Dan Le Batard is an American newspaper sportswriter, radio host, and television
reporter based in Miami, Florida. He is best known for his work for his hometown
paper, the Miami Herald, for whom he has worked since 1990, and his work with
ESPN. He is a frequent contributor to several ESPN programs, serving as a
regular replacement host for Pardon the Interruption when one of the regular
hosts is out. In addition to his writing, Le Batard
hosts a daily radio show with Jon "Stugotz" Weiner that originates from
WSFS in Miami and is carried nationally on ESPN Radio. He also hosts Highly
Questionable, which airs daily on ESPN and was originally titled Dan Le Batard
is Highly Questionable; Le Batard co-hosts the program with his father
Gonzalo and Bomani Jones. Personal life
Dan Le Batard was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. His Cuban-immigrant parents,
Gonzalo and Lourdes, moved the family to Central Islip, New York, before settling
in Miramar, Florida. Dan's brother is Miami-based artist David Le Batard,
professionally known as LEBO. Early career
Le Batard attended Chaminade Madonna College Preparatory, a blue ribbon
school of excellence and furthered his education by graduating from the
University of Miami in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism
and politics. Miami Herald
Le Batard began work at the Miami Herald in 1990 and is a columnist for its
sports section. His first major work for The Herald was to investigate his former
college's football team, breaking the Miami Hurricanes Football Team Pell
Grant scandal. Radio show
In addition to his work for the Miami Herald, Le Batard hosts a morning radio
show weekdays with Jon "Stugotz" Weiner on ESPN Radio. Le Batard is known for
his self-deprecating humor, which carries over onto the show through
running jokes. Le Batard grants very few interviews about his own life, but in a
rare one he did with Aventura Business Monthly in Miami in March, 2011, he
revealed that Tony Kornheiser, who began a long-running radio career of his own
in 1992 on Washington D.C.-based WTEM, strongly encouraged him to embark on a
career in the same medium, telling him: "It will link [you] to [your] community
in a different way [from that of newspapers]. That it will be more
intimate, more fun. It's not as lonely as writing. Writing is just you and a
computer, and that it's not communal in any way. Radio is much more intimate."
Le Batard prides himself on being the "uncomfortable" sports journalist. He
often writes about controversial topics, especially race. Guests on his radio
program may be asked questions ranging from the racial undertones of the
Michael Vick case to the effect that race has on how players are drafted into
the NBA. After writing a column for The Herald on the former topic, Le Batard
was featured on Fox News's Hannity & Colmes to discuss the issue.
ESPN Le Batard is a frequent contributor to
many programs on the ESPN television network. Among others, he is a recurring
guest on Outside the Lines, The Sports Reporters, and College GameDay. He is
also a regular guest host of Pardon the Interruption, where he has been
christened "The Hateable Dan Le Batard" due to his sometimes controversial
opinions, as well as his unorthodox attire. Hosting duties on PTI have
allowed Le Batard the implementation of the catch-phrase "Bam!", which he
exclaims in various ways at the beginning of each show he guest hosts.
Le Batard has a joking rivalry with former PTI stat boy Tony Reali.
In September 2011, ESPN launched "Dan Le Batard Is ¿Highly Questionable?" on
ESPN2 as part of the afternoon "Sports Talk Block." The show originally
featured Le Batard and his father, Gonzalo, whom he calls "Papi." Bomani
Jones later joined the show as a host in February 2013, accompanying Dan & "Papi"
in discussing current sports news & event topics.
On September 3, 2015 it was announced that the Dan Lebatard Show with Stugotz
will move to the 10:00AM to 1:00PM time slot left vacant by the departure of
Colin Cowherd from ESPN. [1] Controversies
= Baseball Hall of Fame controversy = In January 2014, it was revealed that Le
Batard was the member of the BBWAA who gave his baseball Hall of Fame vote away
to sports news site Deadspin. On January 9, 2014, the BBWAA imposed a one-year
ban on Le Batard after learning that he did it because of his criticism over the
BBWAA's voting process of selecting baseball players, especially concerning
players involved in performance-enhancing drug scandals. Le
Batard has spoken out against the "moralizing" of the voting. Le Batard
was also forever stripped of his Hall of Fame voting privileges. His ESPN
colleagues were mixed in their reactions, which ranged from support to
condemnation, with some wondering why Le Batard did not use ESPN.com to conduct
the vote. LeBatard regretted not delaying the revelation of his
involvement with the vote, as it deflected attention away from the
announced inductees. He also said he "had a blind spot" about the level his
colleagues were hurt by Deadspin's involvement.
= LeBron James Billboards = On August 7, 2014, Le Batard was
suspended for two days from his duties at ESPN for allegedly taking out a
billboard in Akron, Ohio which read "You're Welcome, Lebron. Love, Miami"
and pictured two NBA championship rings. The billboard referred to LeBron James'
departure from the Miami Heat and return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On August
11, 2014 Dan Le Batard addressed his two days off air was not because of the
billboards, but because he was going to fly a plane banner with the banner at
the homecoming of LeBron Friday and do a live radio transmission to mock the
homecoming. See also
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz References
External links Archive of Le Batard's column at The
Miami Herald Show site from The Ticket Miami