Ep 26: The Politics of Play By Play - Featuring Tiffany Greene

On this week’s filibuster, Jemele takes a deep dive into how some in sports are using their money to curry influence with this presidential administration. Jemele is later joined by ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Tiffany Greene, the first Black woman to do play-by-play in college football on a major network. Tiffany shares how she fell in love with play-by-play broadcasting, how she prepares for games across multiple sports, and what it means to be an HBCU graduate that does play-by-play commentary for HBCU football games. Tiffany also shares the inspiring story of how longtime Good Morning America host Robin Roberts impacted her career. In the final segment, Jemele reveals some of her favorite sports literature.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, what's up everybody. I'm Jamel Hill and welcome to politics.
And I heard podcasts and unbothered production. Time to get spolitical.
So when it comes to following the relationship between sports

(00:20):
and politics, I follow a very simple rule.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Follow the richway man.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
The Federal Election Committee recently published a list of donors
to Donald Trump's second inauguration, and what do you know,
some of your favorite sports owners are on this list
aka the rich white man. Now, Trump's inaugural committee raised
two hundred and thirty nine million, which was more than
double what Trump raised his first time in office. According

(00:46):
to Front Office Sports, who analyzed this list, fifteen million
in donations came from team owners, betting companies, and individual
sports figures. Now, what I observed from the list is
that the state of Texas sure does love Donald Trump.
Houston Rocker owner Tillman for Tita, who donated a million
dollars for Tita, by the way, is Trump's nominee for

(01:06):
US Ambassador to Italy. From the same state, we have
Miriam Adelson, who owns the Dallas Mavericks, who also donated
a million dollars, even though he wasn't listed in the
Federal Election Committee receipts. The Cowboys confirmed to Front Office
Forts that Jerry Jones did, in fact donate to Trump's
inaugural campaign. Of course, Jerry had the check waiting for Trump,
because if there's one thing we know about Jerry Jones, he.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Sure does love being on the right side of history.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Now, if you're thinking, what's the big deal, somewhat if
some super uber wealthy people donate a bunch of money
to a bigoted, incompetent president, shouldn't they be allowed to
donate money to whoever they wish. Well, of course they
could do whatever they want, but understand that this isn't
just about supporting their candidate of choice.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
This is also about buying influence.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Now, this is one of the many reasons I give
a deep belly laugh when people say that sports is
without politics, or that sports and politics don't mix. No,
sports is all about politics, especially when it comes to
securing influence. Along these same lines, allow me to draw
some attention to another powerful sports group trying to use

(02:13):
their money to influence politics in their favor. The NCAA
is currently spending a lot of bread on lobbyists to
convince Congress to give the organization an antitrust exemption. For example,
the NCAA wants to be able to apply transfer restrictions
and they do not want college athletes to be classified
as employees, which is the basis of another lawsuit the

(02:35):
NCAA is currently facing. The reason the NCAA is seeking
an anti trust exemption is because one, they want complete
authority to set the NIL rules. The reason they can't
do that now is because that would limit the athlete's
ability to take advantage of the free market. You know
that capitalism everybody seems to love, but only when it
suits them too. The NCAA wants to cap what an

(02:58):
athlete's income can be and end the ability of players
to be able to sue them for stifling their appeal
on the free market.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
It's just that simple.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
As you see, players are using the transfer portal to
up their value.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
The nc DOUBLEA effectively wants to end that now.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
If college players are classified as employees, the NCUBLA will
then have to guarantee certain wages to all players. There
might even be work limits, and depending on the state
and the institution, college players could receive some of the
same benefits that their regular employees already received. That would
be billions of dollars, and that's a hard pill to

(03:37):
swallow for a pimp that grew real comfortable keeping everything
for themselves. So rather than pay that kind of money,
the NCAA would rather spend nearly half a million dollars
with some of the top lobbying firms in DC, which
is how much money they've shelled out in just this
first quarter of twenty twenty five alone. See in our
American political system, this is how things work. Powerful with

(04:00):
money control of the politics or the rules and standards
that the rest of us wind up having to live by. Now,
if you want to know or understand why a law
or regulation has been made, or more importantly, figure out
who that law or regulation would benefit, it's very simple.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Just do what Chris Tucker.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Said, follow the rich way man.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
I'm Jamelle Hill and I approved this message.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
I'm very excited about today's episode.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
My guest is a living pioneer, someone I've known for
well over a decade. In sports broadcasting, we tend to
see women over indexed in certain roles sideline reporting, hosting,
where they are the ones who are teeing up the
men who are creating the conversations with their opinions. Now,
even though we are seeing women in different roles across
sports broadcasting, one area where there remains very few women

(04:49):
is in play by play broadcasting, especially in men's sports.
My guest today is the very first black woman to
do play by play in college football at a major network.
But that is not the extent of her play by
play expertise. She does women's volleyball, women's softball, women's basketball,
on top of being the leading play by play commentator for.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
HBCU football on ESPN.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Now, what makes that even more dope is that she's
a proud graduate of Florida A and M University, otherwise
known as fam You. She also is a proud member
of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. And a proud homegrown
product of Tampa, Florida. Coming up next on Spolitics, the
Living Legend Tiffany Green.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
TIF.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
I'm so happy to have you join me here for
an episode of Politics.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
But before we get into your.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Career, your groundbreaking, trailblazing career, let me put all the
sauce on it. I'm going to start the podcast asking
you a question I ask every guest who appears on
Spolitics and that is named an athlete or a moment
that made you love sports.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
I'll go with all of Like the nineteen eighties, it
was the Chicago Cubs or the whole decade. Right, I'm
an eighties baby, and I say that because I live
in Tampa. I'm a Buccaneers fan, but I fell involved
with the Chicago Cubs, and the reason why was because
of the announced team, right, Harry Carey, Steve Stone later

(06:18):
Tom Brennaman. I just absolutely love them. You couldn't put
a better call on the game than Harry Carey, who
knew what was gonna come out of his mouth. So
like I was in my parents' living room trying to
like mimic everything I saw from Andre Dawson, Ryan Stanberg,
Mark Grace, Like I absolutely love them, like big League
Chew Louisville Slugger. My mom's automan was definitely like the catcher.

(06:44):
She was annoyed out of her mind because I would
draw on it from a strike zone and everything, Like
I would mimic everything that they did in those games.
So like that for me was like such an amazing
time and made me love sports so much and then
understand the announcing style who knew later.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yes, I was about to say, so, I see that
seed or that that curiosity was stoked quite early and
in you when it came to announcing. Now, just for
people who are unfamiliar, who are listening now, you know,
I refer to you as a trailblazer, even though in
my book you're still quite young, because you are, I

(07:22):
mean to everyone's knowledge. I mean, you're the first black
woman to be a play by play commentator for college
football on a major network. You do more than college football, obviously,
you do women's basketball, you do volleyball, you do softball.
But the reality is that very few people, or at
least across the course of my lifetime, I've seen very
few women, and very few black women in particular, who

(07:44):
are in the play by play arena. So I'm want
to break that down with you a little bit. Tell
me how this dream of doing play by play besides
listening to Harry Carey, tell me how this dream materialized
for you. When did it get in your system that
you wanted to do play by play?

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Well, you said it was young. So I wanted to
be a sportscaster at the age of five years old.
Got that in my Early childhood yearbook, right of what
do you want to be when you grow up? And
I think it morphed into play by a play once
I realized in my adult life kind of getting into
the business, that there are not many women at all

(08:23):
in the play by play chair and so for the
men that I grew up listening to, I thought, well,
there's a space and time and an opportunity for me.
So when I was working in Orlando, Florida, which was
kind of like mid two thousands, which is where we
had the opportunity to meet, I worked at Central Florida
News thirteen and they started a twenty four hour sports
network called bright House Sports Network, and it was there

(08:45):
where I really got introduced to play by play on
a more local, regional level. I had done some in
college when I was at FANU, but had not really
gotten any reps because there weren't many places for you
to do that. So I was calling basket and volleyball
and all the sports that you named, and I was
just like, I love this, Like I love this because

(09:07):
I like being in control. I like being able to
tell the stories that I want to tell, or sharing
just background on players. I get into that. I love it.
So I had that opportunity when I was in Orlando
and then the ESPN where the sports was there, so
I got a chance to have those opportunities and reps.
So I don't know, I just always loved sport. It

(09:29):
spoke to me. I wasn't going to play at the
highest level, so I wanted that opportunity to do it
and stay connected to the game anyway.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
I could now play by play.

Speaker 1 (09:38):
I think most people certainly would agree, and I think
we know this and just as sports fans like, it's
such a unique skill set, So how does one go
about developing that?

Speaker 3 (09:49):
Because this is really.

Speaker 1 (09:52):
It's I look at it from as far as somebody
who like you, was in broadcasting, but.

Speaker 3 (09:56):
I would want no part to play by play.

Speaker 1 (09:58):
So how is is this a skill set that you
that you developed.

Speaker 2 (10:04):
That's a great question, Jammel, because it's like I think
I'm an active listener, but a passive listener. I like
doing a whole lot of things at one time. I'm
best when there is chaos as opposed to really focusing
in on one thing. So my job is to who what,
when where, And the analysts job is the how and
why they get the shine they had the experience and
I get to tell the backstories. So I'm not sure

(10:29):
how I developed it over time, but I was in
news for a long time, so I was used to
being able to tell stories and make contacts and you know,
kind of do the business side of it. But then two,
I guess it was just a transformation of telling stories
in a longer format, so active listening, being able to

(10:51):
balance multiple things at one time, and then just trying
to read the moment, feel the moment and understand what
you're seeing and sharing what others can't see because you're
the eyes and ears there. I think it was just
a development over time. And you copy a lot when
you start off right because you hear what other people
are doing. You try to have a call, and you

(11:11):
try to have a faust.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Wait, so who were you copying when you first started.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
Al Michaels, Marv Albert pat Some are all because I
mean those were the guys that you saw and you heard,
like Earn Lung quiz. But they kind of had a,
you know, a dry, straightforward type of approach. So that's
what you absolutely do. You copy what you see. And

(11:39):
then there was the introduction of Stuart Scott, who I
feel like made it okay to be yourself and made
it okay to talk the way you would normally talk
amongst your your friends and your family. And so when
he did that, it was just like, Oh, that gave
me permission. I could do that in my call somehow,

(11:59):
and so I kind of integrated that over time.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
Yeah, the hard part was always the descriptive part to me,
because when I was anchoring Sports Center and had to
do highlight, I remember the first time I had to
do a highlight, I felt like an idiot because I
was just like, yeah, y'all, y'all see it.

Speaker 3 (12:17):
He shot it, Like what.

Speaker 2 (12:21):
Else you got lost? So I am.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
So it's like that to me is always the beauty
of listening to play by play is that it's not
only being comfortable and chaos. It's the fact that you
are very quickly able to describe huge moments and what
we're seeing in a way that is unique and specific
to you. So that's why I asked you, like, how
is this a skill that you developed? I know it's reps,
but you know, just develop even your own lingo and

(12:45):
language and tone and how you want to do that.

Speaker 2 (12:49):
Well, we're listening to the you know a lot of
the same music, right, Like Kendrick Lamar had his whole
little run here. So I'm incorporating music and pop culture
references that I enjoy listening to and feel like, oh,
this is a great moment to insert that there. I
sat there for a long time trying to come up
with my yes or bang or whatever, and you know what,

(13:12):
I was just like, shit, it's not coming out, Like
it's just not excuse me. So I said, well, I'm
just gonna toss the way. Oh you go, girl, you've
got that. That's all you in her bag, Like whatever
is popular. I try to infuse that and what I
had because I was running myself crazy trying to figure out,
Oh man, I just want that. I just want that tagline.

(13:34):
That's what you that's what you search for. And then
I was just like all right, I know I could
take it to break strong, right. I know I can
get excited in the moment and like the energy that
I bring. I want the call to be unique and
different and I want to put a stamp on it.
So I know that God blessed me with a unique
sounding voice, but also the energy and enthusiasm, like yo,

(13:57):
like this is exciting, like get into it. I want
that to come across always within my broadcast, and I
hear that oftentimes that when people listen back, they'll say, Okay,
we know your voice, but also like you brought us in,
like you brought us in as a viewer. So there
are many things that and I'll be honest with you,
that I've kind of gone through in my mind. And

(14:18):
like the evolution, I try to think of people who
are very savvy with work playing. I'm like, okay, I
can do that. Nah, that's not me, right. So I
just feel like when you talk to me day to day,
like on the phone in person, that's the same person

(14:39):
that you're going to get when you see me on camera.
And I feel like that hopefully translates across to the viewer.

Speaker 1 (14:45):
So when you were starting out and knowing that you
were in a very non traditional line because you know,
when women are in sports, like usually you wind up
getting aggregated to sideline reporting, which you did. Of course,
you can be you know, an anchor. You know, there's
other things that used to seeing women. But because this
is not a place where we typically see women, what
were those early experiences, like, like, what were some of

(15:07):
the challenges you already noted or were beginning to note
as you were trying to make your way.

Speaker 2 (15:13):
I feel like, because there weren't many women there, like
you spoke of, there was a question mark of whether
you belong. And I think we see that even just
in sports in general, where it's just like, what do
you know? How can you cover the sport? You've never
played it? What's your your knowledge base? Like that was
one thing, and then two because I was then kind

(15:33):
of one of the few women, but only black women
that they had come across. Oh well, you know those
microaggressions of you know, I want you to, you know,
be yourself and be you know, softy or you know,
these kind of placating words to say, be black.

Speaker 1 (15:52):
So what they expect you to do on a call,
like do a Z formation or something, is like.

Speaker 2 (15:55):
That's what they did. Yeah, it was weird because it
was just like, okay, because you're the only one kind
of there, so I want you to stand out and
like have that pizazz and that zest. Along the way.
It was very interesting conversations throughout, But I don't know,

(16:17):
it just feels like throughout I think the normal challenges
that women, but black women face of the belonging part
and trying to create your laying gain respect, all those
types of things, and so much of what my story
is is based on my career as a anchor reporter

(16:40):
in the news sense, because that's what helped developing home
my skills kind of get it out the mud type
of thing before I transitioned over. So it was just
people not willing to want to take a chance on
me because they had never seen anybody else do that before,
so they weren't as interested to say, oh, Okay, you know,
here's this opportunity I feel like be best suited forward to.

(17:01):
Let's give you a try. It was just someone who
was willing to take a chance, and I think that
was one of the biggest hurdles.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
Now just back up a little bit.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
Your dad was a news anchor, correct yep, Yeah, so yeah,
he was a news anchor there locally in.

Speaker 2 (17:16):
Tampa's that's right. Birth black anchor reporter in Tampa worked
with Box thirteen, and I never got a chance to
see him while he did that. He moved over to
radio by the time that I was born, but many
people just remember him and see him in the community.
So He created a great foundation for me that I

(17:37):
didn't even quite realize or understand. And you don't even
take it in from a pioneering perspective or a trailblazing perspective,
because he was just doing something that he loved. Also,
but he played an integral part, or has played an
integral part in me doing what I love because he
always pushed me. He knew what it took to get there.
And this you have to remember he was in the seventies, right,

(18:00):
so a black man about six foot four affro out
here in these Tampa streets. But he but he meant
something to this community. And so I'm blessed to be
able to say that I can follow in his footsteps.
But I know it wasn't easy for him, you know,
because he was like, oh, I'm covering kkk rallies and

(18:20):
I'm doing all these things that we've been in those
really uncomfortable moments. But I feel like he just set
the stage for for something greater for me and my sister.

Speaker 1 (18:30):
What what is it about Tampa in the Saint Pete
area and kkk rallies? Gtor In journalism, we also was
a long time reporter, like one of the most traumatic
experience she ever had was covering AKKK rally in Tampa.

Speaker 3 (18:46):
And I was like, what is it about Tampa?

Speaker 2 (18:48):
Wow?

Speaker 3 (18:49):
Where why is this they where they want to have
these rally?

Speaker 2 (18:52):
Let's just put Florida in that whole category, because you
know what I mean, like people don't think of it
as the South where there's so many southern elements to
the state of Florida. We're a mess. We're the state
of Florida, and we are an absolute mess, and yet
we say it. We still see it. You drive along

(19:13):
Ode for and you still see like a Confederate flag
flying high as or I seventy five rather that intersection
you see still see it flying high. So it's like
crazy that here we are twenty twenty five and we're
still talking about it and all things are just repeating
and recycling.

Speaker 1 (19:28):
So as you kind of were starting to gain a
flip hold in this industry, what kind of I guess
goals or benchmarks did you did you set for yourself?

Speaker 2 (19:38):
Always wanted to be on ESPN, a national network, but
you grow you grow up and you see the worldwide
leader and so that was the ultimate goal, and I
took a securities were oute right. I kind of went
through the news realm because again, there weren't many opportunities there,
but that really helped me to gain the confidence and
experience that I needed to get there. Ultimately, Yeah, I'm

(20:01):
trying to call the Olympics, I'm trying to call you know,
NFL games, I'm trying to call NBA games. But I
just wanted to get there first. And ESPN passed me
over the first time from a play by play perspective,
or they just hadn't seen me quite yet. I was
doing sideline reporting.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
Did they tell you why or did you no?

Speaker 2 (20:23):
No? No, But it all comes back down to experience.
So thanks to the National Association of Black Journalists, which
you and I are part of, I've gone there every year.
And a dude by the name of Roy Hamilton, who
was at Fox Sports, he was an executive there at
the time, saw me and was just like, yo, like
you're doing play by play, Well, we've got the biggiest

(20:43):
package starting up on Fox Sports one would we would
love to give you a try, Like think about it.
I ain't much to think about, Like, let's do this.
But so it was them catapulting me onto the national stage.
I had done some stuff again with the White World,
but they weren't really comfortable enough for me to move
from sideline reporting to the booth. And I think Fox

(21:08):
Sports won. I give Roy Hamilton that credit for seeing
me and allowing me that space. And I was nervous
as all get out, but I got to sit alongside
with China Robinson, my girl, as we did that, and
so from there it was like, Okay, you could do it.
You got it.

Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah, because now you have a body of work that
you can obviously you can show ESPN and so much
of this industry is like, you know, climbing steps of
just getting to the next level, the next landing. But
even you know, the one thing I noticed about a
lot of you know, the play by play sort of
icons that you mentioned, they stay in those jobs a
long time. So, you know, from a somebody who wants

(21:50):
to cover an Olympics and wants to be on NBA calls,
is that in any way discouraging because you know, like
Mike Breen ain't going no. You have Ryan Ruco and
I know he's like, but does how do you handle
that part of it? Knowing that these jobs are not
just hard to come by, people don't leave them.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
Yeah, their legacy positions, right, because people are just trying
to sit there. Look, I would love to be the
Orlando Magic Voice, okay, but David Steele has been there
since the start of that organization and we'll probably be
there until he says he wants to go. And I
think I'm a believer of you till the soil you'll
reap a harvest. So it's done in my time, but

(22:30):
God's time, And so that's what I put in front
of me. That doesn't mean I'm not knocking on the door,
that doesn't mean I'm not asking for opportunity, But I
think that it's always in time that those things come about.
And it's helpful if you just keep people see your work,
and when people are ready to resign from their position,

(22:54):
you want them to have you first of mind to say, hey,
this person would be great for it. So I am
a patience person and I've just learned over time it
is it is not in my time. But as long
as I'm taking steps and doing the things that I
feel like a are making a right play or right move,
then that time will come. That time will come.

Speaker 1 (23:16):
Now, as I mentioned, you're the first black woman serve
as a play by play commentator for college football and
a major network. That major network obviously being ESPN. When
did you first learn that you carried that distinction?

Speaker 2 (23:28):
So someone told me that, like maybe like a few
days before I was going to be calling the game.
So it was all cornsta like my first game, which
is like in twenty seventeen, right, And I was just like, nah,
all it did was add more pressure, Like are you
kidding me here? I am a young co play by

(23:50):
play trying to make my national, you know, debut for football,
a sport that obviously everyone is watching in America and
cares about deeply, and you're gonna tell me that. I
was like, oh, I mean, so the pressure was mounting.
It was, it was certainly great and and and it

(24:11):
didn't follow me the significance right of what it meant
to be in that moment. So the idea is like
I'm just trying not to screw it up, Like I'm
just trying to go out there and do what you've
been training to do and preparing to do. You hear
that all the time, but like I was just like,
I don't want to f this up because who knows
when the next black woman will have this opportunity to

(24:32):
sit in this chair. So I think my buddy Kareem
White was one of the first people to let me know, like, hey,
you know this is this is kind of like a
big deal. Like I was just like, all right, I'm
just going out there doing what I know to do
or doing what I have prepared myself to do. So yeah,
that was a moment. Sadly, Jamlle, We're sitting up here

(24:55):
and they're still still me uh. Megan McPeak did it
with CBS like a season.

Speaker 1 (25:05):
Or two ago, so that was actually, you're leading right
perfectly right into my next question, which is what does
that say about our industry that you are not only
the first, you're still the only.

Speaker 2 (25:19):
It's sad, right, like everybody needs to catch up. And
I feel like we have seen it in other sports
where I think, you know, Dave Roberts did a great
job with his time over the NBA and w n
b A and kind of finding more talent, more diverse talent,
more talent that represents the sport be in those positions.

(25:40):
But football has got a stronghold. You know, Baseball is
such a unique sport and that it's just trying to
still connect to our community or reconnect to our community again.
Uh NHL. It's it's disappointing. And my hope is that

(26:01):
this is a message to all the young minority but
black play by plays, like this is your opportunity, this
is your time we're looking for and this this the
audience I think is hungry for, you know, representation and
different voices. So that means to all of the Zora

(26:21):
Stevenson's and Angel grays and and Megan Makepeaks and ty
Floyds and someone's families, like yo, get in this thing.
If you're thinking about you want to do sideline, consider
play by play. I mean it takes time and there
has to be a comfortability those you know skill sets
that you talked about being able to do multiple things

(26:42):
at one time, just kind of being the conduit or
conductor rather of the broadcast. But like this is the
best time ever to get into play by play and
you kind of have to sell it or pitch it
that way because most people just don't think about it right.
Everyone's intent dated by the position, and that's what we're

(27:05):
so in need of. I was watching or looking at
a report. I think it was the Black play By
Play Fund at the beginning of this year, and they said,
we as black people represent maybe like just under six
percent of play by plays total and across the six
major sports, which is atrocious. Like it's that is that
is beyond sad. And when you look at where black

(27:27):
women sit in that, you know, the majority of the
play by play voices, you know, Cindy Brunson's over with
the Phoenix Mercury and that the w n b A
is what you're what you're seeing more of. But outside
of that, yeah, we're just not represented. We're not represented
well enough. And that's part of what I feel like

(27:49):
my duty is, my responsibility is to help change that.

Speaker 1 (27:55):
Yeah, I mean, I'm sure a great number of young
women come up to you, they express their desires to
be in this business, and I love that you're planning
that seed with them to consider play by play because
I do think that you're right, there is a perception
of intimidation that's there that can I really do this
because it is again quite a very special.

Speaker 3 (28:14):
And unique skill set.

Speaker 1 (28:18):
People always talk about, Oh, the reason we don't see
more of us in certain positions is because there's just
not enough talent as someone who is doing this at
the grassroot level in terms of just you know, understanding
who out there is coming up. You know, what do
you say to people who believe that part of the
reason the representation isn't there is because the talent and

(28:39):
the workforce isn't there for them to put in these positions.

Speaker 2 (28:45):
The talent I just mentioned, like I just named some
phenomenal names of young women who I think are going
to do beyond anything that I'm doing. And that's what
my hope is. Yoursors, your angels, your megans, and so
there are men need more that follow behind them that
have great skill, but they just need opportunity. I think

(29:07):
that's where it is. And so if I want everyone
to consider that if you're hiring someone, be fair in
the hiring and that take a chance on this young
lady who looks like me and you know differently than
you would take a chance on someone else, because it's

(29:30):
the opportunity that is hard to come by. But in
the meantime, there are so many different ways that you
can make yourself and promote yourself and show that you're available. Right, So, okay,
you're not on the game. You and your friend y'all
call a game. You got YouTube, you got social media,
you got everything that you need right there to kind
of create your own tape and be innovative in that way.

(29:55):
Radio calls getting on with schools, regional networks or localized
networks and broadcast high school football is huge, of course
in the South, so popping on with some of those
like finding ways to show that, hey, I am about
this life. Okay, I'm trying to get into it. Here

(30:16):
is what my body of work is so far. I
can do even greater if you just give me that opportunity.
So it always falls back to opportunity. But I told them,
or I tell them rather, don't keep fighting, right, don't
keep knocking on the door, and don't keep reminding them.
It took me like twelve years first and foremost to

(30:36):
even get to ESPN. It took me some you know,
a little extra time to even do play by play,
and so because of that, you just have to be
willing to work. But there's a little patience that also
comes into that.

Speaker 1 (30:52):
Toom, well, that's what I'm One of the things I've
admired about you is that you've always been patient and
seemed to carry the attitude of like what's for me
is for me, and that can be really hard sometimes
when you're hearing those nos. So what would you say
was central for you? As you said, it took you
twelve years to get to ESPN. Listen, I did a
full ten year bid in newspapers before I got the ESPN.

Speaker 3 (31:15):
So I think there's this idea sometimes that some.

Speaker 1 (31:18):
Of these young folks have that the success is instantaneous,
but it is not, like it is a mind. So
what were some of the things maybe you had to
keep reminding yourself, saying to yourself, reinforcing that allows you
to get through that period before you actually made it
to the major network that you dreamed of making.

Speaker 2 (31:35):
It too, The no is not my yes yet, right,
So I know that you may tell me no right now.
It's just not my yes yet, And so when my
yes comes then I'll be ready. But I think and
there's multiple ways for you to also go after something, right.

(31:56):
So I was trying to get to ESPN. I was
working in ABJ, I was trying to build relationships. I
was trying to be creative in my stand ups as
a one man band to show them that I could
do this or that my play by play calls were
gonna stand out and pop and all that kind of stuff.
But I just knew that my faith had to help

(32:19):
guide me. I write things down, I'm a firm believer
and speaking things into existence, and so literally I have
a roadmap of where I wanted to be from one
point to the next point and the years that I
was going to take to get to that point. And
then I had an amazing and amazing village, like an
amazing village of mentors and family and friends who kept

(32:43):
encouraging me like along the way, and I was like,
I know I'm doing good work, Like I know that
I am capable of this. So I would be yelling
daily affirmations out all the time in the car, in
the mirror, just reminding myself because like naturally you get down,
and naturally you start to question yourself and doubt yourself

(33:05):
because if you don't get the validation of others sometimes
then it's just like, well, maybe I wasn't strong enough
in myself early in my career to believe that that
maybe I was gonna have that opportunity. But I just
I go back to my faith. I go back to
my faith, and athletes oftentimes have a twenty four hour rule, right,

(33:26):
so they get told no, they have a defeed. Something happens,
and then in that twenty four hours they flush it
out and they use that as refueling for them to
go back and work even harder and greater and do better,
for them to reach and seek their goal, seek and
reach their goal rather And so I took that under advisement,

(33:48):
did that and I feel like that has helped to
make the difference in the process.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
Well, before we go to break on and ask you
one last thing. You were the women's final four just
recently there in Tampa where you live, and you were
very much a part of that. When we look at
the growth and explosion and not just women's basketball, but
women's sports overall, do you see this growth in this
explosion is now we got for women's volleyball league, We

(34:14):
have another league and unrival. You know, like this growth
of women's sports. What do you think that will mean
for opportunities for women who are in your field?

Speaker 2 (34:25):
Well, I think it now broadens the landscape of what
you're going to be able to do in terms of
accessing jobs, to be able to call games, right, so
you can have a roster that works with unrivaled and
you can have a roster that works with the League
one volleyball, like there will be greater opportunity. But also
it just helps to provide, Like we've seen this tipping

(34:48):
point of momentum, I think that leads to greater pay too, right,
greater opportunity, greater pay, because that's something that we've been
fighting for, is pay equality and getting women paid just
like the men are being paid, and showing that women's
sports have high value, great value of phenomenal product, amazing athletes.

(35:12):
So so I just think that that just opens the
door for so many more young women to be able
to be involved in sports in one form or another.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
Yeah, I think it.

Speaker 1 (35:26):
I mean it's hard, especially with the direction that these
sports are taking and the growth is just unbelievable. It's
hard not to imagine that won't trickle down and have
some effect and you know, perhaps force a lot of
these decision makers to start to consider women for you know,
the these roles. That's it feels like for them it's

(35:47):
almost easier because it's a women's sport, Like, oh yes,
I can imagine a woman do it. They can imagine
that well, perhaps this will extend to them further opening
their minds and imagining women in these roles when it
comes to calling men's sports.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
Listen, I got a lot more I want to ask
you about. We're going to take a very quick break.

Speaker 1 (36:03):
But on the other side, I want to ask you
about your preparation because this is something I've been dying
to know about how play By the commentators prepare for games.
Because when I see you, know, whenever they show you
all in the booth and you have charts and graphs,
and I'm like, oh my god, that looks like the
worst science project ever.

Speaker 3 (36:22):
So I need I need to know what happens in there.

Speaker 1 (36:24):
But we're just going to take this quick break and
we'll be back with more with Tiffany Green. So, as
I mentioned before the break, tiff preparation, I am dying
to know how you guys prepare, Like I know how

(36:45):
I prepare if I'm going to be on a studio
show talk about a particular subject.

Speaker 3 (36:50):
But I got to talk about that for like, you know,
maybe five minutes.

Speaker 1 (36:54):
You know, maybe if I'm interviewing with somebody, it's longer.
You were talking about the same thing for two plus hours,
possibly so what does your preparation look like?

Speaker 2 (37:03):
Well, you know what, we go after the same way.
We just add a couple of more layers to it
because I think we naturally take in information by osupposs
just watching games, right, But then there is a ton
of like reading, but you're reading from all different sources.
You're reading the game notes and trying to comb through
and see themes and storylines that you can pull out
about players or trends within the team. So that is helpful.

(37:28):
You read articles, you're watching game feel right, you're talking
about it with your analysts, especially if you have a
good relationship with them, So you're kind of going through
and looking at coverages and hey, what are the tendencies
that they're paying attention to or what do they do
in situational downs. I probably talked to let's just say

(37:50):
in football, I probably talked to my analyst, Jay Walker,
at minimum, I don't know, about an hour a day,
and we shoot the breeze and the process at the
beginning of it, right, and then we're talking about, Hey,
what's happening at Jackson State or a fam you or
at Howard Because I covered the HBCU landscape among other

(38:14):
college teams and so we're paying attention to very closely,
and I feel like we're very connected within that space
to know what's going on. Coaches are calling us and
giving us information quickly or easily. And then game board,
Lauren Hemercy, my game board, are you talking about that
science project? It's all it feels like a dissertation slash,

(38:39):
like these bad problems on there, Like it's a whole
lot jumpled on there. And I think I spent a
lot of time because you're trying to now dissect information out,
trying to write it in a way that color codes
it for you. Stats are going to be one color,
history is going to be another color. Like game boards
are so important to what I do, and I I'll

(39:00):
source the service for but that's really my map, right,
So they'll put in like heightweight, information, name, position, But
then I input because I like to again thinking it over,
talking it over, writing it down, typing it in. All
of that helps to remind me about it so that

(39:20):
it's like you cram for a test every week. But
those game boards are really kind of your guiding you know,
like your grid as to how you're going to navigate
within the game. And then not just game boards, but
then you're talking about again kind of topics that you
want to cover. So I'm going through and making sure

(39:42):
that I can give you the history and everything the
background on the teams, but I'm also wanting you to
know like what's happening this week, what's going on, and
how a particular team fits within the league, and the
conversations all around that. So I'm always trying to go
through topics, things that you really want to make sure
you hit and if it's really important, you got to
remind them again because like every half hour, people are

(40:04):
dropping in and out of the conference or rather watching
the show or the broadcast, so you got to sit
back and remind them of what's really important about these teams.
So it's it's just a lot of information overload. And
that's not even when you get to practice, right because
then you got to go to practices. You typically get
in on a Thursday, and you go to practices. You're

(40:25):
talking with coaches, you're talking with players. So it's just
a lot of gaining of information and then just sifting
through to figure out what is the best way to
present that information.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
Yeah, I told people this and they kind of laugh
when I said it, But I told them that, like
the hardest job I ever had at ESPN was doing
sideline reporting, like by far, like nothing else.

Speaker 3 (40:51):
Was even close.

Speaker 1 (40:52):
And it's because of everything that you said. And this
is just doing it from the sidelines. You're in the booth,
like I'm just doing hits a couple times a game,
and the amount of information you have to know every week,
because I think people have it in their mind that
when you're doing and it's good for you because you're
you're covering HBCU football, So like at least you get

(41:12):
to kind of dig into one, you know, one one
specific you know, like a couple of specific leads you know,
teams like so you can kind of make your way there.
But like every week I'm on a different game and
it feels like I'm studying for a major exam. Is
you know, you get that thick packet that arrives at
your house on Monday. You know, like you said, you
got to meet with the uh you know, meet with

(41:34):
the coordinators, the coach. You know, I didn't go to practice,
but we we talked to the coordinators and the coach
like every week. I think I think some of the
analysts actually did go to practice, but that invitation was
never extended to me. Now I'm wondering why, no, no,
all that is that? Trust me as a beat report,
I saw enough football practice.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
I'm good, but you're right, But.

Speaker 1 (41:53):
It is it is a mountain of information that you
have to be able to to learn and to know.
So how did you sort of get comfortable with that onslide?
I mean, now again your season, so a lot of
these teams you're seeing over and over and through the
course of the year. Now, but like when you were
first starting out, Like, how did you not let that

(42:15):
part of it.

Speaker 3 (42:16):
Get to be a little intimidating? Oh?

Speaker 2 (42:18):
It was overwhelming and stressful as all get out, really
and honestly going from sport to sport. And I'm gonna
say this because the crossover of seasons is like still
all the dreads. So you finished with football in your
full football mode, and you'd be like, what is happening
in basketball? Now? We just finished basketball? And then you're like, oh,
let me insert a preseason softball tournament in here, and

(42:40):
you've got to prepare for all these teams. It's just
like Woosaw and I was trying to take in everything
at one time, and that just was not working. It's
not my brain doesn't work that way, so it wasn't
possible for me. So sometimes you kind of just like,
do I remember that? I kind of confused that name,
you know, because they're also similar there. So I was like, no,

(43:03):
what I'm gonna do whatever is in front of me,
one thing at a time. And Beth Mowens was great
because she would tell me at the beginning of my
career because she does multiple sports. Hey, I kind of
create like a bible, right, and so I create team
notes for each year so I don't have to go

(43:24):
back and relearn the history or the memorable or notable
players or what happened in a season. You kind of
keep a steady log of it throughout and then you
just update the notes and that familiarizes you because as
soon as you get back and look at it, you're like, oh, yeah,
that's right, that's exactly what happened with this season. I
remember she did Now with the transfer portal, obviously, that

(43:46):
creates a little bit more my lord, what year are
you COVID? Good? Are you are you coming back?

Speaker 3 (43:57):
You got likes?

Speaker 2 (44:00):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (44:00):
What?

Speaker 2 (44:02):
So like all of those things so I figured out
doing it one at a time, because you can't bite
off an element, elephant whatever in one fit. You gotta
do a little bits at the time or whatever. The
saying is, like, that's exactly what I had to do.
I had to slowly say, Okay, this is in front
of me, and then when it's in front of me,
I just dive in holy and that allows me to

(44:25):
I feel like I'm a good grammer, So that allows
me to kind of like input the information and have
it stick and retain. And then unfortunately, you know, if
you're a friend of mine or your family member of mine,
you're gonna hear some of that stuff regurgitated because you're like, okay,
did I get it right? Like, do I have it? Hey?
Tell me about you know, Texas Longhorns women's basketball. Oh okay,

(44:48):
well let me tell you about master books, the Big Twelve,
Player of the Year, SEC player. They you try to
go through and just kind of regurgitate some of the information.
At least that's what I found to have been helpful
for me, because it's a shiplow excuse my language, but
you know, it's a ton of stuff, and then you
add like a status component right. So Stig will send out,

(45:11):
like you know, stats and notes that you need to
know for the game and the league. And then you
have your statistician because you're balancing a lot at one time.
So I've got my stat guy here telling me kind
of not down a distance, but how much was gained
on the play, or flagging me if I didn't see
a flag or something like that. I got my spotor

(45:31):
helping me in the middle to tell me who made
the tackle, who's in the backfield, if there's a change
at quarterback. Because there is so much going on, I'm
actually trying to listen to what my colleague is trying
to say, my producers in my ear. And then you're
like taking in the action. So it's like a cafeteria
at a high school or something, and just like all

(45:55):
kinds of stuff is going on at one time. You're
trying to just direct your attention to one thing at
a time. But yeah, it's a lot, but it's great.
It's a fun it's a fun a lot.

Speaker 3 (46:03):
That's a fun a lot.

Speaker 1 (46:04):
Yeah, So when your seasons start to collide a little bit,
I imagine probably a little bit later in the football
season and you have women's basketball and all these other
things going on.

Speaker 3 (46:13):
What does your schedule look like?

Speaker 2 (46:17):
So I travel Thursday to Sunday usually for football, but
I would say I'm out of the fifty two weeks,
I'm going forty out of the fifty two weeks. That's
on the road quite a bit, and you kind of
can go from one place to a next. With football,
that tends to happen a lot more towards the end
of the year as preseasons kind of kicking up. In

(46:38):
the start of women's basketball is going, I'll kind of
just go from one spot to the next and then
i feel like like a fish out of water sometimes
because I'm like, wait minute, the pace of the game,
like because there's a different flow for football. Football is like,
you know, you got three and a half hours. There's
a different type of hadence that you have with it,

(47:00):
and then you move to basketball and it's just like
bam bam, bam bam bam, all right, we done so.
So you have to cater to the different flows to
it as well. But the travel schedule is very hectic.
It's it's it's pretty crazy, but that's what we sign
up for. But that crossover of seasons, so like there

(47:20):
was a there was a stretch of time from like
March or the end of February, and you don't know
whether you're coming here, you're going. You just take some
clothes out, put some clothes back in, and get back
on the road and figure it out. Because it's a
constant thing. You then add tournaments in there, or or
conference championships things like that, and then you're just you're

(47:45):
just away a lot. You're you're on the road a lot.
But it's it's again, it's all. It's all good. Though.

Speaker 1 (47:51):
Well, it should be mentioned here that you are a
wife and the mother of two darling boys who seem
to be growing every twenty second. So how does this
hectic forty week travel schedule, how do you navigate that?

Speaker 3 (48:07):
With your family?

Speaker 2 (48:09):
They are amazing first and foremost, because I feel like
my husband and my kids they make a great sacrifice
everything I do. I tend to like sign off with
my husband and then the village that is my parents
and my in laws. Hey got this game coming up,
Hey what's the coverage looking like? And managing that right
there is like trying to manage what Don Staley has

(48:32):
to do with her McDonald's all Americans like making sure
everybody the right place. They get their playing time, or
they're getting their attention, like all those things. So it
is because they all buy in that helps me to
feel some type of relief. And I'm on the road
because the guilt is always going to be there. Right
I'm away, I'm missing something. I can't be as involved

(48:57):
as I'd like, so they make it possible. I try
to put a Superwoman cape on. I don't know if
that's necessarily healthy either. Balance does not exist with this
whole thing that is a foregone conclusion like we are.
I am not balanced, okay. I just feel like I'm
running ragged. And when my husband gets the attention, then

(49:19):
my kids want the attention, and when my kids want
the attention, that my parents need my attention. And then
there's work, and then there's friends. Like you're trying to
have like a little life in the process of but
they make it possible. I don't do any of this
without the good Lord upstairs and my village who are

(49:39):
all about it, and they understand the commitment that it
takes and the time away that it takes. I try
to take my sons on the road with me when
I can. My husband and I learned that we don't
do tournaments together anymore. We learn that very early because
it's just so much of a demand and you have
to be away so much that it's best that maybe

(50:00):
we kind of do like one off, you know, sporting
event trips. So it's it's it's been a it's been
a wild ride because you hear and this is what
I applaud so many of the young women in the
business now for doing. They speak up for themselves, they
advocate for themselves, and they try to create as best

(50:21):
of a balance as possible. And I'm kind of like that.
In between Era was just like, yo, you gotta work,
you gotta push, you gotta fight, you gotta do whatever
you can to get to where you are, and then
you got to try to stay where you are. I
love it and I'm learning from them how to be like, no,
I can't, I've gotta I can't do that right now.

(50:45):
So so that's been that's been amazing. But I think
my husband, Aaron, I'm gonna shout him out, and my
boys Bryston and Aaron, who could give who could care
less obviously about.

Speaker 1 (50:56):
What I'm gonna say, But are your kids aware of
what you do for they know.

Speaker 2 (51:03):
They they watch, they watch, they do listen. They are excited,
but their kids, so they're not paying any mind. They
want their Pepperoni and Boom Chika Pop and to play
bab Blade when I come back home and do our
battles and Pokemon like, that's what they care about. So

(51:25):
that's what they're more interested in. They want my time.
They want my time heavy. So as soon as I
step back home, it's like, all right, gear up with
some caffeine or Celsius or something and get ready to go.
Because they don't care about what Mommy does. They don't
they don't know that I'm making any kind of impact.

(51:47):
I try to share with them. I try to tell
them I think it's starting to click with my oldest bryson, like, Mommy,
you know a lot of people know you. Yes, you
know they do, and because I'm from Tampa and my
parents are still here like that, but they could. They don't.
They don't care. I saw you, And they may say

(52:09):
they may say good job mommy, like maybe maybe maybe maybe,
but they're like, so what have you done for me lately? Okay,
So when you when you're gonna serve my needs and
that's okay, that's all right.

Speaker 1 (52:27):
Yeah, Well, as you know as a season TV professional, uh,
there are the best part about doing TV are are
moments both planned and unexpected, and you've been through your
share of both.

Speaker 3 (52:40):
But I thought, you know, definitely a great.

Speaker 1 (52:42):
Moment was when you and Jay had Kamala Harrison the booth.
Uh so talk about what that experience was like and
maybe how how that came together.

Speaker 2 (52:53):
Well, it was the perfect storm of everything. Right. I'm
a graduate of Florida A and M University. Jay is
a graduate of Howard University. Uh the sitting vice president.
Kamala Harris at the time a graduate of Howard, and
we had seen her at another game before. But I'll
tell you the power and the strength of an HBCU
network and how we saw that come into play. She
had been to the Truth and Service Classic, and she

(53:15):
had gone to the Howard Men's basketball in CAA tournament game.
But we were like, yo, we're in Atlanta, this is
our game and these two teams are colliding, like we've
got to make this happen, And it was. It was
a lot of work behind the scenes, but Kirsten Allen

(53:35):
at the time was working with her team, and she
was just like, we put in the request, let's see
if it could happen. She worked incredibly hard to do so,
and her being there was like everything it was it
was just Black excellence at its best and how better

(53:57):
to do it than at this National Championship game and
so cool, Like she's so cool, And she talked about
her Howard experience, her HBCU experience. We are sorority sisters,
members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, so we had
a chance to talk about that as well, and it
was it was just it was just a moment. It

(54:19):
was just a moment that I won't soon forget. And
I reminded her when we had the opportunity to participate
in uh an event at the at the residence of
the Vice President. I was like, yeah, remember fam, you
whipped up on you your your your your advice. No, but

(54:41):
it was it was just I felt like it meant
so much for us to be there and to be
able to do that, and that she took the time
to do that. It was it was, it was special,
It was beautiful, and it was just the intersectionality of
everything that you know, and I I would say experience

(55:02):
at an HBCU that just physical, mental, emotional, spiritual type
of thing where you just you want to be there.
There's this collective like yes in Unison that you see
because we were uber proud of what she represents and
the way that she represented. So for everyone else to

(55:26):
see that on a national stage and for her to
say this is this is what's important to me also
because I think the question mark is sometimes HBCUs or
marginalized HBCU sports can be in question there and she
made time to be there. So we loved it. I
loved it. I love it.

Speaker 1 (55:46):
I won't forget it, you know, And I'm glad you
brought that last part that you set up about HBCU
sports being marginalized, you know as somebody who is you know,
broadcasting HBCU games or being the playboff play broadcaster on
these games. Just how have you seen, I know, on
some level, how do you see like yourself sort of

(56:09):
being the counter narrative to what a lot of people
think they know about HBCUs or a lot of negative
perceptions about HBCUs and the type of skill level this
day type of athlete, Like, how do you see yourself
playing a role in providing this counter narrative.

Speaker 2 (56:23):
Well, I mean, when you look at the HBCU history,
like they've been on this right, the excellence has always persistent.
I'm just another example of it. But the players who
came through. You think about how the NFL was built,
You think about how sports or you know, franchises were built,
they were built off of the greatness of HBCU players.

(56:45):
And so I don't think that we should forget that
and the current state of affairs because things have now
even out so much. Yes, you still have your your
powerhouse or blue blood programs, but everything has balanced out
because of the transfer portal that you can overlook in HBCU.
And when you look at the way a Marquis Bell

(57:06):
or Darius Leonard or Javon Hargrave or Tron Armstead are
performing right now right now, or such as say Shaquille Leonard,
but right now in the NFL, I think it speaks
for except itself. You just have to again we go
back to always saying the opportunity, like the decision makers

(57:28):
still have to be courageous enough to say I'm gonna
select this, you know player from this HBCU and watch
them work, watch them work, because the body of work
is there. And when you saw Schador and Travis Hunter
at Jackson State and then have that same success and
then on this greater stage against you know, more higher

(57:49):
caliber competition and they balled out just like they did
at Jackson State, it only helps to put a stamp
on the HBCUs that they played against. In addition to
where they work at JSU. Talent is there. The talent
is there. Make the choice, make the choice and bet
on HBCUs. And so part of where I am is

(58:13):
a lot of people always want to say, well, hey,
don't you want to do more and don't you want
to you know, have this this greater voice. But I
want to be the voice of HBCUs because I want
to make I'm not doing it because it's hot. I
do it because I care about it. I love the product.
I think it's phenomenal. I'm sitting here on this podcast
with you because of my HBCU fam you and I

(58:36):
want to make that the thing right. I want to
see not go through and SEEO no more no players
selected from HBCUs. I want to provide a voice for
them and add to their platform and show that you
can get anywhere from an HBCU literally anywhere to the

(58:58):
highest or second highest office in the United States global
leaders you can you can get there. And I just
feel like my passion will help in that and lend
the voice and continue to provide an awareness about or
keep it top of mind of conversation.

Speaker 1 (59:20):
I think I read this stat a while ago that
in corporate America, you know, among the black folks that
are in corporate America, forty percent of them went to HBCU.
So it's like this pipeline of excellence of you know,
providing you know, so much of the bedrock of the professional.

Speaker 3 (59:37):
Workforce is still coming through HBCUs.

Speaker 1 (59:41):
Before I get to what I call the messy question
that we end with, I want to ask you since
we were talking, you talked so much throughout this podcast
about you know, sort of mentorship and having that good village.

Speaker 3 (59:53):
I want to ask you about your experience for Robin Roberts.

Speaker 1 (59:57):
You know, I t Robin and Robin Roberts, who has
been the gold standard in our business for a long time.
What's so crazy and wow to me is that there's
like generations of people who do not know she started
at ESPN. Don't remember Robert Roberts as an anchor at ESPN,
which makes me feel sick as well, which makes me

(01:00:20):
feel seven thousand years old.

Speaker 3 (01:00:22):
Uh, you had a very you know, it's a profound
experience for Robin.

Speaker 1 (01:00:29):
Explain what your experience with her was like and how
she impacted your career.

Speaker 2 (01:00:35):
Oh my gosh, she is my goat, She is my everything.
Everybody loves Robin Roberts and how can you not the genuineness,
the authenticity. And it was at an NABJ convention here
in Tampa where I had the opportunity to meet her.
So this was like my I'm a huge fan of
jay Z and so I see her in this like

(01:00:57):
mentoring breakfast, I'm going to meet her. And then I
kind of like hang around, hang around, and I take
a picture with her and I was like a group
picture and I was like oh okay, and I kind
of get an individual picture and I was like okay, cool.
I did it. And I walk out and I called
my line sister and I was like, yeah, I saw
Robin Roberts, but I was I was trying to wait

(01:01:19):
for but I couldn't. It was it was like a
total fangirl moment. So she's like the Kanye and I
was the jay Z and she was like, yeah, tee,
what would jay Z do? Okay, you got to put
that swacker on. You got to go back in there
with that confidence. And I was like, Okay, the room
now empty. And I was just like, Robin, I know
you're getting to your next spot, but I just want

(01:01:40):
you to know how much I appreciate all that you've
done and how you serve as such a great role model,
inspiration and motivation to me. You make me know that
it's possible. And then I just started crying, like straight up.

Speaker 4 (01:01:55):
No, no, you saw me crying, oh, like so much, so,
so much so that Robin Roberts nicknamed me waterfalls because
I couldn't stop crying.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
Oh my gosh, do you know what this moment was?

Speaker 3 (01:02:10):
Like? Wow, it was it was man down situation.

Speaker 2 (01:02:17):
And she was like she just felt sorry for me,
and so she just hugged me, old heart, and I
was like, can I just you know, I would just
love your your eyes and ears on some of my
work and if you know, you would, you know, provide
some mentorship and she said absolutely, so gracious, so gracious
of doing so sent her my real She called me

(01:02:40):
back and like told me what she liked about it,
like specifically, like she had paid attention to it, and
I saved the voicemail obviously forever, like those those are moments,
that's a moment rather that I will like never ever
ever forgive. And so she continued to keep just track.

(01:03:03):
I would always send her an email, always catching her up.
When I was in New York, we were at Good
Morning America. I went with my mom and my sister.
She took the time once again to meet with me,
and then I was like, yo, I'm getting married, Like
will you drop a cool little video from my husband
and I and introduce us for our reception? And she
did it from the desk and like it was okay.

(01:03:28):
You'll never see me get more giddy and excited about
anybody in this business or probably in life than Robert Roberts.
I just I just think the absolute world of her,
her strength, her courage, her example, just mean everything, just
mean everything to me, and I sincerely love and appreciate

(01:03:50):
her for that because a lot of people get in
positions and they have a lot of things that pulled
them away. But she took the time. She took the
time to see me right, and that helped to affirm me,
to let me know that I could do it, like
it's possible. Oh my god, you don't make me sit

(01:04:13):
here and start now I'm feeling.

Speaker 3 (01:04:18):
Now, I'm feeling bad. I was like, damn, I do
all that.

Speaker 1 (01:04:20):
When I met Robert Roberts, I did the same thing.
I was just like, you mean a lot, blah blah
blah blah blah. I'm sure something unintelligible, and I have
I believe I have a photo with her and Steward Scott.
I think, yeah, so, but yes, those moments and even
though I'm I'm not gonna miss sometimes I'm not perfect
at it. But like when younger journalists, especially younger women,

(01:04:42):
specially younger Black women, when they come up to me,
when they reach out to me, I truly, sincerely try
to take the time because I know what that's like
to be on the other side of that conversation.

Speaker 2 (01:04:52):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:04:52):
It reminded me like first time I met Pam oliver Man,
you're at your family, you fellow graduate.

Speaker 3 (01:05:02):
It was in Tambora.

Speaker 1 (01:05:02):
I was covering the Bucks game and I was still
with the Sentinel and I saw on the sideline, and
I just I didn't have the words, Like I couldn't
even say what I wanted to say because you know,
I'm sure again it came out unintelligible. But I think
the world of Pam Oliver, like she is an oh
G certified in this game. But I love having those moments,

(01:05:25):
even if I'm at a loss for words. When I
met Jane Kennedy at the Essens Black Women in Hollywood Branch,
I was like, Jane, let me tell you ten tooks down.

Speaker 3 (01:05:34):
Jane, I'm ten toes down for you.

Speaker 1 (01:05:37):
So it's important that these women that have been the
pioneers and our north star in this career, that we
celebrate them, let them know now like hey, I wouldn't
be in this spot like if I didn't see you
or it gave me the fuel to know that this
part was actually possible. So I think that's a beautiful

(01:05:57):
moment that you had with Robin Roberts.

Speaker 2 (01:06:00):
I want to add to that because I'm a firm
believer just like you, Jamel, that you say what you
mean when you can right. And we were in Orlando
together at the same time, and your career was skyrocketing,
but we had an opportunity to still get together and
we're not far off in age. But what you mean

(01:06:22):
and what you've been able to do, I'm thankful that
I get to know you. I'm thankful that you take
the time to help me right, and you have helped
me throughout my career, even if it's just a what's
up or keep it up, or I see you and
introducing me to some important people along the way advocating

(01:06:45):
for me. I was at a workshop this summer and
then we're talking about the importance of lifting each other up,
and I use your example of how you lifted me
up and you advocated for me when I was calling
games at ESPN but wanted to do college football on

(01:07:05):
a more permanent basis, and you went into the office
of the CP at the time and you said, head place,
ye shout out, yeah, yeah, we love it, Yes, we
love it. And you went in and said, you know,
Tiffany deserves an opportunity or give her a look, like

(01:07:25):
give her a chance on this for college sideline reporting
on greater games too, right and on the play by
play space like you did that. And had it not
been for your voice and for your advocacy, I don't
know if we're talking about whatever you were saying earlier,
about any kind of history making, you know what I'm saying, Like,

(01:07:47):
So it's moments like that where I don't forget and
it's not lost on me throughout my career about people
who have been just phenomenal. And I have to say
too that there have been a lot of people that
have lifted me up, who have mentored me. There are
a lot of men like David Aldris and Foraretta Like,
they've been really great guys in the process, Jay Harris,
They've they've been some really solid dudes. But the women

(01:08:11):
and the way that we have been kind of climbing together,
fighting together, and again the north Stars of Pam and
Jane and Robin, it's been phenomenal because you can hear
a lot of dialogue or narrative around women or Black
women specifically, and how we're getting along. Everybody has been

(01:08:31):
like such a wonderful sister Like, Yeah, it's a competitive field,
is right, and we're and we're all trying to ascend
to whatever level it is that we want to get to.
But it's been an amazing sisterhood. And those allies too
in the process as well.

Speaker 1 (01:08:49):
I think they're I mean, yeah, you're gonna run against
some negativity and people you may not fool with. But
I think overwhelmingly, I would say in my career it's
been more people who have helped me then more people
who have sitt in my way in terms of like
other black women, other allies, like amongst our community of broadcasters.

Speaker 3 (01:09:09):
I would say that was one thousand percent the case.

Speaker 1 (01:09:11):
All Right, we come up on the last question, which
I call the messy question of the podcast tip. This
is where we make headlines, this is where we wind
up on the shape room.

Speaker 3 (01:09:19):
This is how it goes, all right, So here's the
messy question upfront. This is the asterisk.

Speaker 1 (01:09:26):
You cannot include your school, all right. You cannot include FAM.

Speaker 3 (01:09:30):
You give me the top five black college marching bands.
Who are they top five? And you cannot say FAM
you in the top five?

Speaker 2 (01:09:41):
Well, because we know they're number one in everybody's hearts
and minds. One time for the march in one hundred,
forever and always. I will go with Southern Human Jukebox
Jackson State Sonic Boom of the South Florida Memorial. I
can't think of their band name right now. I'm sorry.

(01:10:01):
Before the memorial. Uh oh, this is where it gets icy.
Mm hmmmm. Okay, Jamel, I'm gonna hit you with these
last two and I'm I'm gonna hit it and quit it.
Trojan Explosion, I hate to say it. North Carolina anti March.

Speaker 3 (01:10:30):
That wasn't Yes it was.

Speaker 2 (01:10:35):
I'm gonna go back and distact my list and be like, wait, bite,
did I do it right? And you know everybody's gonna
be like, wait a minute, you didn't pick our band.

Speaker 3 (01:10:44):
You're living this and saying.

Speaker 2 (01:10:45):
Please, don't please, this is please.

Speaker 1 (01:10:48):
I'm watching black college marching bands. It's gonna be real
on the road.

Speaker 3 (01:10:53):
I just want you to.

Speaker 2 (01:10:53):
Know I'm done. I'm going into Hobbard.

Speaker 1 (01:10:56):
That's right, going into harbor Nation. Well, Tiff, thank you
so much for joining me for this episode. This has
been truly a treat your career, just watching it from afar,
seeing how you blossomed and knowing that as accomplished as
you already are, you are just scratching the surfaces.

Speaker 3 (01:11:12):
Like I fully expect you will be that.

Speaker 1 (01:11:14):
NFL voice, you will be that NBA voice, you will
be that Olympic voice. We're gonna put that out there
that's gonna be the affirmation. We're gonna put that in
the universe. We're gonna let God handle it. Yeah, because
I think this is something that is very much in
your future. So thank you for being the sister you are,
being the professional you are, and for representing all of
us with just a level of excellence and class that

(01:11:37):
is so befitting of the way you are raised in
the character that you have. So thank you so much
for joining.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
Thank you. I'm honored.

Speaker 3 (01:11:43):
One more segment to go, and you guys know what
that means.

Speaker 1 (01:11:46):
I got questions to answer up next, your viewer slash
listener questions, and I have plenty of answers coming up
next on the final segment of Spolatives.

Speaker 3 (01:12:08):
All right, y'all know.

Speaker 1 (01:12:09):
What time it is time for me to answer your
questions now. This week's question comes from Keith Swingle, who
sent me his question via email. Way to use that
politics email address, Keith, so Keith writes, good morning, Thank
you so much, first of all, for the last decade
plus of content. I'm an English teacher and a big
fan and have cited your work to my students since

(01:12:29):
I started my position thirteen years ago. Shout out to
the English teachers. By the way, I've got an opportunity
to start a high school elective and I was considering
a spin on one I took in high school sports literature.
My question is what pieces of sports journalism do you
look at as a particularly impactful for you in your
career as a sports journalist or perhaps as a sports fan,

(01:12:51):
always a fan, Keith swingt Okay Keith. A few weeks ago,
a fellow's politician asked me to name my all time
Detroit Pistons, starting five. I said that was my favorite
question in the history of this podcast. Well it is
just a week later and now it's a new leader
in the clubhouse. It's this question. I absolutely love talking
about books. I'm a lifelong reader, as you can see

(01:13:13):
because I'm a lifelong learner. Hard to have one without
the other. So here are my suggestions for your class.
One forty Million Dollar Slaves by Bill Roten. This is
an excellent book, excellent historical perspective about black athletes, about
a lot of reasons why in certain sports we don't
see more black athletes, and about how basically ownership in

(01:13:34):
sports the impact that it had when it came to
integration and a whole bunch of other great historical nuggets
in this book.

Speaker 3 (01:13:43):
I love this book.

Speaker 1 (01:13:44):
Another one that I am currently reading that would be
this one by Mere and Fader is called Dream about
the life and Legacy of Hakeem alachawin great book. Hakim
Olajuan is my favorite center of all time, so I
had a vested interest in this one.

Speaker 3 (01:14:00):
All right, here's another one.

Speaker 1 (01:14:01):
It's called Classic Wiley, A Lifetime of Punters, players, punks
and profits. Ralph Wiley is one of the best to
ever do it in our business.

Speaker 3 (01:14:10):
God bless his soul.

Speaker 1 (01:14:12):
An amazing writer who wrote often about a convergence or
the relationship between sports and race.

Speaker 3 (01:14:18):
He is amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:14:20):
And of course, Dad, of course I'm gonna say my book,
my memoir Uphill, which is available wherever books are sold,
And of course I tell my personal journey how I
got started in sports by time at ESPN, And there's
a whole lot in here about sort of the way
that I grew up and how that shaped me into
the person I am. So I would definitely say that. Now,

(01:14:42):
let me add, and I don't have this book in
front of me here in my office library, but I'd
also add a book by Gary Smith, who I considered
to be one of the best sports writers to ever
do it. It's a collection of his stories. It's really
quite amazing. And if you want to look at detailed
journalism and detailed prof files of some of the stories
that we know in sports, and also a lot of

(01:15:04):
unknown sports figures, I would suggest looking at the compilation
of Gary Smith's best stories when he wrote for Sports Illustrated.
So I think that's a very important book for you
to have. Also look at Dave Kendrick wrote a book
about Muhammad Ali that I think might have one of
the best opening lines in any book that I've ever read.
So lots of good material, lots of great authors. I'm

(01:15:28):
a static that you're doing this kind of class. You know,
one thing that I think is important for people in sports,
especially if they're playing sports careers, to have like good
historical institutional knowledge. So these books ought to help with
that for sure. And then just also if you have
a love of writing and our interest in things, they
will definitely help you.

Speaker 3 (01:15:45):
So thank you, Keith. I really appreciate your question.

Speaker 1 (01:15:49):
Now, as for the rest of you, if you have
a question for me, you can hit me up on
social media or email. I'm at Jamel Hill across all
social media platforms Twitter, Instagram, fan base, Blue Sky, and threads.

Speaker 3 (01:15:59):
Please use the hands tax politics.

Speaker 1 (01:16:01):
You also have the option of emailing me just like
he did as Politics twenty twenty four at gmail dot com.
You can also send me a video of your question,
but please make sure it's thirty seconds or less. Don't
forget to follow and subscribe to Politics on iHeart and
follow Politics Pod on Instagram and TikTok.

Speaker 3 (01:16:19):
Politics is spelled spo l t c s.

Speaker 1 (01:16:23):
And if you want more politics content, especially you pull
video versions of these interviews and of this podcast. Make
sure you go to YouTube and check out my YouTube page.

Speaker 3 (01:16:34):
It's Jamail Hill.

Speaker 1 (01:16:35):
A new episode of Spolitics drops every Thursday on iHeart
Podcasts or wherever.

Speaker 3 (01:16:40):
You get your podcasts.

Speaker 1 (01:16:41):
This is politics where sports and politics don't just mix,
they matter. Politics is the production of iHeart Podcasts and
The Unbothered Network. I'm your host Jamail Hill. Executive producer
is Taylor Schakog. Lucas Hymen is head of audio and
executive produce. Original music First Politics provided by Kyle VISs

(01:17:04):
from wiz Fx