Bomani Jones Is Unafraid to Talk Race and Sports

Rising star with unorthodox background launches a new ESPN show, 'High Noon.'

Sports journalist Bomani Jones attends 'The South Won: Sports, Music, and The New South' during the 2016 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Four Seasons Hotel on March 13, 2016 in Austin, Texas.  (Sean Mathis/Getty Images for SXSW)
Sports journalist Bomani Jones attends 'The South Won: Sports, Music, and The New South' during the 2016 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Four Seasons Hotel on March 13, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Sean Mathis/Getty Images for SXSW)
Getty Images for SXSW

Bomani Jones has become one of the most-respected and talked-about personalities in sports media of late, and GQ has profiled him ahead of the premiere of his new show, “High Noon.” Jones has made headlines over the last five years for his willingness to seriously discuss racism on ESPN’s broadcasts and online and for expressing himself more sincerely than sports audiences are accustomed.

As GQ writer Eve L. Ewing discovers, the point for Jones is not just to add depth to boilerplate sports talk, but also to have fun. In 2016, Jones made waves for wearing a T-shirt on ESPN that read “Caucasians” in the style of the Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo jersey.

The event helped establish the signature style of wit and earnestness that has landed Jones an ESPN show he will co-host with Pablo Torre debuting on June 4.

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