NEW YORK — Dan Patrick is rarely at a loss for words. But the legendary sportscaster chokes up with emotion as he talks about the new "Dan Patrick School of Broadcasting" with Full Sail University.
A decade ago, Patrick gambled on himself by leaving ESPN for an unknown future. Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly predicted the SportsCenter anchor would go down in infamy with Shelley Long of "Cheers" and other TV stars dumb enough to quit a hit show.
Many ex-ESPNers have disappeared into obscurity after leaving the security of Bristol. (Think Craig Kilborn.) But Patrick is one of the few who made it work, launching his own syndicated TV/radio show and web site, hosting NBC Sports' "Football Night in America" and writing columns for Sports Illustrated.
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Now the 61-year-old sportscaster is launching his own broadcast school. Few know more about sportscasting than Patrick, who teamed with "Big Show" partner Keith Olbermann, Rich Eisen and the late Stuart Scott during SportsCenter's glory years from 1989-2006.
When Patrick came out of college in late 1970s, he knew almost nothing about sportscasting. About five years ago, he told his agent, Reed Bergman of Playbook Inc., he wanted to help prepare young sportscasters for one of the most competitive, challenging fields in any industry.
As first reported by John Ourand of SportsBusiness Journal, Patrick's new broadcasting school debuts Jan. 29 at the Winter Park, Fla.-based Full Sail University.
This isn't just a way to license his name, according to Patrick. He'll teach in person, hold webinars and review student reels in his spare time. Many of Patrick's old ESPN colleagues are set to guest-lecture, including Bill Simmons, Sage Steele, Jeremy Schaap, Kevin Negandhi and Jay Harris.
During a launch event in Manhattan, Sporting News' Michael McCarthy caught up with Patrick and Gus Ramsey, the Emmy Award-winning ESPN producer who is program director of the Dan Patrick School of Broadcasting.
Patrick calls Ramsey "indispensable," and the one executive he wouldn't launch the school without. Here are excerpts from the exclusive interview with Patrick and Ramsey:
SPORTING NEWS: Dan, tell us how you came up with this idea.
DAN PATRICK: I’d see these kids come in. They’d graduated, but they weren’t ready when they got in. …That’s when I said to my agent, Reed Bergman, "Let’s find somebody who will help me develop this." He drove up to Full Sail from Miami the next day. It’s been in the works a long time. But we put into play the last two years.
SN: How do you stand out in a crowded J-school market?
DP: We want to have a feeder system, where we are developing these students. They know exactly what they want to do and how they want to do it. Now, are you good enough? We’ll have product placement with the (TV) networks and contacts that we have. We’ll say, "We’ve got somebody here who can help you." We don’t want you going in as an intern. We want you going in as a production assistant. We want you going in a step above everybody else. I find these students go in and they’re wide-eyed and very naive. I don’t know if somebody’s given them the reality of what this is really all about. That’s why we’ll have Sage Steele, Jeremy Schaap or Bill Simmons say, "Here’s what you need to do. Don’t do this, I did this." It’s essential to have those people who can give you a reality check. Everybody says, "I’d like to do (sportscasting)." Well, it’s the most competitive job field we have. Nobody sits there and goes, "I want to be a car mechanic, I want to be a heart surgeon." Everybody thinks it's easy, that they can be on TV. You have to let them know not everybody is Bob Costas. It’s not that easy. A lot of us are like a duck. Above water, we look good. Below water, we’re pedaling like hell.
SN: Give us specifics here...
DP: (We want the school) to give you the whole picture. You’re going to get the chance to be on camera, be on a podcast, be on radio. You’re going to get more reps than you would if you went to a university. It’s in front of and behind the camera. We have directors that we worked with at ESPN. Producers. So you’re getting people contributing, whether it’s in-person on campus or webinars. I’ll be reviewing tapes. But the key person I got was Gus Ramsey. He’s got 23 years of experience. Gus dealt with all these students who came into (ESPN). He was highlights supervisor. He knows exactly how they're prepared when they get there. He was essential for me to have. The most important person that I can get. He understands it. Every producer wants to be on camera — or wanted to be on camera. It’s when you come to the realization you’re not going to be, now what do you do? That’s where Gus took it to another level. His job was to understand who you are, how do I make you work in the ESPN system and then how do I get you promoted to an associate producer or producer? I wasn’t going to do it without Gus. Let’s put it that way. That’s how important he was.
SN: Gus, you worked with entry-level hires at ESPN for decades. What skills are young TV/radio journalists missing when they enter the work force?
GUS RAMSEY: All of them. This is a hard job. I always talk about when we did that show, "Dream Job," on ESPN. It was our "American Idol." The thing about that show is it showed America how hard it is to be good at that job, right? If all those guys came in and were great, it would have been awful. ... It's a really difficult job. Start with understanding what goes into it. Your voice is a tool, it's an instrument. This is a muscle that needs has to be exercised. That can make a difference whether I want to listen to you or not. The art of doing good interviews. ...There's things you don’t think are difficult to learn. But they really are. Besides that, maybe they come in and go, "Now that I’m here, maybe producing is what I want to do." I guarantee you, 95 percent of people who work in TV wanted to be on air — myself included. Then along the way, something happens. You go, "Oh this is really cool." Or someone says, "You might not have an opportunity to be on air. But you can be our weekend news producer." Which is what happened to me (at an NBC affiliate in Orlando). …By the way, if you’re a producer and you understand what an on-air guy has to do, that makes you a better producer. Same if you’re an anchor. … Rob Stone went to ESPN as a production assistant. He got himself an on-air job. That’s not unheard of.
SN: Dan, tell us about the ESPNers involved — including The Sports Guy.
DP: Bill Simmons is friends with Gus. He said, "I’d love to contribute a couple of times per year." How to produce a podcast. The beauty of Full Sail is we can adapt to whatever the market is — and how it changes. Whereas the curriculum on a college campus doesn't change. If somebody says, "YouTube is doing this, now how do we get you ready to do something like that?" Is it on camera? Live shots? How do you report? How do you investigate? Jeremy Schaap is somebody who can help with you that. Sage Steele, Kevin Negandhi, Jay Harris. There’s some other people who are on board — but not officially on board. (Former ESPN president) George Bodenheimer has expressed an interest to be involved. I wanted to make sure we were getting all facets. There's nothing better than a director to tell you, even if you want to be on the air, here’s some things you have to understand. ... It’s well-rounded. Its sportscasting in full.
SN: You’re one of the few former ESPN talents who succeeded on your own after leaving the Worldwide Leader. How?
DP: I remember when I left, Rick Reilly said I was the "Shelley Long of sportscasters." Nobody leaves "Cheers." And nobody leaves ESPN. But I’d outgrown ESPN. Or they’d outgrown me. That wasn’t my ESPN — so I knew it was time to leave. Sometimes you leave too late. I didn’t want to leave too late. I, at least, had an idea of what I wanted to do. Sometimes you get out and say, "Hey, I worked at ESPN," and people go, "So?" That’s a cold splash of water. …It wasn’t as quick as I thought. It was humbling going door to door to get radio affiliates. That was embarrassing. I had 12 radio affiliates and I was going door to door and saying, "Would you take the show?" I thought I had a head start. But I’m lucky I got a chance with good people. Friends. The Danettes. But it’s not easy. I tell people that. You get out and its like Burt Lancaster in "Field of Dreams." You step over that line and all of a sudden it changes. Hey, what just happened here? You're no longer a ballplayer. You're a doctor. I’m lucky I survived.
SN: Everybody has a theory on why the NFL’s TV numbers are down nearly 20 percent in two years. Some say it's players protesting the national anthem. Others say it's oversaturation and too many "dog" games. Tell us yours.
DP: There's probably 15 things you could throw in the blender here. I don’t know which one. Quarterbacks are hurt. I’m watching the 1 p.m. games on Sunday and saying, "If I didn’t have to watch this, I wouldn’t watch this." Then you'll get a great matchup and you’ll say, "Boy, this is fun." … I just don't know if we have enough good games. And you have to have good quarterback play. Now you have four or five marquee quarterbacks who are injured. That’s going to affect the play. We had the Presidential Debates last year. That had an impact, of course. I don't know if the anthem does. If you’re offended by the anthem, do you tune in to the anthem? If you’re so offended, don’t tune in to the anthem. ... I have people in my family tree who say, "I won’t watch because I know that they took a knee." OK. They’re New York City firefighters. I get that. I understand that. But I always say to them, "Don’t watch (the anthem), then just watch the game." Nobody ever tuned in (for the anthem). When was the last time you said, "I have to be there for the anthem." Unless it's some marquee artist who's doing it and you want to watch the performance. But nobody tuning in (says), "Can't wait to see them kneel, it makes me so angry."
SN: Dan, you shot the second episode of "Barstool Van Talk." But it didn't air because ESPN cancelled the show after one episode. Tell us about your experience?
DP: I was shocked they even got that far. I was shocked. If you know Barstool, then you probably know it shouldn't be on ESPN or ESPN2 at any time. But they're funny, they're creative. When you click on that web site, you kind of go in saying, "I know the password here, I know what I'm getting." You can't go, "Wait, what are they doing with that pumpkin?" You can't be surprised. I think management got surprised at ESPN at how others would react to it, especially women. I get that. But it was fun being with those guys (co-hosts Big Cat and PFT Commenter). It was fun. I didn't bring them down. But I blame it on (Scott) Van Pelt. He had the first one. And mine didn't air. But they're very funny. They're quick. But that's part of the future. That's another thing that we have to be aware of. What a website does. The TV element, the radio element, the podcast element. These are all things that we at Full Sail have to understand. It's right there in front us. ... I'm trying to figure out what the marketplace is going to be five years down the road.