Following a week filled with devastating and surprising layoffs at ESPN – which featured the exits of talent including Jeff Van Gundy, Jalen Rose and Suzy Kolber – Dan Le Batard reflected on what his time was like working for the “Worldwide Leader.” Le Batard, on his South Beach Sessions podcast, was asked if he felt pressure from competition with other digital shows, most notably The Pat McAfee Show, which will soon be an ESPN property.
“I’m not competitive that way so that’s not where regret or doubt would seep in,” Le Batard said. “It’s on the hardest days when I feel like the managing of people is hard. I never, ever envision myself as any kind of manager of people. I’ve always been responsible; it’s just self-sufficiency.”
When Le Batard left ESPN Radio in 2020 and co-founded Meadowlark Media with former ESPN President John Skipper, he was taking an immense risk with a palpable risk-reward potential. The opportunity cost, Le Batard felt, was worth the gamble, and so far, he has reaped the benefits of working for a somewhat decentralized entity. Le Batard’s program is among the most popular sources of sports content in the country, and has become a must listen for millennials looking for compelling and entertaining talk about their favorite teams.
Being at ESPN, however, was demoralizing for Le Batard and gave him the impression that his free speech was being suppressed. One thing he ensured never to do was sell out, and it became increasingly apparent that he would need to branch off on his own to be able to avoid that premise.
“I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror if I was living in a space where I had to sell out that obviously – like sell out in a way where I couldn’t come up with a rationalization when I was looking in the mirror for what my family’s about,” Le Batard said. “I had to do it. When the discomfort arrived, what it felt like was just unsafe because it’s not regret, but it’s just like, ‘Oh my gosh, I could have been cashing checks talking into a microphone for millions of dollars if I had just kept my head down but not been able to live with myself.’”
Le Batard surmises that McAfee will not branch off into discussing politics and uphold his promise to keep the program focused on the subject matter at hand without expletives. While from a financial standpoint it would make more sense to avoid taking risks, some sports commentators wish to utilize their platform to promulgate larger issues. The decision surely receives criticism from executives and viewers alike through admonishing comments such as, “Shut up and dribble,” and Le Batard understands that it is safer and sometimes more lucrative to simply stick to talking about sports.
“I don’t want to be trusting Bud Light for my moral compass,” Le Batard said. “I don’t want to have to worry about what they’re dealing with in their meetings so that I can say this or not say that.”
