The Dan Patrick Show — Covino & Rich: "What Are We Doin' Here?"

Date: September 11, 2025
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode of "Covino & Rich" was marked by a heavy, somber tone following a day of devastating news—especially the tragic death of political commentator Charlie Kirk and a disturbing viral video of violence involving a Ukrainian girl. Aiming to provide comfort and escape, Steve Covino, Rich Davis, and Dan Beyer navigated the intersection of sports, society, and fandom, emphasizing both the healing power of sports and the urgent need for better behavior—on and off the field. The episode’s central thread: “What are we doing here?” echoed as a challenge for listeners and fans everywhere to reassess, reflect, and improve.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. Processing Tragedy & Finding Escape in Sports (03:12–16:00)

• The episode began amid a "gross" and "awful" feeling (03:15), referencing the day's horrific news and viral violence. Covino and Rich agreed on the emotional toll and disorienting nature of modern tragedy, especially as it plays out in real-time on social media.

  • Covino: "Everybody feels kind of gross today with all the crappy news." (03:12)
  • Rich: "Let's escape to the world of sport, shall we?" (03:18)

• They stressed the unique capacity of sports and music to unite people, dissolve differences, and facilitate healing after tragedy.

  • Covino: "When you're at a concert, at a ball game—those differences go away. That's the beauty of what we do." (10:03)
  • Rich: “Mike Piazza hitting that home run, that... meant more than you would ever imagine for that city.” (11:22) — recalling 9/11 and sports’ role in New York’s recovery.

2. The Dark Side of Modern Media and Desensitization (12:47–16:00)

• Multiple mentions of violent viral video footage and concern for the desensitizing impact constant exposure has on society, especially on youth.
  • Rich: "We see and hear everything... It's a lot to take in." (14:46)
  • Both reflected on how, despite historical precedent for violence, today’s connectivity compounds trauma.

3. Fan Behavior: 'What Are We Doing?' (16:01–26:16)

• Pivoting to sports, the hosts launched into a candid conversation about deteriorating fan behavior in stadiums, drawing parallels between societal violence and lack of etiquette among fans.
  • Rich: "Fans, what are we doing? Like, three things—" (17:05)
  • Examples include viral brawls, including the “Karen Ball Snatcher” incident, and physical altercations between Texans and Rams fans.

3.1. Fan Etiquette Breakdown

• Violence at games, especially men assaulting women during altercations, was harshly condemned.

  • Covino: "We've seen this. Kids are there... but especially at a football game where people are filming and watching you." (17:27)
  • Dan Beyer: "Too often now in the past few years at sporting events." (17:48)

• Poor conduct includes selling tickets to rival fans, leaving games early, and failing to offer basic respect to families and children.

  • Josh Allen Critique: “Buffalo Bills fan base, saying, like, hey, guys, have a little more faith when we’re down in a game." (19:56)

• Covino and Rich riffed humorously but seriously on the need for basic decency (“Don’t punch anyone,” “Don’t leave early,” “Don’t sell tickets to a rival,” “Watch your language around kids”).

3.2. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Covino: “It’s supposed to be family-friendly, dude, honestly ... grown people behaving that way, especially around kids and families.” (24:38)
• Rich: “If you're at a concert or game ... and the whole section has agreed that we're not standing, don't be the one person in the front that's standing during, like, the ballad, the fifth song of the show.” (25:28)

4. Sportsmanship and Fan Self-Reflection: Building a Better Culture (32:57–39:16)

• The hosts challenged fans to not boo their own struggling teams or individual players, noting the psychological blows it delivers.

  • Rich: "If you have a player that's struggling, booing them does no good... I'm not booing a guy on my team." (34:43)
  • Dan Beyer: Recounts a recent Michigan/Michigan State game incident and the role of security in diffusing “taunting” situations (38:42).

• Iowa Sam highlighted toxic fan gambling habits: “If you wager on sports and lose ... don’t get on social media or find this person in real life and harass them.” (36:41)

• The group agreed: we are all sometimes guilty, but modern fan conduct needs a collective reset.

  • Rich: “Go to a game and... act like an adult. Don’t be punching strangers. So embarrassing.” (37:36)

5. Baseball Drama and the Thrill of the Chase (50:42–54:04)

• The hosts briefly shifted to discussing the emotional rollercoaster of late-season baseball:
  • Covino: “I've never seen a major league team with this much potential play so poorly." (50:42)
  • Rich: “I like that franticness... It’s sort of exciting to wake up and not just my game, but all these games mean so much now." (52:33)

NOTABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS (with timestamps)

• “Everybody feels kind of gross today with all the crappy news.”—Steve Covino [03:12]
• “Let’s escape to the world of sport, shall we?”—Rich Davis [03:18]
• “When you’re at a concert, at a ball game—those differences go away. That’s the beauty of what we do.”—Covino [10:03]
• “Kids have to have greater respect for life.”—Covino [13:00]
• “Fans, what are we doing?”—Rich Davis [17:14]
• “Don’t put your hands on a woman ever. But especially at a football game where people are filming and watching you.”—Covino [17:27]
• “Put the phones down and stop this where your first instinct is to ... put it on the gram.”—Covino [21:14]
• “Don’t boo your own team.”—Rich Davis [34:41]
• “I'm not booing a guy on my team. Especially when you're in the middle of a... wild card race.”—Rich Davis [34:43]
• “If you wager on sports ... and you lose your bet ... don’t harass them because you didn’t win your bet. Those people are pathetic losers.”—Iowa Sam [36:41]
• “Go to a game and ... act like an adult. Don’t be punching strangers. So embarrassing.”—Rich Davis [37:36]
• “If you're at a concert or game ... don't be the one person in the front that's standing during ... the ballad.”—Rich Davis [25:28]

IMPORTANT SEGMENT TIMESTAMPS

• 03:12–16:00: Processing tragedy; the emotional burden of constant bad news; sports/music as communal healing.
• 16:01–26:16: Sports as escape; escalation of bad fan behavior and etiquette.
• 32:57–39:16: Fan etiquette rules; self-reflection; “booing your own team” debate; dealing with toxic betting culture.
• 50:42–54:04: Baseball talk—Yankees’ struggles, joys and anxieties of a tight pennant race.

SUMMARY

This episode was a thoughtful, occasionally raw meditation on what sports mean in an increasingly chaotic world. Covino and Rich used the day’s heaviest headlines to initiate a necessary, unfiltered discussion on how we conduct ourselves—as citizens, as fans, and as people in public spaces. With humor and honesty, they challenged listeners to “be better,” underscoring how sports and music can serve as an antidote to division and despair, while also frankly diagnosing the ways in which fan culture is slipping into toxicity. Their “what are we doing?” mantra became both a critique and a rallying cry—making it a powerful, reflective broadcast for everyone, regardless of team or tribe.

For fans and newcomers alike, this episode is a gut-check: how can we do better, not just for our teams, but for each other?