Race, economics, and the shifting politics of sport media the case of Jimmy the Greek

Abstract

In the past several decades, a new narrative framework for American football in the United States has been offered to mainstream consumers. In a number of entertainments, notably fantasy football, fans are invited to enjoy National Football League (NFL) games through the lens of cool, dispassionate analysis. This article traces how this framework entered mainstream media coverage of the NFL through the CBS pregame program The NFL Today, highlighting the role of former Las Vegas oddsmaker Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder as a studio analyst. The new framework introduced to mainstream coverage corresponds with a growing presence of black players in the NFL and expresses the racial politics of an emerging neoliberal order.