With multiple outlets reporting that Dan Patrick will leave ESPN, the question becomes — if this story does indeed hold true — what is next for the longtime sports personality?
No longer on SportsCenter, Patrick’s only appearances on ESPN are during NBA coverage. If indeed he is leaving ESPN, that may explain why Patrick was not hosting ESPN’s NBA Draft coverage last week, as he did last year. That may also explain why, despite hyping a “big announcement” that he was supposed to make on yesterday’s show, Patrick was not on the air, replaced by substitute Bob Valvano.
Of course, this is all blatant speculation, and rumors surrounding ESPN personnel have been incorrect before (remember when Patrick, Mark Jackson and Michael Wilbon were supposed to take over ESPN NBA Shootaround?). Still, one wonders exactly what opportunities Patrick would pursue. Both L.A. radio host Joe McDonnell and the Sports at Random blog report that Patrick will pursue a national syndicated radio gig, while the latter source reports that “[h]is people will also look for TV work for Dan, including outside of the world of sports“.
Recently, Patrick was rumored to be in the running to replace Bob Barker on The Price is Right. He shot those reports down on his show. SportsCenter alum and longtime Patrick television/radio partner Keith Olbermann has moved onto successful work outside of the world of sports, though one would imagine that Patrick would not go straight from NBA Countdown to something quite as hard-hitting as Olbermann’s Countdown (depicted in video on right).
With that in mind, a gig along the lines of of The Price is Right may be the best option — if a TV gig is in the cards. Or maybe Dick Ebersol, in his infinite creative wisdom, will decide to pair Patrick with Olbermann on Football Night in America, a move that would definitely give some juice to the NFL pregame show.
Of course, this could all be moot. If not, it would be a big blow to ESPN/ABC, arguably the biggest since Al Michaels left the network over a year ago.
