For those familiar with sports journalism and Eastern’s sports history, Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson is not just a notable alumni; he’s a groundbreaking announcer and sports commentator both in Eastern’s history and the larger industry. But before Robinson was a well-respected sports announcer and journalist, he was a kid in his grandparent’s sneaker store and men’s shoe store in Harlem, New York City, meeting countless big names in the sports industry while sharing new shoe releases with his friends at school.
“ I think it was cool that my family was involved in the community in Harlem,” Robinson said. “Harlem was rich in history because of its culture… Those people were all entrepreneurs and were entrenched in trying to make the community stand out, but also do well for their families. And so to be around that group of people was great, but I’ll add that celebrities who did stop in the store or who did sneaker releases are people just like us.”
At just twelve years old, Robinson started his sports broadcasting career as a radio co-host on Nets’ Slammin’ Planet, beating out over 200 other applicants for the position. This gave him direct locker room access to big names like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and many others.
“ I think that when you’re a 12-year-old kid and you’re sharing locker room arm space post-game with Stephen A. Smith, Chris Broussard and Adrian Wojnerowski… you kind of look up and you’re the youngest and you’re like, this is what you want to do in life,” Robinson said.
Robinson also credits his interest and success in sports broadcasting to his Uncle Billy Rawls, who was a commissioner of a basketball league in New York City called City Wide. His uncle’s broad range of connections and passion for basketball fueled Robinson’s own endeavors, expanding his celebrity access and basketball knowledge.
While in high school, Robinson began announcing for his school’s basketball team, experimenting with what he had seen in the major leagues in his smaller setting. While Eastern wasn’t his first-choice school, the Communication Studies Department Chair, Dr. Julie Morgan, personally called and invited Robinson and his family to come visit. He credits her warm welcome as one of the main things that attracted him to Eastern. Plus, the environment allowed him to continue to experiment with his style.
“ I reached out to my [freshman] roommate and [found out] he was on the basketball team,” Robinson said. “We were talking and he name-dropped me to the coach. He was like ‘Yo, you might want to get this guy to do [announcing] cause he did it at his high school,’ and they said yes. So my freshman year, they threw me right in and it was wonderful.”
Even in college, Robinson’s announcing style was groundbreaking for its time. To this day, Eastern’s sports announcers can trace their history back to Robinson’s influence.
“ I think the basketball team definitely made me feel welcome,” Robinson said. “I was able to utilize being a big fish in a small pond by creating a culture within basketball games that is still talked about to this day.”
“ I kind of was doing a lot of [music] before a lot of other NBA and college teams were doing it,” he continued. “I would DJ, even little chimes during referee timeouts. You’re playing the Jeopardy theme, the think music, the Pink Panther chime or just a myriad of other things.”
While Robinson found a lot of success during his time at Eastern, he was, as he put it, “a big fish in a small pond.” For the first few years after getting his undergraduate degree and then his Master’s from Hofstra University, success no longer seemed like it would be a part of his story.
“ As much as it’s cool to tell my story, I have to admit that at one point I was freelancing at about 10 to 12 different publications at one time, serving as an adjunct professor on the side and money was tight. I was living in my grandmother’s basement. I had a double-door fridge where the refrigerator side did not cool any food and the freezer side operated as a fridge. I didn’t have an oven. I didn’t have a stove. I cooked on hot plates, microwave, a George Foreman grill and Crock Pots.”
Robinson continued to work hard until he was given an opening at The Source Magazine, building his way up from there. Along the way, he was a television broadcaster at Bally Sports Network where he was a national NBA Insider. In the past, he’s worked at CBS Sports, VIBE Magazine and Spotify, and has also contributed to various other publications. He says that “consistency in storytelling and engaging with people” became some of the most crucial things to his brand. His personal connections have allowed him to build a camaraderie that is reflected in his podcasts and interviews. And, as he hilariously and honestly put it, “I like to talk shit.”
“ You’ve got to give something to get something,” Robinson said. “It goes both ways. It’s not easy, but I think it just comes with holding your composure. There are times when you don’t always get it right. There have been times when I’ve been wrong, but I’ve been more right than I’ve been wrong.”
Before leaving, he addressed current Eastern students and gave them advice on entering the world of media.
“Welcome to what is the standard in media, print and digital. Welcome to that world, but also take something that you’re interested in and make it your own. I think that a lot of times people’s goal when creating a podcast specifically is ‘I want to go viral,’ but you gotta master the fundamentals first before you start. Find what you’re interested in and stay in the lane that’s not very congested. And sometimes you have to take an alternate route to still get to the destination. And guess what? You’ll still get to the destination.”
Even while many would say that Robinson has “made it,” he’s still on his way forward in the digital space as well. As Eastern celebrates its Centennial and looks forward as much as it does back, it’ll be great to see where Robinson is heading next in the sports broadcasting world.
Colin Tomczak 
Savana Dodd 
Will Cunningham