DETROIT – Simply put, Rob Parker loves sports.
It's that passion that makes Parker, perhaps, one of the most controversial sports writers currently on the scene.
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Parker -- who has been a contributor to WDIV/Local 4 since 1993 -- has been writing columns for over 20 years and been a mainstay on TV as well, delivering hard-hitting and honest opinions.
You can read Parker's column twice weekly at www.clickondetroit.com and watch him every Sunday night on Local 4's Sports Final Edition.
On the national level, Parker is a columnist for www.theshadowleague.com.
Born in New York, Parker graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a B.S. in journalism and Columbia University with a Masters in journalism. He also was accepted and started his Ph.D at New York University.
Parker has worked at a lot of newspapers, including the New Haven Register, The Greenwich Time, the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Daily News in New York and Cincinnati Enquirer.
For 16 years, Parker was an award-winning newspaper sports columnist. He was the first black sports columnist at the Detroit Free Press in 1993. He was also the first black sports columnist at Newsday in New York. Parker also worked nine years at The Detroit News.
Baseball is his true love. For two years, he covered the Cincinnati Reds for the Enquirer. Parker has a Baseball Hall of Fame vote.
Parker – the first-ever on-air host hired at WDFN in Detroit --and Mark Wilson also hosted a popular sports-talk radio show, ``Parker and The Man'' for a decade. Parker also co-hosted a show on ESPN radio in New York. He also filled in on ESPN's national radio network.
Parker just finished an eight-year stint with ESPN, both writing for ESPNNY.com and debating sports topics on First Take.
In Detroit, Parker's TV segment, Clubhouse Confidential, is one of the most popular segments in Motown, giving fans the buzz going on in the sports world.
Personally, Parker loves to travel the world. Egypt was his favorite destination. He is also a businessman in Motown. He co-owns barbershop Sporty Cutz and carry-out hot dog spot All-Star Dawgs. Both are on W 7 Mile Road in Detroit.
You can follow Rob on Twitter @RobParkerLocal4