journalism industry with the inaugural induction of the Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame, held April 12 in the Deese Ballroom.
David Squires, a professor at N.C. A&T, introduced the idea of hosting the event to veteran sportswriter Rob Parker after Parker held a baseball master class on campus.
“It was the students that made me decide on North Carolina A&T,” Parker said. “ … I was so impressed by the students — their thirst for knowledge, the questions they asked, and how informed they were. I said, ‘This is a good journalism program, and it would be great for the kids to see living legends coming through the hallways.’”
Black sportswriters have covered professional sports leagues since Black athletes began integrating lineups in the 1940s.
Wendell Smith, Sam Lacy, Thom Greer, Larry Whiteside, Bryan Burwell and Ralph Wiley were inducted posthumously as the “Original Six.” They broke barriers for African Americans in sports journalism, displaying courage in pursuing what few had imagined possible.
Parker wanted to honor those who left a legacy and served as pioneers.
The three living inductees — Claire Smith, William “Bill” C. Rhoden and Michael Wilbon — are the new trailblazers. Each received a commemorative plaque and a framed photo of all honorees.
“If I were to handpick them, all three would be my first pick,” Parker said. “We had more than 33 voters, and (inductees) had to get 75 percent of the vote. All three got 75 percent. The writers got it right.
“They knew these were the top three Black sportswriters in the country,” Parker added. “I am thrilled they all got in, because Bill, Claire and Mike are just the crème de la crème.”
All three attended and spoke at the induction ceremony at A&T.
Smith has been a trailblazer not only for Black sportswriters, but also for women in sports journalism. She was the first woman to be a beat writer for a Major League Baseball team while working for The Hartford Courant in the 1980s, covering the New York Yankees. She was also the first woman to cover an MLB team full time.
Smith said she wasn’t the first woman in those stadiums and arenas, but she learned from those who came before her and became a student of the craft.
“What kept me going was a sisterhood,” Smith said. “Certainly the village made up of my peers — men and women — who always encouraged me and offered a helping hand, offered advice. I tried to learn and observe by listening to the veterans.”
Rhoden spent the majority of his career as a columnist for The New York Times, from 1983 to 2016. He now writes for ESPN’s Andscape, covering the intersections of sports, race, culture and historically Black colleges and universities.
Rhoden helped ESPN launch the Rhoden Fellowship in 2017. The program, which provides comprehensive training for HBCU journalism students, regularly enrolls students from N.C. A&T, Howard, Hampton, Morgan State and Florida A&M, among others.
Michael Wilbon is best known as co-host of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” and as a contributor on “NBA Countdown.” Before his success in television, Wilbon spent 30 years covering both local and national sports at The Washington Post..
“It’s fulfilling, it’s emotional and it’s humbling,” Wilbon said. “I can’t think of a greater honor. I’m fortunate to be in several halls of fame, but this feels different — and it should.”
Wilbon never imagined a career in television broadcasting but credited his years in newspapers with opening that door.
“Being a broadcaster is what I do. Being a sportswriter is who I am,” he said. “Those 30 years at The Washington Post defined me. They enabled ESPN to happen. There’s a transition, but storytelling is storytelling.”
Parker hopes to grow the Hall of Fame so that there is an annual induction ceremony honoring more Black sportswriters who have left their mark on the industry.