NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — Bomani Jones spoke with Sports Management majors for the 2022 Michigan Sports Business Conference (MSBC11) on Oct. 28th. The annual event offers students insight into the changing landscape of sports media and entertainment. Bomani Jones discussed how the pandemic has impacted sports media and how being a black man has impacted his career and relationship with sports audiences.

“If I try to go to a radio station and get a gig, it will stop me from getting a gig because the guy behind the table thinks the audience is too racist to enjoy me,” Jones said.

Bomani accompanied other leading figures in sports analytics, business, and technology including James Pitaro, head of ESPN and Estee Portnoy, Michael Jordan’s business manager and spokesperson.

Jones advised students interested in sports podcasting to have a keen ear for their audience and to respect their audience’s intelligence. He also spoke about the challenges of being noticed in such a saturated digital space.

“Don’t get too cute,” Jones said. “Originality is a bit overrated. Not that you should do the same as everyone else, but you’re not going to reinvent the wheel.”

Read more about his visit to MSBC11

See what Kinesiology students had to say about the event