ESPN’s Mark Jones explains the value of Black play-by-play announcers

NBA play-by-play man Mark Jones will be on the call for ESPN as the San Antonio Spurs visit the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, a broadcast that comes with a historic twist for the worldwide leader.

As part of its Black History Month celebration, Jones is leading the network’s initiative to produce an NBA game with an entirely Black staff. That includes Jones and Richard Jefferson in the booth, Lisa Salters on the sideline, and Black producers, technicians and content creators.

But the role of play-by-play is near and dear to Jones’ heart. He came to the job later in his career after working as an anchor and reporter.

In a new interview with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, Jones explained why having a Black announcer call a game goes deeper than just checking a diversity box.

“I equate the play-by-play announcer to the point guard in basketball or the quarterback, even in football,” Jones said. “Your play-by-play announcer is the guy that drives a lot of the narratives, the predominant storyteller of a broadcast to be able to take the player out of the jersey, humanize him, and make the fans connect and cheer for that said player.”

Of course, in basketball, it is common for Black former athletes to get jobs as analysts. That perspective is valuable and gave us many of the most popular commentators to cover the sport, from Charles Barkley to Reggie Miller to Bill Russell.

But play-by-play creates narratives and memories that live on. Jones believes that having more Black voices tell stories from a broadcast booth cannot only give viewers better insight into the lives of the players but also speak more lucidly to the audience.

“I think it can be very convenient at times to have a Black analyst who’s a former player,” Jones said. “When it comes to the NBA, 70 percent of the NBA is Black. I spend my summers in the gyms watching a lot of the players in the NBA work out. I’m sitting beside them, their trainers, their agents and, their moms and, their dads and girlfriends and family members. So, there is a natural connection there. And to be able to get those organic stories across from the play-by-play chair, that’s a wonderful asset for me to have.”

Jones highlighted several Black basketball announcers on their way up in the business, including ESPN teammates Michael Grady and Tiffany Greene.

Starting next season, NBC’s Mike Tirico will be back on the call for top NBA games as the network regains hoops rights for the first time in three decades.

However, just as organizations like the NABJ and NAHJ promote opportunities for Black and Hispanic journalists in the media, Jones sees value in developing a deeper pipeline for play-by-play announcers in basketball and all sports.