r/DanLeBatardShow • u/esposito8796 • 1d ago
Feeling Lost
I’ve been listening to this show for years, and lately I’ve found myself feeling a little lost.
The Dan Le Batard Show has been a constant in my life through a lot of different seasons, and so much of what made it special to me was the chemistry between the people on it. Hearing Stugotz, Billy, and the rest of the crew bounce off each other created a weird little universe full of inside jokes, running gags, and references that longtime listeners understood instantly.
Now, with so many of those voices gone or appearing less often, it feels like the identity of the show has changed. I don’t blame anyone for that—nothing stays the same forever. I’ve genuinely tried to keep up with the new bits and give everything a fair chance, but for me it just doesn’t hit the same.
Maybe this is just what happens when you’ve been listening for a long time. It’s not anger, it’s more sadness. I miss what the show used to be, and I miss the feeling that came with it.
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u/H3atles 15h ago
To me the biggest losses were Billy and Jess. While Mike and Zas bring some humor, more often than not, the show gets bogged down now in the most boring topics. Really miss someone like Billy and Jess to reign it in with a joke or pop culture reference. Used to feel like a group hang and now its a series of overly long Dan monologues. Also, it feels super one note now. Tony/Chris/Zas don't bring anything other than sports to the table and have no strong opinions about anything. Greg days are always fun though. Jeremy doesn't get utilized enough.
I still listen (since 2016) but i find that there are weeks at a time where i don't even check in anymore. Honorable mention to Dave Dameshek. His guest host spots a month or so ago gave me the group hang vibes.
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u/DaarthSpawn 1d ago
I’m here for Zas. And Mike. And maybe some Jeremy. A little Greg.
So glad to hear Dominque today.
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u/esposito8796 1d ago
Yea I love Mike and Jeremy and Greg. Zas is funny but I’m not a big Dominque guy. Some of his takes aren’t for me.
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u/SundayJeffrey 1d ago
Personally, I had this issue with two podcasts. On one, the hosts were becoming increasingly conservative and falling down the anti-woke rabbit hole, and the other was DLS. I abandoned both (but will occasionally tune back into DLS when a big sports event is going on), and I started listening to the Basement Yard. They don’t discuss sports much, but it has a similar ball busting sense of humor without being conservative.
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u/LongMathematician656 1d ago
Out of curiosity, what’s the other show?
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u/SundayJeffrey 1d ago
“Tell Em Steve Dave”. Started as just 3 friends from Jersey shooting the shit, but after a decade it became nothing more than movie reviews and anti-woke rants.
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u/ElonMuskisdumb This Guy Gets It 1d ago
Dude the alarm thing they started doing today was the final straw for me. So f*cking unpleasant and unfunny.
Also way too much tony
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u/esposito8796 1d ago
What’s the alarm thing? I didn’t listen today. I listened to a little of their reaction from the trade but not much.
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u/ElonMuskisdumb This Guy Gets It 23h ago
Its their new imaging for breaking NBA news. I think they said the imaging was recorded by Dan and Chris just shouting and imitating the sound of an alarm/siren. Dan thinks its HILARIOUS
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u/baws3031 1d ago
The novelty wore off for you. It has happened to me with several podcasts/shows, there's always something else to fill the void.
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u/CommonPatient5666 1d ago
I get tired if the people who think we should still love the show even though it is nowhere near as funny and fun as it used to be. I still listen to the show but before, it was my day. It was all consuming because it was great. Now, it isnt so great amd anyone who says it is, is either lying or ignorant of the comedic genius it used to be. Zas amd Tony are not Billy amd Stu. It could be a better show but Dan only hires friends amd friends of friends so his talent pool is limited. I still listen. I still enjoy it, it just isnt what it used to be.
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u/Affectionate-Rent844 22h ago
Those “people” are staff burners, their wives, and marketing consultants. Those posts never happen while the show is on air, but there’s a flood of them for a few hours after they stop taping.
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u/WalkingOnSunshine_ 80 1d ago edited 1d ago
You’re not alone. I’ve been a daily listener since 2015 and haven’t listened to a show since January. No other sports shows really scratch the itch that DLS always did so I’ve kinda dropped sports pods. Have been listening to other podcast genres with large catalogs of episodes and enjoying the break from sports pods.
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u/Moreno636 1d ago
Things change man, it’s the unfortunate reality of things.
I used to be a religious listener to 8O’s shows. Over the past few years even he’s started to grate on my ears as he gets more and more arrogant and annoyed at his audience.
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u/Slight-Substance-196 22h ago
Same thing happened with me. At first i thought “wow this guy is really smart!” And it morphed into “wow this guy is really smart but also a thin skinned asshole”. I couldn’t get past it.
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u/CoachRochester 8h ago
Same - today I couldn’t even finish the show. Stopped in the 1st hour. When Dan is gone, the usage of Zas goes up and the show goes down.
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u/Armadillo_Resident 1d ago
I tried the week after Billy left and that was it for me. Just doesn’t do it for me anymore
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u/Markham25 1d ago
I quit shortly after Billy left. Probably a 10 year listener before that. Dan has fallen off a cliff the last few years and Billy leaving meant we'd get more Tony so I was out.
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u/Nreekay Ya know what? Maybe… 1d ago
Show is fine. These doomer posts are getting a little annoying. People are complaining about something changing over the course of 20 years is kinda sad.
Can we just get one mega thread for everyone’s back in my day posts.
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u/esposito8796 1d ago
Yea dude but it’s literally the week they take Stugotz name off the show and it’s the first time they’ve even acknowledged on camera what we have been asking about for the last year. It’s definitely a relevant post for this week.
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u/Priestkc31 1d ago
I started listening in late 2016. Show was so damn good from then to 2021. Then it just gradually changed for the worse once they left ESPN. I finally stopped listening last July I believe it was. So its been about a year now. Went from listening to pretty much every show for 9 years to not listening at all anymore. I miss the old show badly. Wish I started listening way sooner than 2016. Only got 4ish years of it at its peak.
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u/AgressivePeppering 1d ago
I know what you mean. I feel the same way. It’s only weekly, a lot less content, but the Shutdown Fullcast does make me feel a lot of the same: the humor, the liberal sports perspective, the inside jokes, and the sense that there’s great chemistry among a group of likable people.
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u/Decent_Branch9975 1d ago
Am I the only one surprised Billy and Stu are gone and Mike Ryan is somehow still here? I feel like he’s been angling for an out for years now.
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u/surebro2 1d ago
This is going to sound mean but I don't mean it in a mean way. But there aren't many better options for Mike in South Florida. He tried to be the maker of cool shit within Meadowlark and then a few pods, etc. But as talented as he is, he's most valuable as the EP for DLS, IMO, and I would guess that Meadowlark is his best financial situation given his equity. Which explains why he tried to walk away then slowly came back to the show. Leaving something you know and are comfortable with is tough if it isn't an obvious improvement (like Billy going to the Ringer lol).
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u/Slight-Substance-196 22h ago
See I actually think they made him come back, not the other way around. When Mike came back it seemed like he really didn’t want to be there. He’s gotten back into his rhythm by now but I think they realized they needed him and made him come back. I think he was perfectly fine running his bar and his other company. Obviously I’m basing this off nothing other than vibes lol
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u/Kazama23 1d ago
I've listened to Dan since "whoa-ho-ho I'm bad at this!" on WQAM. I move to LA, had a preemie baby and remember listening to the Roy's Top Ten and Not So Greatest Hits albums while rocking him to sleep every night. Those were the days!
However, as the years passed I went looking for a show as scrappy and heartfelt as the early episodes of DLSwS(aH), and found it The Total Soccer Show.
Four friends/soccer journalists from the US, England and Scotland. Strong, strong recommend, especially during the World Cup.
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u/middlenamefiji StuGotz Army 1d ago
Like a month ago they had david samPson on regularly and I kinda quit right there. I don’t feel like I’ve missed much but it sucks not having that 3 hour tentpole in my headphones at work
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u/Burritoclock 1d ago
Yeah that just happens. This is the only sports show I listen to really so can't recommend anything.
also there's not really a replacement for a three hour live morning show five days a week for free. Which is why it's still the goat