Jax congratulates Kirk for picking the Buccaneers. Kirk revels in picking the Bucs, but was down on not getting the score correct. Tom Brady is the GOAT. Whether you love him or not, he is. Discussion on the Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban's decision to not play the national anthem before Mavs home games.
Charlie Neal, Legendary Broadcaster
Discusses how he got started on BET Sports after meeting Robert Johnson in the early 80s.The chance to do HBCU sports is what made taking the job with BET enticing. He got to tell the stories of all HBCUs, and not just on an athletic level. Always hoped he did a good enough job when he was at Turner, or CBS etc. ,for those to come after him. Has no regrets about not becoming a bigger star on the major networks. The things he has done and seen is good enough. The only sport he hasn't done is volleyball. He's done all including bowling & hockey. Talked about the piece in the Ringer entitled 'The Play-By-Play Pioneer Hiding in Plain Sight' which reflects on his career in this business. The younger generation need to remember and keep alive the legacy of those that have played at HBCUs and played professionally. When ESPN started doing HBCU games in the early 2000's they aired many games over the course of a week, including doubleheaders. Now that its all about revenue, they began to air the bigger conferences that brings in more money. ESPN still air some HBCU games, not nearly as much as they used to. Fans socialized during the first half of football games. At halftime, everyone stopped and watched the halftime show. BET used to show the whole show, ESPN showed a portion.
Stephen A. Smith, ESPN; Executive Producer 'Why Not Us: North Carolina Central University Men's Basketball'
Discusses how he joined with Chris Paul to put this docu-series together. North Carolina Central has a great story to tell. Is enjoying the projects he and his production company are getting in to help HBCUs. Feels compelled to not run away from doing anything that helps HBCUs. All HBCUs are facing challenges financially. This docu-series will highlight those challenges. Describes the differences between the athletic program at an HBCU vs other universities. Discusses what the challenges are to making the transitions from talent to executive producing. Would be nice to see athletes like CP3, Carmelo and others shine a light toward HBCUs. Maybe play pre-season games on the campuses of HBCUs.