james
c.black
SPORTS PROGRAMMER, JOURNALIST, EDITOR, STORYTELLER
JB
James C. Black is the Director, Sports Editorial for Yahoo Sports and is based in the Los Angeles area. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and has enjoyed an extensive career in sports that spans multiple verticals. James is a digital strategist and manager who is highly skilled at both short- and long-term planning, as well as a veteran online editor and sports journalist . During his career of 30+ years, James has worked some of the biggest events (12 Super Bowls, 13 NFL Drafts, 3 Pro Bowls, Final Four) and coordinated coverage of some of the biggest news stories in the sports world. His comprehensive experience and background have played an influential role in Yahoo Sports being one of the most trafficked sports websites for nearly two decades resulting in high recognition. As James continues to be on the frontline of various innovations impacting sports and related businesses, he is highly focused on leading the next generation. He provides guidance and mentorship to students and young professionals, and has regularly participated in classroom initiatives, panel discussions, leadership conferences, workshops and more.
PORTFOLIO
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EXPERIENCE
2016 - Present
Yahoo Sports
2006 - 2016
Director of Sports Programming, Strategy
James manages desktop and mobile web/app placements (articles and live stream events including NFL games and VOD) along with the mobile alerts notification team. As a senior staff member, his leadership is crucial in onboarding related staff and troubleshooting technical issues for frontend experiences and publishing tools.
Yahoo Sports
Senior Editor
In this role, James managed a team of writers and fellow editors. He also coordinated short- and long-term coverage including breaking news and major events (Super Bowl, NFL Draft, Pro Bowl). James updated the NFL section of the website along with editing copy and managing relationships with partners (National Football Post, Pro Football Weekly, NFL).
1998 - 2006
ESPN.com
1996 - 1998
Associate Editor / NFL Editor
James had multiple roles in his eight-year tenure at ESPN such as Associate Editor for NFL.com, NFL Team Pages Editor and NFL Editor II. Some of his key responsibilities were writing articles, editing team pages and writers' copy, maintaining the NFL index, covering events and story assignments/editing copy for reporters such as Michael Smith and John Clayton.
The Virginian-Pilot
1993 - 1995
Columnist / Writer
As a staff writer, James covered high school and local college sports. Additionally, he co-wrote a dissenting views column entitled "Black and White" with fellow staffer Paul White. The column focused on hot-button topics such as athlete eligibility requirements and allowed James to develop his voice as an opinion writer .
Desk Clerk / Reporter / Editor
Early in James' career he gained valuable experience at notable companies such as Sports Illustrated, Landmark Communications and Newsday where he worked in multiple roles including covering preps and colleges for local newspapers.
CONTACT
James Black is based in the Los Angeles area but works nationally and internationally. Please use this form to submit professional inquiries.
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