John Feinstein’s death Thursday at age 69 led to an outpouring of tributes from around the sports world, yet few knew Feinstein better than Michael Wilbon.
Wilbon worked with the award-winning sportswriter for almost 50 years at The Washington Post. He paid tribute to his longtime colleague on Pardon The Interruption.
“John was one of the most successful and consequential sportswriters of the last 50 years,” Wilbon said.
The prolific Feinstein wrote 44 books in his career, including best-sellers such as “A Season on the Brink,” “A Good Walk Spoiled,” and “The Last Amateurs.”
Wilbon noted Feinstein’s love of college basketball and golf.
“It’s sadly poetic that John died at the gateway to March Madness and the first day of The Players [Championship], since covering golf was his other great obsession,” Wilbon said.
Feinstein left an impression on everyone he met, Wilbon said.
“He was a complicated man brimming with opinions, and anyone who knew John held an opinion about him,” Wilbon said.
“I’ve known John since he was 20. I was an intern the summer after he was an intern. And so my life was very much directed by my relationships with John Feinstein and Anthony Kornheiser (Wilbon’s longtime PTI co-host). And so you look at that all these years later, and it’s hard … and you just get this word about John suddenly passing away this morning.”
PTI pays tribute to John Feinstein: “He could be the most charming guy in the room and the guy you want to throw out the room, but he was always a compelling figure.” pic.twitter.com/hAglemSMAe
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 13, 2025
As noted earlier, there were numerous tributes to Feinstein Thursday, with many people sharing stories or anecdotes. Wilbon admitted some of those stories are “complicated.”
“And the coaches, everybody’s calling everybody in the industry to tell stories about John. And again, they’re complicated,” Wilbon said. “Because he could be the most charming guy in the room and the guy you wanted to throw out the room, but he was always a compelling figure.”
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.