The Sports Junkies: John Feinstein Was a “Pioneer”

Sad news was delivered on Thursday as the passing of notable writer and author John Feinstein was announced at the age of 69. Immediately, shockwaves were sent throughout social media, with reactions pouring in from longtime colleagues and those who appreciated the author’s work spanning nearly five decades. Feinstein was a frequent guest of The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., for 13 years, where he regularly shared his insights and opinions with the program.

By Friday morning, following the news of Feinstein’s passing, the program took time to reflect on their memories of the author, writer, and person that John Feinstein was.

“The first thing that I remember him from is The Sports Reporters,” said JP Flaim. “That’s really what we modeled The Sports Junkies on our cable access show. He was a pioneer.”

Feinstein’s journalism career began in 1977 when he started writing about politics and sports for The Washington Post. After spending 11 years there, he left in 1988 to become a special contributor to Sports Illustrated (1988-1990) and later National Sports Daily (1990-1991). The following year, he returned to The Washington Post as a contributor.

Recalling his weekly appearances on The Sports Junkies, co-host Jason Bishop emphasized that Feinstein always brought something different to every interview.

“I’d have friends who would tell me, ‘I look forward to the Feinstein segment every single week.’ Then I’d have friends say, ‘When he comes on, I just turn it off,’” joked Bishop. “He’s polarizing. Stubborn, and maybe he died of stubbornness, I don’t know, but he was that type of person.”

Over the course of his career, Feinstein authored 45 books, including the widely acclaimed A Season on the Brink, which provided an in-depth look at the Indiana University basketball team and its legendary coach, Bob Knight. The book became a major success, topping The New York Times bestseller list for 16 consecutive weeks from January to August 1987.

His passion for telling stories through sports was an attribute that fueled a work ethic many appreciated.

“He was freaking prolific. I mean, how many books he cranked out during his career?” questioned Eric Bickel. “The guy was a grinder. At least through the time he was on this show, he was never not working on at least one project. He might have been writing a regular sports book along with his kids’ series, which was wildly popular. The dude was grinding 24/7.”

Another of his notable works, A Good Walk Spoiled, spent six weeks on The New York Times bestseller list and remained there for a total of 36 weeks. It was later published in paperback in June 2005. His impressive catalog also included Caddy for Life, Open, A Civil War, The Last Amateurs, and Last Shot.

“He’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest, sportswriters of the last 50 years,” stated Flaim. “If that guy says something good about your book, you’re putting that on your book.”

Feinstein was also remembered by the station in a post yesterday on the station’s website from Audacy Vice President of Sports Chris Kinard.

“John Feinstein was a titan of sports journalism. A master storyteller and fearless reporter, John brought us behind the scenes of the most intriguing teams and into the real lives of the most interesting sports figures,” noted Kinard. “We were so lucky to have his sharp insights as a regular contributor to 106.7 The Fan for over 14 years. Our thoughts are with his family, his readers, and his listeners.”

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