The news that John Skipper is leaving Meadowlark Media seemingly came out of left field on Friday. As such, Dan Le Batard took to X to address the company’s future following the departure of its co-founder.
“Thankful to John Skipper for his friendship and look forward to his continued leadership and guidance on and off air,” Le Batard wrote. “I asked him to build a successful, fiercely independent media company within four years, and he has. Meadowlark will continue to produce films and documentaries. Our audio/video network is thriving, and we look forward to sharing good news shortly in that regard. I’m so grateful that our Skipper has navigated today’s turbulent media seas to get us into much safer waters.”
Meanwhile, Pablo Torre also posted that “The Sporting Class” — the infrequent sports business themed-podcast that he has co-hosted alongside Skipper and David Samson — will eventually return.
Regarding films and documentaries, Le Batard’s comment comes after Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel — who broke the news of Skipper’s departure — reported that Meadowlark Media was looking to deemphasize (but not eliminate) its footprint in the field to focus on podcasting. Meadowlark’s film projects have included Amazon Prime Video’s Good Rivals, Netflix’s The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox and an upcoming documentary focused on WNBA legend Diana Taurasi’ final season.
Regardless of its future with documentaries, the company co-founded by Le Batard and Skipper following the former’s departure from ESPN in early-2021 appears to be at a crossroads. In addition to Skipper’s departure, Le Batard revealed in March that Meadowlark’s deal with DraftKings, which first went into effect in June 2021, was up in “a few months.”
While DraftKings has reportedly made efforts to re-sign Meadowlark Media, an agreement has yet to be announced. Meanwhile, DraftKings appears to be in its own period of transition with regard to content, opting not to renew shows such as Mike Golic Sr. and Mike Jr.’s GoJo and Golic and Trey Wingo’s Pregame PowerUp.
At this point, it’s unclear exactly when Meadowlark Media’s contract with DraftKings expires, although June would likely make sense considering its start date. In any event, Le Batard’s comments seem to suggest that the company will continue to move forward without Skipper as its DraftKings future continues to come into focus.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.