The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz hasn’t actually included Dan Le Batard for the last two weeks.
And while it’s not uncommon for sports media personalities to take vacations this time of year, the Meadowlark Media co-founder wasn’t exactly relaxing by the beach.
Rather, Le Batard opened Tuesday’s episode of the Le Batard Show — his first appearance since June 30 — by reflecting on the “healing vacation of a lifetime” in South Africa he just returned from. The former Miami Herald columnist took the trip with Miami Zoo’s Ron Magill and their wives, referring to it as “one of the most inspiring experiences of my life.”
Le Batard recounted all of the nature and wildlife the quartet experienced, as well as a near-death encounter Magill had with a charging buffalo. The former Highly Questionable host reflected on the importance of his friendship with Magill, especially in the wake of his brother’s death last year .
“The truth is, I probably should have taken the last two years off. But I didn’t know when we started a business that my little brother was going to need a year of nursing and then die,” Le Batard said. “This show and my life has taken a battering as I stumbled around in that darkness. But I do feel stronger, inspired, reinvigorated. Not healed, but healing. I had misplaced my passion. But the older brother that I never had just walked me through the wilderness and lent me some of his.”
Le Batard proceeded to encourage the audience to contribute to Magill’s endowment , which has become the show’s go-to charity over the years. He then addressed his own connection with his listeners and viewers.
“We have a pretty cool relationship, you and us,” Le Batard said. “Intimate and vulnerable and connected. The greatest compliment we get as a show, and we get it more than any other, is when you tell us that we helped you through a dark time because our laughter felt like medicine and our company felt like company.
“That relationship, like all the best ones, is reciprocal. So allow me to return to compliment as I return from the healing vacation of a lifetime that was only possible because of you. Thank you so very much and forever, for staying by our side, for carrying me and for helping me get through to the other side of my darkest time.”
As Le Batard noted, the last two years have been incredibly trying for him personally and this isn’t the first time he’s stated that his work had suffered as a result. It will be interesting to see how his apparent reinvigoration affects the show moving forward, especially as Meadowlark continues to expand its footprint heading into the chaos that is football season.
[ The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz ]
The post Dan Le Batard reflects on ‘healing vacation of a lifetime’ in Africa appeared first on Awful Announcing .
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