Sports media: The Score’s Danny Parkins makes rapid rise in return home

If it’s possible to win a championship by accident, Danny Parkins said he did.

Parkins and a friend competed on the debate team at New Trier High School. They were far from model debate students but were naturally good at it and, as good friends, shared a chemistry that behooved them in partner debate.

So when the duo reached the state finals in 2005, there was genuine surprise among the adults.

‘‘Our teachers were like, ‘Oh, my God, you guys are in the state finals?’ ’’ Parkins said. ‘‘It wasn’t like we were some sort of debate prodigies.’’

But it was clear Parkins had the gift of gab. He would debate with his parents at the dinner table. He challenged the status quo. He had a quick wit, and his words could be tinged with sarcasm, which might not always have gone over well with those teachers.

Parkins has parlayed those traits into a career of conversing. He spent six years at KCSP in Kansas City, Missouri, before coming home to begin what has become a rapid ascent at The Score.

On Jan. 17, 2017, Parkins debuted as co-host of the midday show with Matt Spiegel. On March 14, 2018, he debuted as co-host of the afternoon show with Dan McNeil. On Jan. 6, he debuted his own national show — which airs Sunday nights — on CBS Sports Radio.

That meteoric rise also includes winning the ratings game. In the Nielsen Audio Ratings fall book, ‘‘McNeil and Parkins’’ beat ESPN 1000’s ‘‘Waddle and Silvy’’ in the all-important demographic of men 25 to 54. To top it off, Parkins, 32, recently agreed to a two-year contract extension with owner Entercom through January 2021.

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‘‘My due north has always been to host in Chicago, ever since I was out of college,’’ said Parkins, a Syracuse graduate. ‘‘It’s happened sooner than I thought it would. I prepared for it, and a lot of things broke my way.’’

One of those things was the move to the coveted afternoon drive time. Though he has teamed with McNeil, 57, for only about 10 months, Parkins is thrilled with the direction of the show.

‘‘Mac and I kind of have a father-son or drunk uncle-drunk nephew, degenerate relationship, and we speak to both ends of the demo,’’ Parkins said.

Parkins realizes he still has much to learn. Spiegel and McNeil have encouraged him to loosen the controls on the air. McNeil has told him he tends to ‘‘white-knuckle the show.’’ Parkins is working toward yielding to the randomness of live radio more often.

In the meantime, he’ll continue to make his arguments in a medium that thrives on them.

‘‘I do kind of poke holes in any sort of debate that you want to have,’’ Parkins said. ‘‘My wife gets very frustrated. She’s like, ‘It’s really hard to argue with you.’

‘‘I try to be relentlessly rational. And I don’t think a lot of people in sports conversation are relentlessly rational.’’

SoxFest coverage

The White Sox’ fan convention at the Hilton Chicago is sold out, but fans can tune in to the festivities on NBC Sports Chicago and WGN, the Sox’ radio flagship. NBC Sports Chicago will carry the opening ceremonies at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by a Sox-centric ‘‘SportsTalk Live’’ at 5:30. At 6, the network will air a panel discussion featuring general manager Rick Hahn and manager Rick Renteria.

On WGN, ‘‘The Roe Conn Show with Anna Davlantes’’ will broadcast from 3 to 7 with coverage of the opening ceremonies. An hourlong ‘‘White Sox Weekly’’ will follow. The station also will broadcast from the convention from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.