It may not have ended up being the announcement he was trying to make, but the revelation that Dan Patrick would be stepping aside from his radio show at the end of his newly-signed contract shouldn’t have been a surprise.
I saw some surprise that Dan would make such an announcement. Included in that reaction was some cynicism that the announcement was a ploy by Patrick to jumpstart a farewell tour.
That wasn’t my response.
DP is undeniably on the Mount Rushmore of Sports Media. He’s entitled to do whatever he wants, especially when it comes to how he steps away. In the annals of sports media history, is there anyone who has excelled to the heights that he has in both radio and television?
Dan Patrick is a legend. And if he wants to spend four years on a farewell tour, he should do it. If he wants to spend four minutes on a farewell tour, he should do it.
I’ve shared in this space before that my thought process has definitely changed in recent years, especially when it comes to making the decision to ride off into the sunset. I use to have a hard and fast “It should be the company/team/franchise/insert entity here’s decision”. To hell with that. These are real people, and in DP’s case, a living legend.
The word trailblazer is thrown too often, but Dan Patrick is truly a trailblazer. He took an insane gamble by moving his radio show away from ESPN Radio, and it paid off immensely. The Dan Patrick Show is frequently nominated for Sports Emmys on the television side, and is widely regarded as one of the best nationally syndicated radio shows, and has been for decades.
I don’t need to go down the list of accolades the man has accomplished in his storied career. You know them and are aware of them.
Dan Patrick embodies the best qualities of our industry. He’s entertaining without being offensive, he’s a risk taker, he isn’t a hot-take artist, and is the best interviewer in the business.
If he wants to be celebrated for four years, that should be his prerogative and his alone. We often don’t appreciate greatness until it’s too late. Dan Patrick has given his audience, and those inside our industry, the opportunity to appreciate him while we’ve still got him. I hope you take the opportunity to soak it in. Regardless of how sports media will change and how we will consume the content, December 2027 will be here before we know it.
Congrats to Dan on a contract extension and his impending retirement. He deserves both.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
