Dan Patrick Leaving ESPN
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by user Tyduffy
Dan Patrick has announced, finally and after much fanfare, that he will be leaving ESPN effective August 17th. Patrick has been, for all intents and purposes, the face of the network over the past 18 years. He served as the anchor of "Sportscenter" from 1989-2006, as host of his afternoon radio show "The Big Show" from 1999-2007, and as the host of ABC's NBA coverage. He won a Sports Emmy award for best studio host in 1998, and was voted National Sportscaster of the Year in 2000.
He will be best remembered for his partnership on Sportscenter with Keith Olbermann from 1992-97, which both cemented Sportscenter and ESPN as the most popular venue for sports news and altered the practice of sportscasting in general. Scions everywhere seek to emulate their style and crisp, witty banter, but fail miserably.
Normally, ESPN refuses to allow its employees to announce their departure on air, but bowed to Patrick after his years of service to the network. Patrick had intended to make his announcement on Tuesday July 3rd, but was absent from his show until today (sparking speculation that ESPN had attempted to chance his mind). His departure was amicable with Patrick stating. > > I feel privileged to have had this opportunity and I have extremely mixed emotions about leaving. With that said, I told ESPN that I believe it's time for me to try something different, something that will also be challenging and rewarding. While I'm not sure what that will be, I am grateful to ESPN for its willingness to allow me to pursue new endeavors.
Co-Ed Magazine Online published an aritcle on July 6th claiming, from an unidentified source at ESPN, that Patrick had been fired, and that his departure would be "played off" as amicable and mutually agreed upon. Patrick appeared to reject this notion stating on air "If there was animosity, I wouldn't be doing any radio shows after today."
The move makes sense from Patrick's perspective. He had reached the apex of his career at ESPN, with only a Chris Berman-esque descent facing him. Still relatively young at age 51, Patrick still has the opportunity to pursue a new endeavor, rather than becoming a staid characature of himself. He had nothing left to accomplish at ESPN, the move makes sense.
From ESPN's perspective it is certainly a blow. With Chris Berman rapidly declining into irrelevancy, he was the face of the network. He was versatile enough to function in a suit and tie serious news environment, but can also hold his own in the snarky humor required from radio. For a generation of fans, he is the voice and face of ESPN, or televised sports in general. With no clear heir apparent ready to step in, his presence will definitely be missed by the network.
The speculation has been rife regarding Patrick's future destination, which remains unknown. He confirmed that he had been offered the job to replace Bob Barker as host of "The Price is Right" but had declined. He has been rumored to join Sporting News Radio, headed by his brother Bill Pugh. He also has been linked as a replacement for defrocked radio jockey Don Imus.
The fallout should be interesting. The man and the network were so synonymous that it remains unclear whether one can function without the other. Olbermann's example should be one of caution for Patrick. Despite leaving the network a known commodity, it took Keith the better part of a decade to wrestle himself from its shadow. Dan may go on to accomplish great things, but he will always be compared and identified with his work at ESPN, which may hinder rather than help him.
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