Seasoned sports talk host Dan Patrick, a former ESPN SportsCenter host, alleged that the network launched a “smear campaign” against him after he left in 2007 to start his own media venture.
Patrick, who was with ESPN from 1989 to 2006 and hosted The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio until 2007, claimed that the network threatened to drop radio affiliates that continued to carry his show.
He described the ordeal as “frightening” but said it empowered him, likening his situation to a “David against Goliath” battle.
“Oh, frightening. Because there was this smear campaign that started,” Patrick said earlier this week, according to the New York Post. “Any radio affiliate that had my show, you’d be dropped as an ESPN affiliate if you decided you still wanted to carry me.”
“It was heavy-handed, but I understood. It empowered me. Like, ‘Holy, s—. I’m gonna matter. They’re gonna have to deal with me.’”
(WARNING – Language)
Dan Patrick Ultimately Persevered
Despite the challenges, Dan Patrick relaunched his show in October 2007, which now airs on Premiere Networks and streams on Peacock.
He noted that ESPN’s heavy-handed tactics were likely intended to deter other talent from leaving the network.
He recalled advising four colleagues, including one prominent name, against leaving ESPN due to the high risks involved.
“And I said, ‘Don’t leave.’ They’re like, ‘Why?’ I go, ‘Its a million — even larger odds than that,” he warned.
Patrick faced financial uncertainty after leaving the biggest sports network in the world at the time. He produced the show from his attic for three years and ensured his team, the “Danettes,” were paid during a six-month period when payroll was uncertain.
Ultimately, a change in ownership stabilized his venture, leading to the success of The Dan Patrick Show.
Success Wherever He Goes
Dan Patrick worked at ESPN from 1989 to 2006, becoming a prominent SportsCenter host known for his chemistry with co-hosts like Keith Olbermann.
In hindsight, that had to be no easy task since Olbermann has become unemployable since that time, burning professional bridges wherever he goes.
The Dan Patrick Show, meanwhile, became a successful syndicated radio program and Peacock stream, earning Patrick a 2018 Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year.
He also joined NBC Sports, co-hosting Football Night in America, anchored the 2012 London Olympics, founded the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting, and signed a contract extension with iHeart and Fox Sports Radio in 2023.
No wonder the ‘mothership’ tried to stop his career in its tracks when he left.
