Political and social commentaries in sports telecasts are always going to be a polarizing subject no matter who delivers it, what the subject is, or where it is done. But James Brown of CBS Sports believes it is now part of the job.
Brown sat down for a lengthy conversation with Amna Nawaz of PBS on the Settle In podcast. In addition to talking about his decorated career with CBS, Brown also touched on the social commentaries he has made during various points on important subjects.
Given the respect and admiration for James Brown as a sportscaster and even crossing over to news, his commentaries always carry significant weight. And he has done so on select occasions like domestic violence and racism and antisemitism.
And in an age where the lines between politics, culture, and sports are blurred together if not completely unrecognizable, Brown says that you simply can’t silo yourself off from what is going on in the world and stick to sports. In talking about his commentary on antisemitism in 2022, Brown said that he can’t ignore problematic issues and “stick my head in the sand.”
CBS sportscaster James Brown, better known as “JB,” says sports cannot ignore politics and social issues.
“Turn me off then at the time that I’m giving the commentary, turn the football again back on,” he said of people who argue that he and other sportscasters should not weigh… pic.twitter.com/ao3v1Nm7g7
— PBS News (@NewsHour) February 20, 2026
“They’re still going to watch the football game. Turn me off then at the time that I’m giving the commentary, turn the football again back on,” Brown said. “But that doesn’t mean that I am supposed to stick my head in the sand and ignore something that is problematic and has been for a while and continues. And I certainly want to make certain that young people understand that there is a meaningful way, a proper way, that we can go about resolving this. And that is to confront it properly and together. It ought to be universal.”
Politics and sports are more intertwined than ever before, especially in the second reign of Donald Trump as President of the United States. But while many of Trump’s appearances are divisive by nature of the man himself (even as much as folks who interview him try to tell themselves that is not the case and they can stay apolitical), James Brown is seeking more common ground in picking and choosing when to offer his commentaries and seeking to unite others.
It’s a noble approach, and hopefully the attempt at offering something constructive breaks through to people who may refuse to listen before James Brown utters a single word that’s not about football.
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