When you take a look at the history of the BSM Top 20 National Sports Radio Shows category, you’ll notice The Dan Patrick Show has never finished below third. For both 2023 and 2024, however, the show took the top spot on the list and after eavesdropping in on the show while they were live in New Orleans covering Super Bowl Week, I was reminded why it is considered one of the best national sports shows, certainly in the conversation for one of the best of all-time.
Dan Patrick may be doing some of his best work on this way out. If you recall, back on July 19, 2023, Patrick announced he would retire at the end of 2027 at the age of 70. Patrick started doing radio in 1999, so it will be 28 total years for him when he steps aside.
“That’s when the microphone gets turned off for the final time. I’m going to take my hairpiece and I’m going to give it to Fritzy,” Patrick said at the time, referencing Executive Producer Todd Fritz.
“It’s a young man’s game,” he added. “Like, I’m the oldest guy doing this. And I enjoyed doing it. But by the end of 2027, that’ll be it. It’ll be it, you have my word. So, plan accordingly.”
Nobody will really plan accordingly except for those that have to. It will sneak up on most of us and 2027 will be here before we know it and the retirement tour will go even quicker.
But don’t get the rocking chairs or knitted blankets out just yet, Patrick and his crew of ‘Danettes’ are still putting out great content daily. And Patrick sounds like he is having as much fun as he has ever had, certainly on radio.
As I listened in to the Friday February 7th show as the crew was in New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl, I was super excited because I knew that while on location at an event like this, Dan would be doing a lot of what he is best at these days – conversing with major sports celebrities and big names in media.
The first thing that stands out as you tune in is Dan himself. That voice. So iconic and immediately recognizable. But it’s also the silky-smooth delivery and the way, while he is aware of who he is, he never seems to make anyone feel like they are less than his equal, unless he is razzing one of the guys – who aren’t afraid to throw it back, which makes it fun.
This was a ‘Meat Friday’ so you could almost hear and smell the Traeger Grills through the audio, which I consumed via Apple Podcast. The show was off and rolling and came out firing hitting on several of the big topics of the day.
A separate topic that came up was a recent gathering Patrick was at where people were discussing the wagers they had on the NFL end of the season awards. One of the big stories had been late money coming in on eventual winner Josh Allen, even though Lamar Jackson had been a heavy favorite, until he wasn’t.
The show is the very definition of guys sitting around talking sports and having a great time, at least that is what comes through. Dan is obviously the lead but the team of Todd Fritz, Paul Pabst, Patrick ‘Seton’ O’Conner and Marvin Prince all chip in to make it an ensemble show.
They do a good job of weaving in quick sponsored segments like ‘Stat of the Day’ and ‘Play of the Day’ and it all moves along quickly. Dan is still as professional as it comes with his broadcasting skills, so it all sounds well-polished and he knows just went to reel it all in when things get rowdy.
The crew is fired up because not only are they in New Orleans covering the Super Bowl, but Colorado head football coach and NFL legend Deion Sanders is the first guest on the show. Deion is on site promoting his partnership with California Almonds. Whatever the reason he is on, it was gold.
Dan Patrick and Deion Sanders. That is really all that needs to be said and most sports fans would assume it was great and something you need to listen to. And they would all be exactly right.
Deion brought the heat as always. When asked what kind of shoes he liked to wear, he of course took the time to promote his own brand and when asked why he doesn’t wear Jordan shows, he replied, “It’s kind of different when you know Jordan.”
And with that it was off and running. The main topic became Deion’s sons and Travis Hunter, who is like a son to him, and where they might be headed in the NFL draft. While most people have Hunter and Shedeur Sanders both coming off the board in the first six picks, Deion predicts neither will go past No. 3.
This was a great conversation. And that is the charm of Patrick and what makes his show a three-time overall winner in the BSM Top 20 National Sports Radio Show category – it is a conversation. Patrick has earned the respect that het gets and this talk with Sanders was a perfect example.
Deion isn’t always the best person to interview because there is usually an agenda behind him wanting to talk. However, with someone like Patrick, he let his guard down a little. Patrick’s style and experience makes it easier on someone like Deion because he knows Patrick is going to ask great questions and converse, not try and trick you or go down some rabbit hole the guest isn’t going to be comfortable with.
In that realm, on the radio side, I think you have to put Patrick at the top of the list. He would probably be the pick of most athletes and top media members if they had to choose one national show to go on that had the perfect mix of credibility and reach.
Later, Sanders was very compelling when he talked about the Cowboys, Jerry Jones and why he wouldn’t want to coach in the NFL if it meant having to coach against one of his sons.
Deion also referred to the current setup of NIL in college football as “Pay-Per-View,” and suggested a cap on how much a high school player or first year player can receive until they have proven it on the field. Sanders predicts eventually football will separate itself from the rest of college athletics and have a certain number of teams who will all work off some sort of controlled financial system.
Fun is the name of the game on the show, and it even happens during the breaks when the guys will typically have some sort of competition. In this case it was Pickleball, and ‘Fritzy’ was the big winner. The quick discussion about it made for good content and then was made even better when Patrick put Fritz on his list of all-time great Jewish athletes behind the likes of Sandy Koufax and Shawn Green.
Later on, ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky joined the show. Orlovsky is always a quality football guest, although right now it seems he could use to decline an appearance or two. Most of it comes from ‘The Mothership’ as Patrick refers to ESPN, having Orlovsky pop up in a lot of places.
On this occasion, he and Patrick had good discussions on who MVP awards should be given to, are given to and how much it would change if the award was voted on when the entire season was finished instead of at the end of the regular season.
Booger McFarland would later join in, and it was another example of things Patrick can do that other hosts cannot. McFarland is someone that is heard from quite a bit, but his talks with Dan are better than most others. Again, it was a conversation about football. Dan pulled good stuff out of Booger because he asked good questions, listened to the answers, and came back based on what was said.
McFarland was excellent in the segment and his takes on the MVP Award really stood out. He said, “feelings get in the way” with the voting and that, in his opinion, Josh Allen won this year because Lamar Jackson had won it twice previously, not necessarily because he deserved it more than Jackson or Saquan Barkley.
If you are a sports fan, The Dan Patrick Show is either a must-listen or a must-follow on social media. The team does a great job with clips and putting out the content in multiple ways.
If you read my eavesdropping pieces on the regular, you know I like to point out shows that really make an effort to engage with their listeners, especially those that still take phone calls. Patrick doesn’t take many, but you know those that get on have to find it incredibly exciting to get a chance to talk directly with Patrick. You also realize most of the callers talk like they are members of the family – which is the overall vibe of the show.
After tuning in on Friday, I’d have to say the voters got it right again, The Dan Patrick Show is still the best.
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Dave Greene is a former Editor and Columnist for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting.
