Two of the leading voices on social issues in sports media are not Black, but both have a unique set of experiences to help define them. Dan Le Batard as the son of Cuban immigrants and Nick Wright having married a Black woman, adopting her two children and having a third of their own.
Wright, a multimedia star for FOX Sports, recently joined Le Batard’s podcast South Beach Sessions, where he discussed hot take artistry, journalism, and his meteoric rise in the industry, all of which he has his wife to thank for.
After Wright was hired away from local radio by FS1, people would see him and his family and say, ‘man, you did a really amazing thing for her and those kids.’ Wright told Le Batard that it was always meant as a legitimate compliment, but the flatter attempt was very misinformed.
When he met his wife Danielle, Wright was a radio host in Kansas City making $8 an hour, a borderline substance abuser and a gambling addict. Danielle was a single parent working three jobs to support her two children.
The way Wright uses his platforms to informatively and passionately talk about social injustice on the Black community is a culmination of his real-life love story. Because as Wright told Le Batard, you cannot understand having fear and anxiety for someone who is your responsibility until you live it.
“You talk to Black parents and they will tell you, ‘this is what I worry about,’” Wright said. “Whether you think it’s real or not, nobody’s like ‘you shouldn’t be afraid of sharks.’ People are just afraid of them. And so, I do think there’s a level of, you just understand it because you feel it and I do think that is a part of my story.”
According to Wright, his life would fall apart in 10 days without his wife. And not just in a brokenhearted sense, he literally has his wife to thank for keeping him on the right path. “The addict stuff is all there, it’s just in check because of the folks around me,” Wright told Le Batard of his past gambling issues.
The First Things First on FS1 host attributed his gambling problem to cards, noting that he won and lost a lot of money playing poker and blackjack in college. During his early radio career in Kansas City, Wright would host his night show and go right to card playing, sharing a gambling problem reminiscent of WFAN’s Craig Carton.
Wright told Le Batard his past is part of what defines him, but a lot of people who see him on his daily FS1 show, might not understand his background. If you’ve only consumed him during 90-second clips from FS1 on social media, you might think, “that guy is a way more self-assured than he should be asshole,” as described by Wright.
That’s part of why I miss hearing Wright on radio. TV offers an avenue to create unique takes and share insightful, passionate social ideals, but his transparency on radio illuminates why it’s all genuine.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
