Bomani & Jones is the new online sports and social commentary show that will be featured on YouTube by host Bomani Jones of SB Nation on Thursdays. Jones, the star of Around The Horn and SB Nation, is a personal friend of the TSFJ Fam and we were able to get a few minutes of Bo's time to talk about the show and a few relative topics on the sports docket.
TSFJ: How will this"Bomani & Jones" be different compared to "The Three Hour Lunch Break" and "The Morning Jones"?
Bomani: Beyond the medium, that's tough to answer. Of course, this won't be as interactive as a radio show would be. But the perspective will be exactly the same. The leeway we'll have will be between those two shows, between terrestrial and satellite radio. But it's my people and me, just as all of these shows have been.
TSFJ: Will "Mike from Chicago", "Rod from Charlotte" and "Toya from Memphis" be involved in the new show?
Bomani: I hope so, but this isn't a three-hour radio show with callers. Integrating others into it won't be the same.
TSFJ: Will this show be able to provide more fuel for the #HaterGalaga?
Bomani: I think life keeps Hater Galaga busy. I'm not doing anything in particular to fuel it now, so I don't figure that will change.
TSFJ: What is the best and worst thing about doing Around The Horn?
Bomani: I really can't think of a bad thing, other than folks staring at me when I go out to dinner. The good? It's fun. There's the exposure and all the professional stuff that doesn't matter to anyone else but my agent and me, but the show itself is a blast every day. I'm in this line of work for fun, and I have as much fun as I possibly can. Not once have I had to interfere with my own fun to fit in, and that's big to me.
TSFJ: You've laid a real blueprint on how to stay engaged using various social media platforms, especially doing #TheEveningJones using the Vokle technology. How much of a benefit have you seen from utilizing social media, and what advice would you give to others?
Bomani: How much benefit? I was hosting a local radio show when I got on Twitter in 2009. I got fired and hired into a national radio gig, because the folks in Canada were familiar with my Twitter feed. That got the attention of the folks on Around the Horn. It's the basis of my merchandising and personal endeavors like "The Evening Jones." Social media allows me to sell my personality and display the breadth of the brand I've built in a way I can't do anything else. ESPN isn't making a star out of me. Neither is SB Nation, really, and it's not either of their jobs. That's on me, and social media is the best way to do it. As for advice? Be yourself and know what your audience wants to see. Don't become a jukebox, but know what the market is looking for.
TSFJ: If you had an opportunity to give some advice to Dwight Howard going into the end of his contract, what would you encourage him to do?
Bomani: Well, not really much advice to give him. His situation is only complex to him. If he thinks Orlando can build a title contender around him, then he should stay in Orlando. If he's got a better chance somewhere else, leave. The only reason this is difficult is because Dwight seems so clearly attached to Orlando. But past that? Nothing complex here.
TSFJ: Does Robert Griffin III really need to cut those braids?
Bomani: Of course he does. He's 22 years old, and he's about to get a real-life, grown-up job. That usually means it's time to cut the braids. At least it was when I was 21, when I cut my corn rows. Now, if he doesn't want to do that, it's on him. But playing quarterback is different than anything else. It's middle-management, a corporate job. And, on top of representing the organization, he probably hopes to be a corporate pitchman. Why cut off your money based on something as insignificant as braids? Braids, I should add, that don't even look very good.
TSFJ: Can you make any sense of the last 15 seconds of the 2012 All-Star Game, including the interview with LeBron and Craig Sager?
Bomani: We've let the LeBron choking narrative go so far that we carried it to the All-Star Game, and LeBron's let it go so far in his mind that he actually legitimized it. It's just what's going to come up with LeBron until Miami wins a title. Which will happen this year. The funny part? It's not a guarantee that'll change things for LeBron. We don't get pumped about A-Rod like we did, but do you feel any better about him at the plate in the clutch now that he has a World Series MVP? I don't.
TSFJ: Choose one: The pinky ring or the belt?
Bomani: Beauty of being me: I don't have to choose. I am, however, going to do a promotion with the shirts that will allow folks a chance to qualify to win the belt. Look out for that soon.
Be sure to subscribe to the SB Nation Studios Youtube page, and we will be hosting Bomani on #theUCshow on Wednesday, February 29th at 9:00pm. Stay tuned.
Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”