The Forgotten Legacy of The Black Man Who Blazed a Trail for Stephen A. Smith and Others to Make Millions

By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA Art Rust Jr. (NNPA) – In the glitzy world of sports talk radio, where mega-contracts make headlines and charismatic hosts dominate the airwaves, there is an unsung pioneer whose name rarely echoes through the halls of fame. As Tom Brady secured an industry-leading $375 million contract with Fox Sports, surpassing his legendary playing career earnings, and Jim Rome and Stephen A. Smith rake in tens of millions annually, there’s rarely a nod to the trailblazer who laid the foundation for this now lucrative profession — Art Rust Jr. Rust was born in Harlem on October 13, 1927, and died in 2010 at 82. He was a maverick who changed the game of sports broadcasting. A graduate of Long Island University, Rust embarked on his broadcasting journey in the 1950s at New York radio station WWRL. His career included stints at WNBC, WMCA, and WINS Radio before he emerged as a pivotal figure with his groundbreaking show, “Sports Talk.” While today’s hosts thrive on multi-million-dollar contracts and extensive coverage, Rust’s era was vastly different. Before the 1980s, sports talk radio and general sports coverage were limited to brief segments on the evening news and sporadic...