Philly Radio: Voices of Black Sports Hosts MIA

Sports talk radio remains a popular medium in the U.S., but according to The Philadelphia Tribune, Black non-athletes face significant barriers to entry. 

Like general talk radio, sports hosts shape public opinion and narratives, often regardless of accuracy or fairness.

The primary role of these hosts is to voice strong opinions and demonstrate sports knowledge to engage audiences through calls or social media. Accuracy is secondary to sparking reactions. Typically, the on-air lineup features a white male host, often with minimal athletic experience, paired with a former athlete, sometimes Black. Rarely do you see a Black host with a white ex-athlete or two Black hosts in such roles.

Despite the NFL and NBA being predominantly Black, journal-isms reports that only 10-14% of sports radio on-air talent across nearly 800 U.S. stations are people of color, roughly matching the 14% African American population. 

Tyrone Johnson

“It feels like you’re deemed unqualified unless you’re a former athlete,” said Mike Patton, who covers the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and hosts a podcast. “Former pros are knowledgeable, but Black non-athlete hosts are being sidelined to near extinction.”

In Philadelphia, the fifth-largest U.S. media market, the situation is stark. After Beasley Media’s 97.5 The Fanatic let go of Tyrone Johnson last month, the city has no full-time Black sports radio hosts.

Black voices like Sonny Hill and Sean Bell on Sportsradio 94 WIP or Chris Murray on WURD, Pennsylvania’s only Black-owned talk station, are relegated to late nights, weekends, or weekly shows.

“In a city over 40% Black, it’s unacceptable that so few Black sports talk hosts have had a platform,” said Al Butler, a former morning drive host. “Since the mid-80s, maybe eight Black hosts have had shows here. Weekday hosts drop to three or four, and excluding ex-athletes, it’s down to one.” Butler praised Johnson as the first Black non-athlete to host a daily drive-time show in Philadelphia, lamenting his departure from 97.5, which now employs no Black hosts.