A month after Dan Le Batard announced that he is leaving ESPN for a new opportunity, we now know what that opportunity is. Sports Business Daily reported Saturday that the TV personality and radio host is starting his own sports content company with some help from another former ESPN figurehead.
John Ourand’s report detailed that Le Batard, who issued a tearful farewell to ESPN and launched a podcast after leaving the network for good, will work with former ESPN president John Skipper to build a new site and potentially sell Le Batard’s show to a company that can give it a platform.
Neither Skipper nor Le Batard could be reached for comment. Skipper’s first order of business: sell Le Batard’s show to a media company, like SiriusXM or iHeartRadio. Then the duo will look to hire reporters and editors that initially will focus on sports. Their belief is that Skipper’s editorial background is well-suited to grow this type of company.
One of ESPN’s most popular on-air figures for the better part of the past decade, Le Batard’s future has been the subject of much conjecture since his final show with ESPN Jan. 4. Le Batard launched a podcast in the week after leaving ESPN and found success — his first podcast show after leaving ESPN topped the iTunes ranking of sports podcasts and it finished the week as the No. 7 Apple podcast across all categories.
Skipper, who currently works for DAZN as an executive, is reportedly staying with the company while he helps Le Batard build out his new venture. The host had clashed with ESPN’s management in recent months about talking politics on his programs, and now he will get the chance to build a company in his own vision.