Rob Parker (sports journalist) facts for kids

Rob Parker is a well-known American sports journalist. He works as a TV sports anchor and writes about sports for newspapers and websites. He has also been a popular voice on sports radio. Rob Parker has appeared on famous sports shows like Skip and Shannon: Undisputed and First Take. Currently, he co-hosts a radio show called The Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio.

Rob Parker's Journey in Sports Media

Rob Parker has had a long and interesting career in sports journalism. He started by studying journalism at college. Then he worked for many different newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels. He is known for sharing his strong opinions on sports topics.

Early Life and Education

Rob Parker went to Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village. After high school, he studied Journalism at Southern Connecticut State University. He earned a Bachelor's degree there. Later, he got a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. Today, he also teaches journalism at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California.

Writing for Newspapers

Rob Parker made history early in his career. In 1993, he became the first black sports columnist at the Detroit Free Press. Two years later, in 1995, he was the first black general sports columnist at Newsday in New York. He has also written for other major newspapers. These include The Detroit News, the Daily News in New York, and The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Talking Sports on Radio

Rob Parker has spent a lot of time on sports radio. In 1994, he started co-hosting The Odd Couple on WDFN in Detroit. He later returned to WDFN in 1998 for another show called Parker and the Man. This show moved to WKRK-FM and was very popular for seven years.

In 2018, Rob Parker became the co-host of The Odd Couple again. This time, it was with Chris Broussard on Fox Sports Radio. This show is heard all across the country. In 2019, he also started his own podcast called Inside the Rob Parker.

In 2024, Parker launched "Sports Rap Radio" in Detroit. It was planned to be a station for black sports talk and hip-hop. However, the station stopped operating later that year.

Rob Parker's Business

Outside of media, Rob Parker also co-owns a barbershop. It is called Sporty Cutz and is located in Detroit. The barbershop opened in October 2002.

On Television

Rob Parker is a familiar face on sports TV. He was a contributor to FS1's Skip and Shannon: Undisputed. On this show, he debated sports topics with Skip Bayless. They had worked together before on ESPN's First Take.

Parker also appeared often on The Herd With Colin Cowherd. He started working at WDIV-TV in Detroit in 1993. In 2003, he joined ESPN. There, he was a regular on First Take, debating with Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. He also appeared on ESPN's Numbers Never Lie. Rob Parker even hosted a TV show called Sports Rap in Detroit with former Detroit Lions player Ron Rice.