Mediaplanet sat down with renowned Canadian Sports Media personality Cabbie Richards to chat about his journey through Canada’s sports and media.
Growing up in Canada, how would you describe the level of representation in Canadian media you observed?
Growing up in Canada, the level of representation on Canadian television was sparse. My childhood was filled with Saturday Morning cartoons and assorted kids shows, so I locked into “Reading Rainbow” with LeVar Burton (although not Canadian), enjoyed “Today’s Special” with Nerene Virgin and “Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego?” the game show with Lynne Thigpen (again not Canadian). PBS and TVO were the networks that I watched in the 80s and not the evening news. Once the 90s hit, “in Living Colour”, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Martin” were transformative shows for me, as Black actors and comedians were leading sitcoms and a transcendent sketch comedy show.
How would you describe your experience starting out in the Canadian sports media landscape early in your career? What differences have you noticed between today’s Canadian media ecosystem and yesterday’s?
Optimism and differentiation are defining characteristics of my career. When I started as an intern at The Score Television Network writing highlight scripts for the hosts,(a 24 hour national sports cable network – no longer in existence) it had to differentiate to gain attention and traction with Canadian viewers. The permanent ticker (at the bottom of the screen with stats and info) was a differentiator. On air personalities were younger, encouraged to be their full selves not generic television announcers. The programming featured University sports (football and basketball) and unique personalities narrating highlight packs. The vibe was cool. Subconsciously, all this planted a seed of differentiation.
All this to say, the workplace culture was conducive to trying new ideas like a chubby “reporter” walking the streets of Toronto interviewing random Canadians about silly sports topics. This segment “Cabbie On The Street” aired on Sunday nights on The Score Television Network (Started in August 2001). The Score wasn’t a United Colours of Benetton catalogue, as there were only two other people of colour featured on the network: Lance Winn (weekend host) and (occasionally) Trevor Thompson (reporter from the Detroit area).
In the early – mid 2000s, the coveted youth demographic was being serviced by talented personalities at MuchMusic (Namugenyi Kiwanuka, Rainbow Sun-Francks, Sarah Taylor, Matte Babel, Richard Cazeau), Phil Guerrero at YTV, Mark Strong, Jemeni and “Hollywood” Rich on Flow 93.5 (a Toronto radio station) and later MTV Canada with Gilson Lubin and Nicole Holness. These were my peers in Toronto and represented the idealized version of Canada on television screens.
The Canadian sports media landscape overall is awesome in that there are many more voices contributing to the coverage and culture than twenty years ago when I began my television journey. A lower barrier of entry using digital platforms has democratized creators, personalities, broadcasters, opinion givers. Younger consumers engage with sports leagues via highlights and moments on YouTube and via social platforms namely TikTok and IG and in group chats. Huge change in consumption.
Canadians from minority backgrounds often describe an expectation to conform versus their desire to be authentic to themselves, how did you balance this during your career?
The expectation to conform and assimilate started in my elementary school days when I was often the only Black child in my class growing up in North York. Conforming wasn’t overt, but it’s an experience that I am positive thousands of other visible minorities navigated through their childhoods in Canada. In my professional life, I leaned into Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s personas as jokesters and when I needed to impress the parents of a girl that I wanted to date, I would channel some version of Neil DeGrasse-Tyson or Ahmad Rashad. Personality-wise, I was heavily influenced by Will Smith’s “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and felt comfortable making others feel comfortable. You know?
How important is diversity and representation in public media in your opinion?
It’s important to have diverse points of view. In Canada, I love how these broadcasters and talented creators are expanding the traditional view of sports content: Donovan Bennett (Sportsnet), Kayla Grey (TSN), Brandon Gonez (Brandon Gonez Show – less sports, but a great talent), Julian McKenzie (The Athletic), Kat Jayme (Vancouver based filmmaker – diehard hoops fan), Black Girl Hockey Club, Charlie Lindsay (Tier Zero) and Sheldon Alexander (podcaster). We often have blindspots in our lives and having more people sharing their POVs helps to paint a more nuanced picture.
What advice would you give to young people from marginalized communities hoping to work in the media industry?
Advice…how can you differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace? It’s never been more competitive in the attention economy than now. It will be more competitive tomorrow. Differentiate. Figure out your lane. Be clever. Get a ton of reps in, whether it’s writing your opinion, analyzing the game, evaluating the business marketplace, giving hot takes on live microphones, hosting events, editing videos, etc.
