Black Excellence in Sports Journalism

The sports broadcasting industry hasn’t always been a place where Black professionals can thrive, but the good news is that is changing. In this talk with Fox Sports Radio host Joy Taylor, she’ll share her experiences, how far the industry has come, and initiatives that are supporting the next generation of Black journalists and broadcasters.

Joy Taylor

Bridget Finkeldey

Joy Taylor is a Barry University alum and an accomplished national media personality, television, radio, podcast, play-by-play, event, moderator and host. After nearly two years hosting UNDISPUTED, Joy traveled across the FS1 Studio where she currently co-hosts with Colin Cowherd on The Herd, weekdays from 12-3 PM ET. She is also a play-by-play analyst for Thursday Night Football - “Scouts Feed” on Prime Video and Twitch and the host of “The Joy Taylor Show” Saturdays 2-4 PM ET on Fox Sports Radio. Joy has quickly become a fixture on the national sports media scene. Originally from Pittsburgh, it was Joy’s “Steel City” grind that guided Joy as she built her career. Working in both FM and AM radio, Joy started her career while at Barry University in Miami Shores, interning and producing for a variety of Miami radio giants before landing a position as co-host of 790 AM ‘The Ticket’s Morning Show’, as well as host of ‘Thursday Night Live’ and ‘Fantasy Football Today’ on CBSSports.com. After three years of entertaining listeners each weekday morning, Joy traded coasts and moved to Los Angeles to join FS1. As the host of UNDISPUTED, Joy sparred with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe on a daily basis and has covered some of the biggest events in sports including the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, MLB All-Star Weekend, the U.S. Open and the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight. Her comfort in diverse subject matter is reflected in the eclectic list of individuals Joy has interviewed, including the likes of Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Super Bowl MVPs Eli Manning and Drew Brees, boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya, rapper and entertainers Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Last year, Taylor established a scholarship for Barry University students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Communication disciplines in order to support the next generation of journalists and broadcasters. She noted at the time that a personal goal of hers is to foster diversity in the industry. She also founded the Joy Taylor Foundation, the nonprofit's mission is to serve the homeless, survivors of domestic violence and promote education and youth empowerment in the communities of Los Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh and NYC.

Zara Chaudary

Bridget Finkeldey

An experienced change maker, Zara prioritizes the disruption of harmful systems, creating and facilitating brave spaces and opportunities for individuals to explore their intersectional identities, and empowering every individual to bring their whole self to work. Utilizing a holistic approach, she excels at collaborating with key players to craft strategic vision and operationalizing strong action steps to elevate workplace culture to a healthy culture of belonging. With an extensive background in Human Resources, operations, and programming within the non-profit, education, and tech sectors, Zara keeps a focused eye on the long-term mission and ensures she infuses humor in everything she does along the way. She’s also not afraid to openly share her love for Brooklyn and donuts!

Experienced in DEI, relationship management, conflict mediation and management, coaching, Human Resources, compliance, financial and budget management, administration, and auditing.