1st Black Female Commentator for ESPN
posted by Keyona Smith | October 3, 2018 | In SportsWomen all over the world are constantly conquering a number of firsts including Tiffany A. Greene, who just became the first African American female to broadcast play-by-plays for collegiate sports on ESPN. Greene is a play-by-play commentator for basketball, football, softball and volleyball.
Even though Greene is a fourth generation Rattler and product of Florida A&M University, her first broadcast as a play-by-play commentator came from the Georgia State Stadium during the game between Prairie View A&M University and North Carolina Central University on September 2. According to ESPN Media Zone, Greene has also called the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, NCAA Softball Regional and Super Regionals, as well as NCAA Volleyball Regionals.
Greene has to be a testament to following through with your dreams. Greene told reporter Mark Wright of The Undefeated that she has been dreaming of being a broadcast commentator since kindergarten. “Anybody who knows me knows that this has been a dream of mine, and not everybody gets the opportunity to say that they’re living their dream,” said Greene.
Following those big aspirations Greene set as goals when she was just a young girl, she began her broadcasting career as a student at Florida A&M calling men and women’s basketball games. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, she started her professional career in 2004. According to ESPN Media Zone, she started reporting solo at WJCL in Savannah, Georgia.
Greene is not unfamiliar to the challenges that will come with the new job and understands it will require a great deal of work. Greene told Sports Illustrated, “I’m delighted to stand in the booth as a Black woman and call a college football game. It shows some people are beginning to change the way they think about minorities and women. I realize not everybody is on board, and that’s okay.”
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