Carron J. Phillips writes a column for Deadspin on Race & Social Issues and writes about sports. He used to write columns for New York Daily News and The Shadow League. He has also contributed to The Maven Report, NPR, Score Atlanta, Black Sports Network.com, and the Marietta Daily Journal, among other outlets.
In 2016, the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists awarded him Journalist of the Year. In addition to being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he won the National Association of Black Journalists Award in 2019 and 2020.
Who Is Carron J. Phillips?
Carron J. Phillips was born in 1983 in Saginaw, Michigan. American journalist Carron J. Phillips graduated from Morehouse College in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in African-American/Black Studies. In 2011, he also completed his Master of Arts at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Carron J. Phillips’ Career
Prior to receiving his M.A.,he covered prep football in Atlanta, a popular spot for college coaches to find players for their teams, as a Preps Stringer for the Marietta Daily Journal from August to November 2008.
From July to December 2010, he worked as a beat reporter for The Daily Orange, where he covered the Syracuse Men’s Cross Country team. One year later, Phillips started working as an intern sports writer for The Salt Lake Tribune, where he covered a variety of sports including outdoor sports, major league soccer and triple-A baseball.
Following his internship, from July 2010 to March 2011, he focused on covering the Syracuse Men’s Basketball team for TheNewsHouse.com. He also provided unconventional essays to SLAM Magazine and penned sports pieces for The Post-Standard.
In addition, Carron held positions as Engagement Editor at the News Journal Media Group in Wilmington, Delaware, and Assistant Sports Editor at The News Dispatch in Indiana. He started writing columns for The Shadow League and the New York Daily News before coming to Deadspin in March 2020.
The journalist has written pieces for The Baltimore Sun as well. According to his Twitter account, Phillips was named the 2016 Journalist of the Year by the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2019 and 2020.
Carron J. Phillips’ Controversy
After a woman claimed that Phillips had scolded her son severely for donning a headgear and having his face painted red and black during a Kansas City Chiefs game, Phillips became entangled in controversy.
When Phillips allegedly wrote a post on November 27, 2023, highlighting the need to speak out against the fan’s attire—which was defined as Blackface and included a Native headdress—the outcry broke out on Monday. A screenshot of the boy’s blackened face was included in the article, which sparked a lot of indignation on social media.
It said, “Blackface is the use of dark makeup to mimic and exaggerate the features of Black people in order to ridicule them. This fan’s face is painted red & black to support the Kansas City Chiefs. Facepaint is a popular practice at NFL games and is not related to blackface.”
Following the publication of Phillips’ piece, there was an outpouring of criticism, with many criticising his editorial decisions and charging him with promoting hatred. Phillips is now at the centre of a public controversy, and the situation is having immediate and severe effects that are reverberating throughout the digital space.
A passionate discussion about responsible journalism, ethics in reporting, and racial sensitivity has been sparked by the scandal. Keep an eye out for the developing story about Carron Phillips and the consequences of his recent editorial choices, which have sparked passionate debates and intense reactions on social media.
There is no word yet if Holden Armenta’s family will pursue legal action against Deadspin and Carron J. Phillips.
