A veteran behind-the-scenes broadcaster is ready for his moment as the chief chronicler of March Madness.
Mark Grant is poised to make sports TV history as the first Black lead director of CBS Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery’s joint coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
This year’s tournament tips off with coverage of the First Four on Tuesday and Wednesday nights (6:40 p.m. ET). Grant succeeds longtime director Bob Fishman, who retired after the 2022 NCAA tournament.
“This will be [Grant’s] first year, and first Final Four, as lead director, stepping in for the legendary Bob Fishman. Mark is an incredibly talented basketball and football director. He’ll be joining in the truck with [Lead Game Producer] Mark Wolff,” said CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus.
“I think it’s really significant that Mark Grant will be the first person of color ever to direct a major sports championship event, we believe. That, I think, is amazing.”
Grant, a five-time Emmy Award winner, joined CBS in 1998. Since then, the 41-year TV veteran has worked every men’s March Madness tournament. He also directs the NFL, college football, and golf.
On Nov. 1, 2020, the LSU graduate directed the Los Angeles Chargers-Denver Broncos game on CBS alongside producer Kimani Morales and executive producer Harold Bryant.
It was the first time an NFL game was led across the board by an African-American director, producer, and executive producer. In the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody, Grant was also a driving force behind CBS’ “8:46” campaign, which featured personal stories from the network’s Black voices.
Before joining CBS, Grant served 11 years at ESPN.
