Christopher Dana Broussard (born October 28, 1968) is an American sports analyst and commentator for

Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is an American pay television channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 replaced the motorsports network Speed on August 17, 2013, at the same time that its companion channel Fox Sports 2 ...

and Fox Sports Radio. Best known for his coverage of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, he is now a co-host on FS1's afternoon show '' First Things First'', as well as co-host of ''The Odd Couple'' with Rob Parker on Fox Sports Radio. Previously, he worked for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

ESPN The Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year i ...

'' and

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...

, and made appearances on ESPN's ''

SportsCenter ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...

'', ''

NBA Countdown ''NBA Countdown'', branded for sponsorship purposes as ''NBA Countdown Presented by Mountain Dew'', is an American pregame television show airing prior to National Basketball Association (NBA) telecasts on ABC and ESPN. ''NBA Countdown'' typic ...

'', ''First Take'', and ''

NBA Fastbreak ''NBA Tonight'' is a National Basketball Association studio program that airs on ESPN. The program used to air as part of ESPN's ''The Trifecta''. Formerly known as ''NBA 2Night'' and NBA Fastbreak, the program, hosted by various ESPN personalities ...

'' as an analyst.

Early life and education

Broussard was born in

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, and is an African-American of

Louisiana Creole Louisiana Creole ( lou, Kréyòl Lalwizyàn, links=no) is a French-based creole language spoken by fewer than 10,000 people, mostly in the state of Louisiana. It is spoken today by people who may racially identify as White, Black, mixed, and N ...

descent. Due to his father's job as a personnel manager for Traveler's Insurance Co., Broussard and his family moved often during his childhood. He lived in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

;

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

;

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

;

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

; and

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, before finishing high school. In 1986, he graduated from

Holy Name High School Holy Name High School (HNHS) is a private, Catholic, co-educational high school in Parma Heights, Ohio, US. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. Holy Name is a member of the Great Lakes Conference with Fairview, Buckeye, P ...

, a private school in the Cleveland suburb,

Parma Heights, Ohio Parma Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States and a western suburb of Cleveland. Parma Heights is surrounded on the north, east and south by the larger city of Parma, Ohio, Parma. The cities of Brook Park a ...

. A standout football and basketball player at Holy Name, Broussard was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2016. He matriculated to

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, from which he graduated in May 1990 with a bachelor's degree in English. He played

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

on the Oberlin basketball team.

Career

Sportswriting career

In 1990, Broussard began his sports writing career for ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

''. He worked there for four years before moving to the ''

Akron Beacon Journal The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon J ...

'' where he started covering the NBA, spending two-and-a-half seasons with them as the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

beat writer. Broussard then went on to work for ''

'' in 1998, where he covered the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

for two years, the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

for three years, and the NBA in general for one year. In September 2004 Broussard joined ''

''.

TV career

In 2004, in addition to his writing duties, Broussard began making regular appearances on ESPN as an NBA insider and analyst, and occasionally as a panelist on '' First Take'' debating sports topics with

Skip Bayless Skip Bayless (born John Edward Bayless II) is an American sports columnist, commentator, and television personality. He is well-known for his work as a commentator on the ESPN2 show '' First Take'' with Stephen A. Smith, a show which he left ...

. For the 2011–12 NBA season, Broussard was added to

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's ''

'' pregame show as an NBA insider. He also spent three years as a sideline reporter for nationally-televised games on ESPN and ABC. In April 2013, Broussard was criticized for comments he made on an ESPN ''

Outside the Lines ''Outside the Lines'', or also referred to as ''OTL'', is an American television program on ESPN that looks "outside the lines" and examines critical issues in mostly American sports on and off the field of play. The primary host of the show is ...

'' program about NBA player

Jason Collins Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, where he was ...

coming out as homosexual. Broussard had expressed his views on homosexuality and other sexual behaviors which he characterized as sins, stating "If you're openly living in unrepentant sin...I believe that's walking in open rebellion to God." He later released a statement clarifying his remarks, saying that he had merely offered his "personal opinion as it relates to Christianity," and conceded that he realizes "that some people disagree with my opinion and I accept and respect that." In October 2016, Broussard left ESPN for Fox Sports 1. He has stated that he left ESPN because the network's offer to return would have relegated him strictly to a reporter's role. At that stage of his career, he found FS1's offer to be more of a commentator, analyst and personality more appealing. At FS1, Broussard is a regular panelist on '' Skip and Shannon: Undisputed'', ''

The Herd with Colin Cowherd ''The Herd with Colin Cowherd'' is a sports radio, sports talk radio show hosted by Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports Radio and Fox Sports 1. The show features commentary on the day's sports news, perspective on other news stories, and interviews with ce ...

'', ''First Things First'', and ''Lock It In''. On August 30, 2021, Broussard became co-host of ''First Things First'', replacing former NFL wide receiver

Brandon Marshall Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted by ...

. In 2018, Broussard became co-host of a daily national radio show called ''The Odd Couple''. His co-host is Rob Parker, another FS1 sports analyst. ''The Odd Couple'' can be heard on FOX Sports Radio and Sirius XM Channel 83.

Personal life

He has been married to his wife, Crystal, since 1995. The couple has twin daughters has Alexis and Noelle. He has spoken publicly about his

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

faith, which he has had since 1989. (He was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.) In addition to his work as a sports commentator, Broussard is the Founder and President of The K.I.N.G. Movement, a national Christian men's organization that seeks to strengthen men in their Christian faith and lifestyle by providing support, accountability, teaching, fellowship and brotherhood. K.I.N.G. is an acronym that stands for Knowledge, Inspiration, and Nurture through God. It has chapters in various cities.

References

External links

*
Archive at ESPN.comChris Broussard Speaks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broussard, Chris 1968 births African-American Christians African-American sports journalists American Christians American men's basketball players Basketball players from Louisiana ESPN people Fox Sports 1 people Living people Louisiana Creole people National Basketball Association broadcasters Oberlin Yeomen basketball players People from Des Moines, Iowa People from North Royalton, Ohio Point guards Sportspeople from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sportswriters from New York (state) Television personalities from Syracuse, New York The New York Times sportswriters