CNBC interview on new HBO show ‘Game Theory’

Bomani Jones doesn’t want to be your economics teacher. Instead, the well-known sports personality wants to make compelling arguments around the intersection of sports and money. And now he has the backing of HBO to do it.

The WarnerMedia property announced on Tuesday that Jones’ sports show “Game Theory” will debut on March 13. The late-night program will see six 30-minute episodes in the first season, which will run through April 17.

And Jones has complete control over his project, unlike his days as an ESPN host.

Jones, 41, plans to take deep dives into weekly sports topics and integrate his thoughts through an economics lens. For example, he used the National Football League’s Rooney Rule to explain.

“We’re talking about what goes on within the Rooney Rule,” said Jones. “If we were in-season right now, we would certainly have something that’s about the labor market for coaches. The economics is going to inform that, and it will be a part of the discussion.”

But Jones warned “Game Theory” is “not an economics class. We’re not trying to teach,” he added. “At points, we will inform, but we’ll always try to invigorate and entertain.”

Jones said he’ll discuss sports topics out of the weekly headlines. One of which could be his thoughts on why the NFL should abolish its annual draft.

“All the reasons for me as to why the NFL Draft should be abolished, those are economics issues,” he said. “But if I tell you, ‘I want to abolish the NFL Draft,’ you’re just going to want to hear the argument. And once I start talking, you’re not just going to stop because it sounds like I’m discussing the economics of things. No, it’s a compelling take.”

He added Game Theory’s segments “won’t be as deep or as long as a John Oliver deep dives, but they will be a similar format.”

The late-night sports format has worked well for HBO. The media company has been producing the Emmy award-winning show “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” since 1995. HBO also lured long-time sportscaster Bob Costas for a late-night sports show in 2001 when he hosted “On the Record with Bob Costas.” The show lasted until 2004, but the network rebooted the program in 2021, calling it “Back on the Record with Bob Costas.”

Now HBO is shifting its power and media resources to Jones. It’s unclear how much the network is investing in “Game Theory” and what they’re paying Jones, as HBO doesn’t comment on financial matters. But to paint a picture, the network reportedly paid Gumbel more than $1 million annually to host Real Sports back in 2006.

Jones tapped his long-time friend James Davis as one of the new show’s executive producers. Davis created “Hood Adjacent” on Paramount-owned Comedy Central. Jones said Davis will help make the show more compelling.

Asked why he didn’t launch “Game Theory” during Black…