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One of the most widely recognized and admired sports commentators in the country, James Brown (more familiarly known as “JB”) is the host of “The NFL Today,” on CBS, a play-by-play announcers for the NCAA Basketball coverage on CBS, reporter/correspondent for HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” and a boxing host for PPV, the pay-per-view division of Time Warner Sports (HBO). I had an opportunity to meet JB and his lovely wife at a wedding in 2006. I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to talk with him and to share this interview during our special Men's Issue. Certainly, JB is a great example of man dedicated to his faith, family and vocation. KFF: Mr. Brown, thank you so much for joining us today. JB: It is my pleasure to be with you. KFF: Thank you. You have been in broadcast journalism for over twenty years. You are undeniably one of he most recognized and admired sports commentators in the business. When did you first know you wanted a career in journalism? JB: I guess after I started moonlighting as an analyst for the old Washington Bullets professional basketball team back in 1979. I was still working in corporate America for the Xerox Corporation in sales management and the media bug just kind of bit me and I was just wondering in my own mind if there would be a possibility of this evolving into something full-time. KFF: That's fantastic. What's your most memorable sports moment? JB: Probably covering the NBA playoffs with the great Michael Jordan playing. I mean, there have been a number of sporting events that I've been a part of that I'm very thankful for and have been very blessed to have been a part of covering and anchoring coverage of the Super Bowls, NBA Championship Games, the Winter Olympics, et cetera— but covering Michael Jordan during his heyday certainly was one of the real highlights of my career from a sporting moment perspective. KFF: What's your favorite sport? JB: Now, that's a good question. You know, it's interesting. Baseball was my first love, basketball was a sport that I played and came to the attention of every major college in the country that offered me athletic scholarships, and football is probably what I'm most known for now. Even the fact that I'm having a difficult time saying if I have a favorite probably speaks to the fact that I have really gotten to enjoy it all. There's nothing like covering a huge boxing event, especially a heavyweight championship. That really has energy and enthusiasm all its own. But I guess, if I were to hazard a guess, even though I haven't called many basketball games over the last 12 to 13 years, basketball may still be my favorite, but football is certainly right there with it. I have grown to really like and appreciate football quite a bit, as well. KFF: By the way, speaking of football, I just have to ask how often are you confused, at least in name, with football legend Jim Brown? JB: Are you kidding me? I had actually considered changing my name at one point to a stage name because when I first broke into the business, so many people when they heard the name James Brown they were thinking either the Godfather of Soul, or Jim Brown the football player—and that was the case throughout my career. And on a sad note, I know right before the Godfather of Soul passed, he and I, we were trying to get together, he wanted to do a radio interview with me right around the Christmas holidays and my schedule was so busy, I was not able to accommodate it. At that time and I felt so badly because I would have loved to have talked with him. I was flattered and humbled that he wanted to do something on the radio show. Jim Brown I've gotten to know over the years and I certainly admire his commitment and passion to working with troubled youth and gangs out in Los Angeles and indeed around the country. So that's something that is really near and dear to his heart and that I certainly have a strong appreciation for. KFF: In your view, is there more unethical behavior on the part of players today or just more media coverage of it? JB: You know – and I don't have any empirical evidence to substantiate a statement that there's more of it. I would tend to think, again, just off the top of my head—reacting viscerally—what you just said and in terms of the coverage. I think there's just more coverage and there's so many forms of media now and the coverage is so intense and ongoing. The mediums are so varied now that any and everything happening on any part of this earth is automatically and instantly news everywhere. So I think that's why it appears that may be the case and it may be given the sign of the times and all that it's happening more so than, say, back in the 50s and 60s, if you will. I'm sure quantitatively that there's more, but certainly the coverage is much more intense and ongoing nowadays. KFF: Do standards need to be changed at all? JB: Standards in terms of... KFF: Standards in terms of how the players are expected to behave or that type of thing? Codes of ethics… Whether athletes want the responsibility or not, whether they believe it or not, they are role models. It comes with the territory, maybe to the chagrin of a number of parents, because I think parents have to be so intimately involved in terms of shaping young people's attitudes and in their own minds standards that they feel athletes must meet in order to be a hero to them, if you will, but without a doubt, athletes are role models, they are influential in terms of what they say and more importantly, what the do, so I'm firmly in agreement that there ought to be high standards met by athletes. KFF: What's your passion?
In terms of life, young people are my passion. I'm very passionate about, most importantly, most fundamentally—about my walk as a Christian. I'm a minister in my church, Rhema Christian Center Church in Washington, D.C. That's the foundation upon which everything else is built. That's first and foremost. And I really enjoy what I'm doing in my avocation. My profession as a broadcaster is my avocation. My KFF: You mentioned that you are a man of faith. Has it been challenging at all being true to your faith while advancing in your career in sports journalism? JB: At least I'm not cognizant of it, Anita. I haven't been confronted with the situation where someone says that they have a problem with it. I mean, I'm obviously aware enough that when I'm in a public setting what my responsibility is and what my job is, and my job is not to run around beating someone over the head with the Bible, but I would hope that my walk, that my professionalism, that my language, that everything about me certainly emanates strongly with who I am and my adherence as best I can, certainly I'm human and make mistakes, but to what I believe in who I am and who's I am. So I try to do that. But no, I have not encountered any situations that I am conscious of or cognizant of that had been problematic because of that. KFF: That's wonderful. JB: It's probably so basic and fundamental, and first and foremost I would say, you know, whatever you -- especially for those in school, whatever your major, just be the best that you possibly can, KFF: That's great. I think that's so true. You are a husband and father. With your incredibly busy schedule, how do you manage to keep family first? JB: My wife probably would be the better person to answer that, but I really do do my best, anyway. My daughter is now 25, she's married, she's finishing her last year of school. She took 2 years out, but I'm so very proud of her that she's back in school and persevering and doing well. My wife is very active in the church herself. She teaches at our church's Bible College, she sings in two choirs and she's a Deaconess there. So she's got a very active life that way, which is wonderful, and she will tell people that I'm high maintenance. I didn't know that, didn't think that, but she says, "No, you are high maintenance," and that's probably true because my wife wouldn't tell a fib about that. But I do any best. In the off-season when I'm not working I am there in Sunday in church as we both are. We have Sunday dinners together, that's something that started as a kid and every Sunday I would be found at my mom's house with my wife and family. And my mom went home to be with the Lord on June the 5th, but we've kept it going in terms of KFF: You are also committed to the D.C. Special Olympics. How did you first get involved with the Special Olympics? JB: Working with the National Football League Players Association. They asked me about 4 years ago if I would partner with them -- and I guess it shows how long I've been at this -- and rename an The Special Olympics budget had been all but totally slashed by D.C. government, and for a good number of years the NFLPA had been writing a check for about $200,000 to try to provide meaningful activities for those with intellectual disabilities and challenges for 2,500 young people, and I am so happy and thrilled that we have been blessed abundantly to raise in excess of a million dollars in the last 2 years for that. So it's an absolute blessing that I've been doing this and that the Lord has blessed us with success and so many business people contributing mightily. KFF: What do you want your legacy to be? JB: Hopefully someone who has walked the talk, an honest person, a caring person and one who worked passionately to make a difference in the lives of people that I came in contact with; not to be some holier than thou kind of, you know, one that can talk to prince and pauper alike and just be very genuine and impact their lives and hopefully by way of example. That's hopefully what my legacy will be. KFF: What's next for JB? JB: Well, right now I am being very prayerful about that in terms of my advocation. There's a possibility I will be adding some news responsibilities to the plate as long as I don't -- as long as I am KFF: Absolutely. Well, you know it's just so wonderful, because you're such a great example and a role model for many, many young men and to be a man of faith and to have succeeded as much as you have in your career, it's really truly phenomenal. This is our special men's issue and it's just a real honor to have you grace the cover of our men's issue, and I thank you so much for your time and I wish you all the best in all of your endeavors. JB: Anita, this has really been a pleasure for me to talk with you. I wish you nothing but continued success in what you're doing. Talk about wearing the big “S” on your chest—being a wife and a mother and an entrepreneur, and bringing some light into other people's lives doing what you're doing, I commend you and wish you continued success in that. KFF: Thank you very much.
Copyright ©2007-2008 by Keeping Family First. Visit JB's Website: http://www.jbjamesbrown.com |
JB: Great question. Well, I guess I can answer that on a number of different points. I chuckle because I have a hobby that I'm pretty passionate about. I love hotrods, muscle cars. I didn't get a chance to really enjoy them when I was in high school because I was playing sports, very actively involved in basketball specifically, so I have a passion for that.