Sports Media Report
In honor of Black History Month, MSG Networks today announced a lineup of commemorative programming that will air throughout February. The coverage will recognize the contributions of influential Black trailblazers who continue to have a lasting impact in the world of sports, music, food and more.
The network will celebrate Black excellence through a mix of original stories, short-form documentaries and interstitial content that features Black athletes and pioneers who have helped shape today’s culture in New York City. The programming will also include various profiles on businesses that empower and support Black communities throughout the five boroughs. Some of the coverage will include:
- An inspiring story detailing the unlikely career path and remarkable life journey of professional ping pong star and Brooklyn native Wally Green
- First-person account exploring New York City’s history of Black Cowboys as told through the voice and music of award-winning jazz composer Allan Harris
- Profiles on Harlem Hops, the first beer bar in Harlem that is 100% Black-owned, and Melba’s, a Black-owned soul food restaurant that has become a staple in the Harlem community
As part of the lineup, the network will also highlight the unique convergence of basketball and hip hop culture, as this year marks both the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop, as well as the 1973 Knicks championship team. The coverage will include a previously aired feature with former Knicks stars Larry Johnson, Latrell Sprewell and John Wallace, as they traveled around the city to historic landmarks and sites that helped give rise to the hip hop music scene, which is considered to have started in the Bronx in 1973.
Additionally, MSG Networks will air a one-hour special on that 1973 Knicks championship that contains original footage from the clinching Game 5 of the NBA Finals and interviews with key players from that team including Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Bill Bradley, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and Willis Reed. The special first aired in 2013 when the refurbished tapes of the game were initially uncovered.
The original content throughout the month will also further spotlight Frazier as he gives viewers a look back at his early years in New York City, as well as on a visit to his high school alma mater in his hometown of Atlanta. The school recently renamed its basketball court and gymnasium in honor of the legendary Knicks analyst and two-time Hall of Famer. Notable other graduates of the historic school include civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Atlanta’s first black mayor Maynard H. Jackson.
All Black History Month programming airing in February will also be available on MSG GO, the network’s live streaming and video on demand platform.
