10 Questions with ... Chris Broussard

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Sportswriter, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Akron Beacon Journal, The New York Times, ESPN The Magazine; ESPN NBA Insider and analyst; Fox Sports commentator; Fox Sports Radio. Also a motivational speaker.

1. When did the sports reporting bug bite you? When did you decide that writing (or talking) about sports was what you wanted to do?

The first time the thought of being a sportswriter crossed my mind was during my sophomore year of high school. A friend of mine, who wasn’t a great student, mentioned that he wanted to write for The Sporting News one day. I was at the age where I was beginning to think about what I wanted to do with my life, and nothing (no career) was "tickling my fancy.” So when he said “sportswriter,’’ I thought, “That sounds like a fun job. I love sports and I’m a good writer. I write better than my friend, so if he can be a sportswriter, I know I can.”

I didn’t think about it much after that; Then. four years later, as a sophomore at Oberlin College, I looked around at all my friends (my college teammates, my girlfriend, etc.) and all of them knew what careers they wanted to pursue. Some were going to law school, others to med school, one was going to be an engineer, another was going to get his MBA. Meanwhile, I had no idea what I wanted to do, which scared me. That’s when I came up with a formula for how to choose a career - take something I enjoy (sports) + something I’m good/gifted at (writing). I combined the two and decided to begin pursuing a career as a sportswriter. So I started writing on the school newspaper and working as an on-air personality on the school radio station.

2. Writing, TV, and now radio and podcasting -- while the knowledge of sports is equally important in all of those media, they obviously require different skill sets. In doing radio and podcasting, what different skills, if any, did you find you needed to develop as opposed to your previous work in print and as a TV commentator?

You’re far less inhibited on radio and podcasts because you have more time to speak. On television, you have to condense your answers and you’re often following the lead of the host of the show, whereas on radio, you may have four hours to do nothing but talk. I also have much more creative control over my radio show or podcast (“In The Zone”).

3. The line between beat reporter and opinion columnist used to be clear, but that's not the case any more, and you've made the transition from someone known as a beat writer to analyst and commentator. When you were starting out, did you anticipate or plan to move into a more opinion-based role or did that evolve over time? When did you, pardon the slogan, "embrace debate”?

When I first began sportswriting (at The Cleveland Plain Dealer), my goal was to eventually become a columnist, which would have obviously allowed me to write my opinions. In my 14 years at newspapers and magazines, I never became a full-time columnist (I did write a handful of columns as the NBA Writer for The Akron Beacon-Journal). I view my move from ESPN to FOX Sports as one in which I’ve gone from being a beat reporter to a columnist. At ESPN, I was just a beat reporter on TV. Now at FOX, I’m a columnist on TV and radio. Instead of writing my opinion, I speak it. It has taken me awhile to get used to being strictly an opinionist. I’ve been so used to reporting what others have told me, and keeping myself out of the story, that it sometimes feels odd just giving my unabashed opinion without having to verify it with a “source.’’ But being an opinionist is much more fun, and I feel that after nearly 30 years of sports reporting, I have opinions that are credible and educated.

4. You've been writing about the NBA for almost 30 years; what have been the biggest changes in the sport since you started? Is the league better now?

I began covering the NBA in 1995 as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat writer for the Akron Beacon-Journal. First the obvious: the game is far less physical and there’s far more 3-point shooting. The scores are much higher (I wrote about many 70-something to 70-something games in the ‘90s) because teams are shooting and hitting more 3-pointers. Overall, the players today are more athletic, better shooters and better ball handlers. However, for the most part, clubs don’t play “team basketball’’ as well as they used to in the ‘90s. Too many guys over-dribble today and dominate the basketball. Back in the ‘90s, teams shared the ball more. The Golden State Warriors are changing that to some degree, and as teams begin to copy the Warriors, team ball should become more normative again.

The ‘90s was also the greatest era of big men in NBA history. You had Shaq, Olajuwon, Ewing, David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning, and Dikembe Mutombo. Most of those guys (all but Mutombo), were 20-plus point scorers. Today, you don’t have many back-to-the-basket centers that score a lot of points. That’s one reason so many point guards average big-time numbers - because they don’t have to share the ball with a center.

5. You're very active in your faith; how does your faith inform what you do in writing and broadcasting? How does it help you do what you do?

My faith keeps me fair and honest. There are some guys within the media that pick a schtick or an angle and stick with that angle no matter what. For example, someone may say "I hate Aaron Rodgers and that’s my schtick," so no matter what Rodgers does, they criticize him or don’t give him his props. My faith won’t let me do that. I have to be honest and fair and call it like I see it. I love LeBron James -- both as a player and a person off the court -- but that doesn’t mean I’m going to praise everything he does and say he’s better than Michael Jordan. So when I’m on with someone who has a “LeBron is the greatest and can do no wrong” mentality, I sometimes look like I’m hating on LeBron. But when I’m on with someone who thinks LeBron is overrated and just not that good, I look like a LeBron lover. My faith keeps me cognizant of the fact that the players, coaches and executives we talk about are real live human beings, and the things we say can severely impact them, whether career-wise or just on a personal level. That doesn’t stop me from being critical of them when it's appropriate, but it stops me from treating them as objects to be used for my career advancement, pleasure, or entertainment. So I always try to be fair and make sure that when I criticize or discuss guys, it’s based in truth and objectivity.

6. Who in the industry have been your inspirations, mentors, and/or influences?

As an African-American who started out as a newspaper reporter, seeing guys like the late Ralph Wiley and Michael Wilbon excel at a high level inspired me. I also learned from reading the work of guys that I thought were great beat writers or columnists, such as Terry Pluto of the Akron Beacon-Journal and Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. My first internship was at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where I read Bob Kravitz and gained a lot from his style and approach. As far as TV, I think the late Stuart Scott opened the door for African-Americans to be themselves in front of the camera, to include Black culture in their sports commentary, rather than “whitewashing’’ themselves and their delivery. That was inspiring and helpful.

7. Of what are you most proud?

Of course, outside of the job, I’m most proud of being happily married for 23 years and raising 20-year-old twin daughters who are flourishing emotionally, academically and socially. As for my career, some of my highlights would be becoming a top beat writer for The New York Times, one of the world’s greatest newspapers; becoming a lead NBA voice and daily contributor on ESPN; thoroughly and accurately covering the free agency of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the summer of 2010; and serving as a co-host on NBA Countdown alongside Magic Johnson.

8. Your current radio partnership is with Rob Parker -- describe how you see your roles on the show. You're being touted as "polar opposites," but what commonalities have you found between you? What are the areas in which you most differ, and what things do you agree upon?

Rob and I are friends who go back nearly 20 years. We have great respect for the work each of us has done throughout our careers so that creates great chemistry between us. We also both understand that this is a business in which you must have strong takes. You can’t be wishy-washy and afraid to take a stand. And we recognize that our disagreements on the air should not and will not spill over into our friendship. As far as what we agree on: well, we agree that "The Odd Couple" is a great show! That’s about it.

9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________.

...prayer.

10. What's the most valuable lesson you've learned so far in your career?

Hard work and preparation is critical to your success. Even though I’m now in the opinion business, I still need to do my homework and make sure I have educated opinions, rather than just running off at the mouth. No matter how naturally talented you are, you need to respect the business and make sure you’ve put in the work and study to know what you’re talking about. Your opinion may be right or wrong, but it should never be uninformed.