Dan Bickley is the most influential sports media member in Arizona sports history, having spent over 20 years as the award-winning lead sports columnist for The Arizona Republic and AZCentral.com and almost two decades as a Valley sports radio talk show host. In spring 2018, Bickley made the decision to leave the newspaper to join the Arizona Sports team as host of the entertaining and informative Bickley & Marotta show, as well as bring his opinionated and provocative column exclusively to arizonasports.com.
Bickley’s journalism career began in his hometown of Chicago, where he was part of a star-studded staff at the Chicago Sun-Times. He chronicled Michael Jordan’s six NBA championships; covered the Olympics in eight different countries and attended 14 Super Bowls; spent three weeks in an Indianapolis courthouse writing about Mike Tyson’s rape trial; and once left his laptop in an Edmonton bar after the Blackhawks reached the Stanley Cup Finals.
He has won multiple awards, written two books, formed a rock band, fathered three children and once turned down an offer to work at the New York Times. His passions include sports, music, the alphabet, good beer and great radio. After joining Arizona Sports 98.7, he couldn’t be happier.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Apr 26, 2026Cardinals drafting of Carson Beck feels desperate, may prematurely breed lost season
Football inspires irrational behavior. But seriously, Carson Beck? The Cardinals' 2026 quarterback room may kill hope before the season begins.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Apr 25, 2026Devin Booker outdone by SGA in show of how a star takes playoff moments over
Right on time, an NBA star took the floor in Phoenix and turned in a performance for the ages. Unfortunately, it was not Devin Booker.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Apr 23, 2026Cardinals bet on star power, and Jeremiyah Love delivers the roar
The Cardinals defied need to draft Jeremiyah Love, betting on elite talent to restore excitement and relevance, Dan Bickley writes.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Apr 21, 2026Want to give your fanbase hope? It may be time the Cardinals swing for the fences in the NFL Draft
The Cardinals are a franchise in serious need of sizzle, juice and oomph. Swinging big in the NFL Draft would instill much-needed hope in the Valley.
-
PHOENIX SUNS | Apr 18, 2026Suns earn validation following play-in win vs. Warriors
The Suns aced their most important test of the season with their play-in win against the Warriors on Friday and earned validation, Dan Bickley writes.
-
ARIZONA CARDINALS | Apr 16, 2026Cardinals drop clues on NFL Draft thinking, including at QB
Pre-draft press conferences are like kid games. Nevertheless, the Cardinals dropped a few significant bread crumbs with Pittsburgh a week away.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Apr 14, 2026Suns were at their worst when it mattered most vs. Trail Blazers
The Suns were at their worst in crunch time, in the minutes that mattered the most in Tuesday's play-in loss to the Trail Blazers, Dan Bickley writes.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Apr 13, 2026Suns cannot afford to miss out on valuable playoff lessons
The Suns would learn where they are vulnerable, what they need to fix and who they need to acquire in a playoff series, Dan Bickley writes.
-
GOLF | Apr 6, 2026What makes the Masters so untouchable among American sporting events? Restraint
The Masters is the greatest sporting event in America, and it's not because of tradition. The reason is restraint, restraint from growth and greed.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Apr 1, 2026Jose Fernandez’s historic debut provides Diamondbacks with much-needed boost
Jose Fernandez's historic debut was a moment of baseball magic and provided a much-needed boost for the Diamondbacks.
-
GOLF | Mar 30, 2026It’s clear Tiger Woods needs saving from himself
Icons fall the hardest, and Tiger Woods is at it again. Another mugshot, another lapse in judgment, another glimpse into a shrouded and troubled life.
-
ARIZONA WILDCATS BASKETBALL | Mar 29, 2026Arizona Wildcats have chance to bring state much-needed glory with a national championship
As Arizona basketball goes for its first championship in 25 years, the Wildcats have a chance to bring the state some much-needed glory, Dan Bickley writes.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Mar 26, 2026The Diamondbacks’ road map to a successful 2026
We are baby steps into the long and winding marathon. But the Diamondbacks already have a magic number. 84 victories.
-
PHOENIX SUNS | Mar 23, 2026Suns playing with house money ahead of critical stretch of playoff race
In a season where the Suns entered with low expectations, Phoenix's success has given the franchise hope for the future, Dan Bickley writes.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Mar 21, 2026Randy Bennett would be a home run hire for ASU
When it comes to ASU's current head coaching vacancy, there’s Randy Bennett and everyone else, Dan Bickley writes.
-
NCAA | Mar 18, 2026Are the Cinderellas of the NCAA Tournament disappearing? The 2026 edition will be telling
The NCAA Tournament bombards the senses. It’s a festival of mascots, buzzer beaters and wall-to-wall basketball. But are Cinderella teams becoming non-factors?
-
DAN BICKLEY | Mar 10, 2026Cardinals’ best bet for 2026 is losing a lot of games with fight and dignity
How do the Arizona Cardinals lose with dignity and fight in 2026? Answer: With Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew at quarterback.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Mar 9, 2026NFL free agency has become the Cardinals’ chore
Maybe the Cardinals can petition the NFL to ban free agency. Like the NFLPA report card, it’s a process that only makes us look bad.
-
MLB | Mar 4, 2026Baseball must not squander resurgence in popularity ahead of CBA’s expiration
Baseball is experiencing a resurgence in popularity as the WBC and 2026 MLB season approach. It must not squander its momentum, Dan Bickley writes.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Mar 3, 2026Kyler Murray is no longer the Cardinals’ spectacular scapegoat, will always be a great lament
Kyler Murray's strengths were spectacular. But his flaws with the Arizona Cardinals were obvious. Now he pursues a second chance.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Feb 25, 2026The Cardinals’ Kyler Murray saga just got messier
The quietest, longest divorce in NFL history just got noisy. And it’s going to cost the Cardinals any realistic chance of trading Kyler Murray.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Feb 19, 2026Surprising Suns enter final stretch of the season with a lot on the line
Any kind of playoff berth would’ve been viewed as a success months ago. Now, it seems vital for the Suns to finish as a top six seed in the West.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Feb 12, 2026Diamondbacks rolling the dice once more with Paul Sewald addition
If optimism were a fragrance, it might smell like a ballpark in springtime. The Diamondbacks have a different scent after re-signing Paul Sewald.
-
DAN BICKLEY | Feb 9, 2026Don’t let a few bad apples take away from WM Phoenix Open
Every village comes with its idiots. The WM Phoenix Open is no exception, writes Dan Bickley.