Fox Sports Radio proudly congratulates Rob Parker, co-host of The Odd Couple, on being named the recipient of the 2026 JL Wilkinson 'Innovator' Award by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM). Parker will be honored during the Museum's Hall of Game induction ceremony on September 26, 2026, at the Gem Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. The award recognizes individuals whose vision and innovation have helped shape baseball and expand opportunities within the game and sports culture.
Parker is being recognized for a trailblazing career that has helped break barriers throughout sports media. In 1991, he became the first Black reporter to regularly cover the Cincinnati Reds for the Cincinnati Enquirer. He later became the first Black sports columnist at the Detroit Free Press and the first Black general sports columnist at Newsday in New York. Today, Parker co-hosts The Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio, serves as an analyst for MLB Network, and is the founder and editor of MLBbro.com, an innovative platform dedicated to covering Black and brown Major League Baseball players.
Parker expressed gratitude for the recognition and credited the MLBbro.com team for helping advance its mission.
"To say the least, I'm humbled to be honored by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum," Parker said. "The mission of MLBbro.com is to tell the story of the Black and brown MLB player, both past and present."
"To be recognized for all the hard work the staff has put in is simply amazing."
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum described Parker as 'a true pioneer in sports journalism' and recognized his longstanding efforts to create opportunities and new perspectives within baseball media.
The award is named after J.L. Wilkinson, owner of the legendary Kansas City Monarchs and the only white owner among the original Negro Leagues franchises established in 1920. Wilkinson is widely recognized as a baseball innovator and a pioneer of night baseball.
Fox Sports Radio proudly joins the baseball community in celebrating the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's Hall of Game Class of 2026, including Ralph Garr, Gary Matthews Sr., Reggie Smith, and Andre Thornton. Their accomplishments, together with Parker's recognition as the recipient of the JL Wilkinson "Innovator" Award, make this year's Hall of Game celebration a fitting tribute to excellence, innovation and the enduring legacy of baseball.
About Rob Parker
Rob Parker is the co-host of The Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio, a veteran sports journalist, broadcaster, television personality and founder of MLBbro.com. Throughout a distinguished career spanning more than three decades, Parker has been a pioneering voice in sports media while covering Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA and many of the nation's biggest sporting events.
About FOX Sports Radio
The FOX Sports Radio Network, based in Los Angeles, Calif., is a division of Premiere Sports Network, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, in partnership with FOX Sports. All entities have combined their considerable resources to develop a turnkey, personality driven sports programming network for radio stations nationwide. The FOX Sports Radio Network reaches more than 17 million monthly listeners on more than 630 radio stations, and can also be heard on iHeartRadio and FOXSportsRadio.com. Fans can also follow the network on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
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