Rob Parker (sports journalist) facts for kids

Rob Parker is an American sports anchor and writer. He works for TV stations WXYZ-TV and WMYD. He used to be a regular on the Fox Sports 1 show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.

Before that, he wrote sports articles for ClickOnDetroit.com. He also appeared on WDIV-TV's Sunday night sports show. Parker was a sports columnist for The Detroit News. He was also part of ESPN's First Take program. Today, Parker co-hosts The Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio.

About Rob Parker's Career

Rob Parker went to Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village. He earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. Later, he received a master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University.

He also teaches at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California. He helps students learn about journalism.

Writing for Newspapers

Rob Parker made history in 1993. He became the first Black sports columnist at the Detroit Free Press. In 1995, he was the first Black general sports columnist at Newsday in New York.

He has also written for other newspapers. These include The Detroit News and the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He also wrote for the Daily News in New York. Another paper he wrote for was The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Working in Radio

In 1994, Parker started working at a new sports radio station, WDFN in Detroit. He co-hosted a show called The Odd Couple with Mike Stone. This show was on in the afternoons. Parker left the show after ten months to write sports in New York.

Parker came back to WDFN in 1998. He co-hosted Parker and the Man in the mornings. In 1999, the show moved to WKRK-FM and was called Sports Night with Parker and the Man. This show was very popular for seven years. It then moved to WCHB in 2007.

On March 24, 2014, Parker and The Man returned briefly to WDFN. This was for the station's 20th anniversary. On September 16, 2018, Parker became a co-host of The Odd Couple. This show is on Fox Sports Radio across the country. In 2019, Rob Parker started a podcast with Apple called Inside the Rob Parker.

In 2024, Parker took over WXYT in Detroit. He started "Sports Rap Radio" on June 4, 2024. This station was planned to be an all-Black sports talk and hip-hop station. It aimed to reach more cities with many African-American listeners. However, "Sports Rap Radio" stopped working on August 28, 2024. This happened because it did not get enough money for its second round of funding.

Business Ventures

Rob Parker is also a business owner. He co-owns a barbershop called Sporty Cutz. It is located on Seven Mile Road in Detroit. The barbershop opened in October 2002.

Television Appearances

Parker has been a contributor to FS1's Skip and Shannon: Undisputed. On this show, he worked again with Skip Bayless. They had debated sports topics before on ESPN's First Take. Parker was also a frequent guest on Colin Cowherd's show, The Herd With Colin Cowherd.

He has worked at WDIV-TV in Detroit since 1993. ESPN hired Parker in 2003. He was a regular on First Take, where he debated sports topics with Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. He also appeared on ESPN's Numbers Never Lie with Michael Smith. Parker also hosted a TV show called Sports Rap on WADL in Detroit. He hosted it with former Detroit Lions player Ron Rice.

On July 10, 2025, ESPN announced they had hired him again. He returned to First Take. He also started appearing on The Pat McAfee Show and Pardon The Interruption.