DraftKings has bought the broadcasting rights for “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz”. This is an extremely popular show and is the latest in a flurry of similar deals involving DraftKings. The three-year deal is reportedly worth around $50 million.
DraftKings will be distributing and monetizing this show, as well as being the primary sponsor. It is DraftKings’ initial major licensing agreement with this type of media property. This article takes a look at everything you need to know about the Dan Le Batard Show.
The Dan Le Batard Show History
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz has grown in popularity year by year. Dan Le Batard initially gained prominence through his role as an on-air personality at ESPN with a variety of shows, perhaps most notably Highly Questionable. He was very popular on ESPN, but ended up departing from the network (thanks Chris Cote) in order to be the main property for Meadowlark Media.
Dan La Batard launched this company in 2021 in collaboration with John Skipper. The latter used to be the ESPN president. It is not massively surprising that DraftKings has entered a deal with Meadowlark Media. This is because DraftKings contributed to a funding round worth about $12.6 million to help the network get up and running.
In honor of Dan and the show leaving ESPN, his close friend and Miami Zoo’s “Goodwill Ambassador” Ron McGill, named a pigmy hippopotamus Dan Le Batard. The two Dan’s meeting for the first time was something to behold, video here. Ron McGill is also a frequent guest on the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz where he answers animal questions and talk up his “sizeable endowment” called the Ron McGill Conservation Endowment.
Why did DraftKings Choose This Partnership?
DraftKings has seemingly been a long-time admirer of Dan Le Batard. Its investment into Meadowlark Media reflects those interest levels. DraftKings has been looking at ways to increase its exposure as much as possible in the highly competitive US online gambling industry.
It has been aggressively pursuing partnerships with well-known media personalities and shows. This allows the operator to increase its status. As well as being the chief sponsor of the Dan Le Batard Show, DraftKings will be expanding the reach of the show and selling ads. It will also incorporate betting odds, stats, and trends into the podcast.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz YouTube
As well as the Dan Le Batard Show, the deal with DraftKings covers the complete Le Batard & Friends network. One of the key areas of focus for this group is YouTube. You can find plenty of interesting content on the YouTube channel from many great personalities who you might be familiar with.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Crew
The Dan Le Batard Show is not just a one-man show. He also has a number of accomplices who get involved, enhancing the entire experience for fans. Here is a look at some of the different personalities involved in the project:
Who is Dan Le Batard?
Dan Le Batard has built quite a career as a media personality. He has worn a lot of hats over the years, from being a newspaper sportswriter, radio host, television report, and podcast host.
The New Jersey native was a very regular contributor to various shows across the ESPN network for many years. He also began the Dan Lew Batard Show with Stugotz for many years. Le Batard eventually left ESPN in January 2021 and founded the Meadowlark Media podcast network.
Who is Stugotz?
Jon Weiner is the sports talk radio personality who is known as Stugotz. He is best known for being a part of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. The New York native has received many awards over the years for being a top-tier radio personality. He has regularly featured on popular ESPN shows, including SportsCenter.
Who is John Skipper?
John Skipper was the president of ESPN between 2012 and the end of 2017. He stepped down from the role due to struggles with a substance addiction. He is the current chairman of the DAZN Group, which is a major sports streaming service.
Skipper also helped Dan Le Batard to start the Meadowlark Media network in January 2021. He has a reputation for being a big supporter of journalism and has been a part of many ambitious projects over the years.
Who is Mike Ryan?
Mike Ryan Ruiz is the long-time producer of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. He is the man behind the scenes bringing the show together. He has been a part of the show since 2005 when he got on board as a 19-year-old intern.
Mike Ryan was then thrown in the deep end a couple of years later when he came on board full time as a producer for editing sound and booking guests. Despite many peaks and troughs, Mike Ryan has stayed loyal to the show and remains an integral part of what the show does each and every week.
Who is Jessica Smetana?
Jessica Smetana was one of the early signups to the Meadowlark Media network in early 2021. She previously had worked as a writer, host, and producer for Sports Illustrated. Smetana also had experience working at NBC Sports and SB Nation, so she has tons of relevant experience.
Jessica Smetana currently has a number of roles within the Meadowlark Media network, being an integral part of the operation. One of her more standout positions is being a co-host of a weekly podcast with Mie Golic.
Other Notable Dan Le Batard Show People
There are many other notable members of the Meadowlark Media network who help keep things on the road. Kate Fagan and Tom Haberstroh both joined around the same time last year as full-time contributors. They appear regularly on The Dan Le Batard Show, as well as having their own projects as part of the wider Le Batard and Friends network.
Fagan was previously working at ESPN for seven years and is a major voice in the women’s sports storytelling space. Haberstroh had previously worked as a national basketball insider for the likes of NBC Sports, Bleacher Report, and EPSN. He also started his own podcast network and show.
Other notable additions have been Mike Golic and Amin Elhassan. Both are veterans of the sports media world. They have both been a part of numerous exciting shows since their arrival at the Meadowlark Media network.
Will Others Follow DraftKings?
Many of the leading sports betting operators have been making moves to get well-known media personalities onboard. FanDuel has been very active in this space, signing deals with the likes of The Pat McAfee Show and The Ringer.
The Barstool Sportsbook gets plenty of exposure across the various Barstool Sports channels, while BetMGM has signed a content partnership with famous comedian Bill Burr. As time goes on, it is likely that more and more prominent podcasters will get snapped up with sportsbooks sponsorships or partnerships.
