LeBatard out at ESPN

What's Gilad up to these days?

 

There are some truly horrible decisions being made by the bosses at ESPN. For better or worse, the Barstoolification of sports media favors personalities and prolific content creators. The Dan Le Batard Show checked both boxes; with a rabid fan base, to boot. And, unlike Barstool, the content is mostly good. Throw in Dan's ability to recognize and promote diverse voices, like Mina Kimes and Pablo Torre and Bomani Jones, and he was more valuable to ESPN than any individual, save for SVP and the national insiders like Woj/Schefter/Passan.

This is just the beginning for Le Batard. Give him a station on Sirius/XM and watch him grow. *fat joke*

 

When he was at the Herald, I would often refer to him as LeBastard. Couldn't stand him.
Once he got on radio and tv, he started to grow on me, and for about a 2 year span, he was a must watch in ye Olde Chefs house.
He will land somewhere, and I promise he will pay Chris Cote' way and the shipping container will go with him.
The swapping pieces of paper between Gotz and Foxworth is an all-timer.

 

Amazing how quickly Mike & Mike/ LeBatard / SVP & Rusillo has become unlistenable Zubin & Key, mailed-in solo Greeny and Golic’s strident kid

 

I don't know what the "order" is now but, 20 years ago, if you were an ESPN Radio affiliate, you HAD to air Mike & Mike and, I believe, one other program. M&M was a required air. So all these stations would have 9 am to noon hosts or maybe an afternoon drive. That's why M&M got so popular. There was very little other sports competition in morning drive.

 

The fact that ESPN couldn’t figure out how to monetize a show with that rabid a fanbase tells me all I need to know about its current leadership.

The show is so good it ruined all other sports radio. Everything else is going 10 mph.

 

I stand with the kid, fuck that monkey.

 

Way back in the day, that was everybody’s corner.

 

I thought Zac Lowe was part of The Ringer Spotify podcast network already.

As mentioned I like that LaBatard gave voices to people I hadn’t really heard of. Bomani is excellent as is Pablo Torre and Mina Kimes. Unlike the frat boys at Barstool these people are smart and make for good watching/listening.

 

I watch solo Greeny at 5am a) there isn't much else on and I can't stand local am news and b) it's droll enough when I'm having coffee and am not awake it's perfect

That said, Greeny thinks the NFL begins and ends with Tom Brady and the NFC East. It's the same damn show every morning: Tom Brady, Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Tom Brady. The best part of the show is their Token Diversity Wednesday when all the talking heads are Black. Those guys just riff off each other and Greeny is that nerd who gets lost in all of it.

I used to watch ESPN regularly during the evening, but now not so much. Monday Night Football is probably the only other time I turn it on. SVP is still good but I don't watch him apart from Monday

I never understood LeBatard's show. It was just Dan and a bunch of douches who never moved out of their frat house.