Dan Patrick recently inked a new four-year contract with iHeartMedia’s Premiere Networks and NBC Sports, a deal that is expected to be the final one of his storied broadcast career. The former ESPN SportsCenter anchor decided to leave the company after 14 years to operate his show independently. Over the last 16 years, he has augmented the reach of his brand through deals with distribution partners and radio affiliates and is one of the preeminent voices in the industry today.
When Patrick had his epiphany and subsequently declined a contract extension with ESPN, he operated his program out of the attic of his house for three years. Patrick and his show cast, known as the “Danettes,” bring listeners the latest sports news, debates and insights on a daily basis and also welcome newsworthy and intriguing guests to the program. Over the years, he has given out life advice to callers, a differentiating factor when compared to sports media personalities who confine the limits of what they are able to do to just the primary genre.
“I don’t do a sports show; I do a show,” Patrick said in a recent interview with GQ Sports. “Women will say, ‘My husband has your show on, and you’re talking about things that I actually enjoy or I can relate to.’ My goal is just to have a show and talk about whatever’s going on. I promised that I would not get political, but I will give you opinions.”
Patrick is a father of four and devoted more time to his family upon leaving ESPN, which he calls the “Mothership,” in 2007. In determining when to leave a career in sports media behind, he revealed that he spoke to Amazon Prime Video play-by-play announcer Al Michaels about longevity and when it is time to step away. Even though he will not be hosting his daily simulcast program in four years, he does not foresee himself ever truly being retired because of the broadcasting school he has at Full Sail University.
“I had to set a hard date because if not, I would continue to do this,” Patrick said, “and I worried that I wasn’t going to be sharp.”
The reason he decided to sign the contract extension before retiring was to remain invested in the daily grind of sports radio. There are certain times of the year when it becomes more difficult to find stories, but it is a challenge that he genuinely enjoys embarking on each day. Additionally, Patrick does not want to talk about things that may seem interesting on the surface, such as the specific performance of one player or team. Instead, he is more focused on finding the subjects rooted within these headlines to dive deeper into an issue and provide listeners with other viewpoints and more extensive conversation.
“You start and you go, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this,’ or, ‘Nope, this just happened. Now we’re changing this,’” Patrick described. “And there’s only 12 of us with my entire group on air and off the air. The guy who’s my cameraman mows the grass. The guy who’s the director – he set up the sprinkler system. Everybody has to do a lot of things.”
Once his retirement becomes official in four years, he says he will think of something new to do that will be scheduled but dissimilar from what he is doing now. Until then though, he is going to enjoy the remaining time hosting The Dan Patrick Show and being part of the daily routine of listeners, their interest in sports notwithstanding.
“I’m not a voice in your radio,” Patrick said. “It’s like that guy is talking to me. Every time, I feel like I’m talking to one person. It’s just there are a lot of them in the audience that I’m talking to. I hope I’m touching on things with these people that they can take with them or remember.”
