Los Angeles Times Names LZ Granderson Sports and Culture Columnist
Granderson will start at The Times on Jan. 14 and write on the myriad topics that intersect sports, including politics, culture, race, fashion and music
The Los Angeles Times has named LZ Granderson Sports and Culture Columnist, reporting to Assistant Managing Editor for Sports, Angel Rodriguez.
“Los Angeles and Orange County is home to 11 pro sports teams and L.A. is preparing to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics,” said Times Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine. “The Times is ramping up efforts to cover the greatest sports city in America and we look forward to having LZ help readers navigate the vast influence that sports, teams and athletes have on culture.”
In the newly-created position, Granderson will write on topics ranging from the latest home game to athletes turned activists. He’ll share his perspective on how sports connect with politics, culture, race, fashion and music, and look at how teams and athletes are reflected in media and pop culture.
“LZ understands sports’ unique position in our society and its importance to our readers,” Rodriguez said. “We’re ecstatic that he’s joining The Times’ Sports staff to offer insightful, thought-provoking columns as part of our coverage.”
Granderson is currently the co-host of ESPNLA 710 Radio’s “Mornings with Keyshawn, LZ and Travis,” the ringside reporter for DAZN and a contributor to CNN. He previously was co-host of ESPN TV’s “SportsNation,” wrote for ESPN and The Undefeated, a contributor to ABC News, and a fellow at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at Columbia University.
“I grew up in Detroit reading Mitch Albom,” Granderson said. “I didn’t have enough money to buy my own newspaper so I would read the discarded ones on the bus, sometimes the ones in the trash. Not deep in the trash, like the wet, nasty ones with ketchup on them, just the ones on top. Anyway, he and Nathan McCall were the reasons why I wanted to be a newspaper columnist. So even though I’ve been blessed to work across many platforms in my career, I never lost track of the joy I felt as a kid reading Mitch in the paper.
“For a publication as prestigious as the L.A. Times to consider me talented enough to be a part of its incredible team, and have my byline woven into its rich history, is truly an honor. I equate it to having Denzel call you up and ask you to be in a movie with him: You don’t ask to see the script first, you say ‘yes’ because it’s Denzel. The L.A. Times called, I said ‘yes’.”
Granderson is expected to make appearances on The Times’ sports podcast, “Arrive Early, Leave Late,” and The Times’ and Spectrum News 1’s upcoming daily news magazine program, “L.A. Times Today.” He’ll join The Times award-winning Sports staff, including fellow columnists Helene Elliott, Dylan Hernandez, Bill Plaschke and Eric Sondheimer.
The Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune and their community publications in Southern California were purchased by Patrick Soon-Shiong on June 18, 2018. Since then, The Times has been rebuilding and expanding its newsroom. Granderson will join The Times on Jan. 14.
