The White World of Sports Journalism
January is a month of sports news. From college bowl games to NFL playoffs, we hide from the cold and indulge our inner fanatics. As someone who’s made a career of chronicling sports, it’s both an exciting and troubling time, because it reminds me that sports media remains a bastion of white privilege in journalism. I covered my first World Series in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 2008 at Tropicana Field, when the Tampa Bay Rays squared off against the Philadelphia Phillies. As I walked into the stadium, it was packed with fans and full of energy, and I was reminded of my love for the beat I work. But when I made my way to the press box, I suddenly realized the real story wasn’t on the field. As I entered press row, I was first shocked by how many journalists were there—nearly 1,000—and then more stunned by how few of them looked like me, a person of color. So while most of the writers on hand for Game 1 were watching the play with a keen eye, I spent my time researching the i...