Scoop Jackson (writer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scoop Jackson
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Jackson with Team USA at the World Basketball Festival, 2014.
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| Born |
Robert Jackson
November 23, 1963 |
| Education | Xavier University of Louisiana (BA) Howard University (MA) |
| Occupation | Sports/Cultural Journalist, Critic |
| Years active | 1986-present |
| Spouse(s) | Tracy Jackson |
| Children | 2 |
Robert "Scoop" Jackson, born on November 23, 1963, is an American writer. He is known for his work as a sports journalist and for sharing his thoughts on culture. Today, he writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. He also used to be a top editor and writer for big names like ESPN.com, SLAM Magazine, and XXL Magazine.
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Growing Up: Scoop's Early Life
Jackson was born and grew up in Chicago, where he still lives with his wife, Tracy, and their two sons. He was born just one day after U.S. President John F. Kennedy passed away. His uncle jokingly gave him the nickname "Scoop." He said, "This boy scooped Kennedy. Put him on the cover of the paper."
Jackson went to Luther High School South in Chicago. He studied at Xavier University of Louisiana and later earned a Master of Arts degree from Howard University. He was on the National Dean's List there in 1990-1991. Before becoming a journalist, his father was also a writer for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver.
Scoop's Career Journey
Jackson started his writing career as a freelance writer. This means he wrote for many different places without working for just one company. His articles appeared in well-known publications like USA Today, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune.
Writing for Sports and Hip Hop
Since 1995, Jackson has written for magazines about basketball and hip hop. He was an executive editor for SLAM Magazine and XXL. He also edited Hoop and Inside Stuff. Tony Gervino, the first editor-in-chief of SLAM, called Jackson "the most important person in SLAM history." He said Jackson inspired many new writers and young people.
Jackson's first article for SLAM was in January 1995. It was called "The Large Professor" and was about the famous basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. At one point, Jackson strongly pushed the SLAM publisher to feature Allen Iverson on the magazine's cover. Iverson was still playing basketball at Georgetown University then. Jackson even said he would quit if it didn't happen. Besides his regular articles, Jackson started a column called "Game Point" in 2004. In this column, he shared his thoughts on different basketball topics. He continued writing for SLAM until July 2005.
Jackson has also been a frequent guest on radio and TV sports shows. He often appeared on ESPN's SportsCentury series.
Working with Nike and ESPN
In 2000, Nike asked Jackson to write a book about their role in basketball and sneaker culture. The book was titled Sole Provider: 30 Years of Nike Basketball. Jackson worked with Nike for five years, writing content and advertising copy.
He began writing for ESPN.com on March 8, 2005. His first article, "Scoop's Manifesto," explained his views on sports. A year later, he wrote a follow-up article about what he had learned. He felt he was carrying on the legacy of another writer, Ralph Wiley. This article led to a disagreement with former ESPN.com writer Jason Whitlock. Whitlock criticized Jackson, which led to Whitlock leaving ESPN.
While at ESPN, Jackson often spoke out against what he saw as unfair treatment of Black people in America. For example, in a 2008 article, he urged golfer Tiger Woods to speak up about a comment made during one of his matches. He also wrote about the firing of football coach Tyrone Willingham from Notre Dame, suggesting racism played a part.
In 2008, Jackson faced some debate after writing about Tampa Bay Rays star B.J. Upton. Jackson suggested Upton could be a role model because of his "propensity to be lazy." Some people disagreed with this idea. Jackson's first article for ESPN The Magazine was in May 2006. It was a short piece explaining why he thought the New Jersey Nets would win the 2005-06 NBA championship. He also interviewed Tim Hardaway for an ESPN.com column in 2007.
In 2015, Jackson moved from being a senior writer at ESPN.com to a senior writer for Sportscenter at ESPN. He also returned to write for Nike, helping with their EQUALITY campaigns. In 2017, he won a gold medal award for Sports Coverage at the New York International Television & Film festival. This was for his ESPN feature about the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series.
Recent Work
In 2023, Jackson started writing a weekly column for the Chicago Sun-Times. He also worked with Basketball Hall of Famer George Gervin on Gervin's autobiography. The book, Ice: Why I Was Born to Score, was created from many interviews Jackson did with Gervin in 2021.
Books by Scoop Jackson
Jackson has written several books about sports, hip-hop, and culture:
- The Last Black Mecca: Hip-Hop (1994)
- The Darkside: Chronicling the Young Black Experience (1997)
- Sole Provider: 30 Years of Nike Basketball (2002)
- The Game Is Not A Game: The Power, Protest, and Politics of American Sports (2020)
- Ice: Why I Was Born to Score (with George Gervin) (2023)
Personal Interests
Jackson is a big fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team and the New York Knicks basketball team. He is also a founding member of The Music Snobs podcast.
