Marcus Greaves the newest Sports Broadcast at CBS8

How were you able to make a transition from college football straight to sports broadcasting?

It wasn’t an easy transition, from the time you are little as an athlete that is seen as WHO you are, it’s seen as YOUR identity, I fell into the trap of believing all I had to offer was football. Once That chapter came to a close, I thought to myself “I’m more than just Marcus the football player” I was fortunate enough to use my platform as a division 1 athlete to make connections with folks from all walks of life. One of those people was former NFL running back Yvenson Bernard. He worked as an on air personality at NBC Sports Northwest. He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes of the industry and opened my eyes to a whole different avenue than I was used to. From there, it was all hard work and paying dues in the industry. Once you go from a highly touted college athlete to the bottom man on the totem pole, it is a very humbling experience. But I knew all I needed was my foot in the door in order to shape my life and my new passion the way I wanted. Through years of hard work, networking, and overall hustle I went from recording videos on my phone as a “social media anchor” to a full time Sports Anchor and reporter for the best station in San Diego. It all just wrapped back around to not letting other perceptions of who you are pigeonhole you, you must be the one to evolve and write your story how you want it to be remembered.

There is a lack of diversity in media representation, what are ways stations cannot just increase diversity but also create a more inclusive environment?

One of the first things I realized in the media was the lack of diversity, there has been a push to change the “norm” of media outlets and hire for more diversity. That’s one thing I have love about CBS 8 in San Diego, they strive to push the envelope of the “Norm”. A way to make the environment more inclusive for more diverse groups is simply to hire more diversity, representation matters. If a young black boy/girl sees someone that looks like them, talks like them, and moves like them, on the TV it’s only going to inspire them to think “I can be there one day.” That’s the same thought process I had growing up seeing guys like ESPN’s Stuart Scott. The beautiful thing about hiring diversity is it makes the environment more inclusive for everyone, it inspires a completely different population, and allows growth within the industry, and work environment. All it takes is one person no matter the color, to hire a diverse group, and I can promise only good will come from it.

What is it about sports broadcasting you love so much?

There are plenty of things that I could say that I love about broadcasting, but I think the thing that sticks out the most for me about broadcasting is just the way I get to connect with my audience. Growing up watching ESPN I always remembered certain things about the broadcasters that I really admired, and how they gave me a different perspective and enjoyment watching sports. I wanted to do the same, so I feel like anytime I have a show, an interview, or even a commercial, I want to strive to inspire the viewers to look at sports and entertainment from a different lens and perspective in hopes to inspire viewers and at the same keep them entertained. There is no better feeling!

What are ways athletes, especially college ones, start to brand themselves for success off the bat?

When it comes to athletes branding themselves, I always remind them that WHATEVER they want to represent, stand by, or portray, it’s up to them. From there, make the necessary moves in order to put themselves in a position to represent that. If they love certain hair products and want that to be associated with their brands, make that known, make the connection with a local business that sells hair products and ask if you can help represent them, and in return, you are branding yourself with the product. On a personal level, I have always loved sneakers, and with being a broadcaster, most of the time I am wearing suits. For as long as I can remember, wearing suits and sneakers has never really been done on a consistent professional level because it was always seen as “Unprofessional” but I thought otherwise. So, I started matching my sneakers to my suits, and from there, branded myself in the professional world as the “Broadcaster with the sneakers”. Never let the social “Norm ” shy you away from the brands you want to represent and how you want to be seen, it’s on you!