Dan Patrick reflects on relationship with former co-host Keith Olbermann, how ESPN didn't want them to succeed
The two hosted 'SportsCenter' in the 1990s
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dan Patrick will go down in history as one of the most prolific broadcasters in ESPN's history.
He co-hosted "SportsCenter" alongside Keith Olbermann throughout the 1990s, and they were also later side-by-side at NBC.
The two will be forever linked after their reign at ESPN.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Olbermann worked on and off at ESPN until 2018 and now hosts his own political podcast, while Patrick still hosts a sports show.
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Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick broadcast ahead of the 2009 Super Bowl. (Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Their careers and their relationship have diverged since their last broadcast together, Patrick says, adding they didn't even socialize much while they were coworkers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Patrick still has high praise for his former colleague.
"I still have great respect for him. He's the best teammate I ever had on ‘SportsCenter.’ He really mastered it. He was great at it," Patrick told OutKick's Dan Dakich.
Patrick says big wigs at their own network didn't wish them success.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former MSNBC star Keith Olbermann appeared to end his subscription to The New York Times after seeing reports the outlet's publisher had been slamming President Biden for dodging interviews. (Getty Images)
"Understand, at the time, management did not want us to succeed the way we succeeded. In the infamous words of one of my bosses, 'We don't want another [Chris] Berman,'" Patrick said. "Chris had gotten so big that he had kind of escaped.
"So, they wanted the four letters to be important, not us. I remember Keith had this mindset of, ‘F them. We’re going to have fun with this.' We got yelled at a couple times, pulled into meetings a couple times. They didn't embrace it.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Because the four letters were more important than any other talent, and they wanted to let you know that. That was very humbling, because we were doing some different things, and we had changed ‘SportsCenter’ a little bit, and they didn't embrace it.
"Even now, my former boss still gives credit to Bob Ley and Chris Berman changing ‘SportsCenter' or whatever, not Keith and myself, which, OK, that's fine. I know that's not true, but it was kind of sad they still can't acknowledge what we did when we did it."
Keith Olbermann speaks at the ESPN portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel July 24, 2013. in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Patrick left ESPN in 2007.
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