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The Pat McAfee Show
Created byPat McAfee
Presented byPat McAfee
A.J. Hawk (1–3 PM ET)
Evan Fox
Zito Perez
Connor Campbell
Ty Schmit
Anthony "Tone Digz" DiGuilio
Frank "Nick" Maraldo
Kyle "Gump" Cathcart
Darius Butler
Chuck Pagano
A.Q. Shipley
Adam "Pacman" Jones
Theme music composerdef rebel (WWE Music Group)
Opening theme"The Anomaly" by def rebel (WWE Music Group)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
Production
ProducerTy Schmit
Production locationsIndianapolis, Indiana[1]
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time180 – 300 minutes
Production companyPat McAfee Inc.
Original release
NetworkDAZN (2019–2020)
Westwood One radio stations (2019–2020)
CBS Sports Radio (2020)
YouTube (ESPN/McAfee) (2020–present)
ESPN/ESPN+ (2023–present)
ReleaseSeptember 9, 2019 (2019-09-09) –
present

The Pat McAfee Show is a three-hour daily sports talk show hosted by WWE commentator and former National Football League punter Pat McAfee.

Premiering on September 9, 2019, the program was originally distributed by DAZN and via Westwood One radio. The show currently airs on ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN's YouTube channel, and McAfee's own YouTube channel. Only the first two hours air on ESPN; the final hour airs exclusively on ESPN+ and YouTube.

History

[edit]

The Pat McAfee Show premiered on September 9, 2019, as part of a multi-year deal between McAfee, DAZN, and Westwood One; DAZN would distribute the channel via its subscription sports streaming service, while Westwood One would syndicate an audio simulcast, with clearances in 40 markets at launch. As part of the agreement, McAfee would also produce on-site broadcasts from the locations of boxing and mixed martial arts events being broadcast by DAZN, and also contribute NFL content for DAZN in markets (such as Canada and Germany) where it held streaming rights to the league.[2][3] It was reported that McAfee was being courted by ESPN as a home for the show (having recently joined ESPN's Get Up! and college football coverage as a contributor), but that DAZN offered him more flexibility.[2]

In January 2020, the radio simulcast moved to the national lineup of CBS Sports Radio.[4] In May 2020, the program's contract with DAZN ended, with its video version moving to YouTube.[5] On September 8, 2020, The Pat McAfee Show moved to Sirius XM's Mad Dog Sports Radio. It also moved from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. ET to a 12 p.m.—3 p.m. time slot. The show continued to be broadcast live on YouTube.[6] On December 9, 2021, McAfee announced a four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel, making them the sole odds provider for the Pat McAfee Show.[7] The deal also included the creation of a new studio space in Indianapolis called the "FanDuel Igloo", also known as the "Thunderdome".[8] In August 2022, the show left Sirius XM after the company didn't make an offer for a contract extension, instead exclusively streaming on YouTube.[9]

On September 7, 2023, The Pat McAfee Show moved to ESPN as part of a deal with the network; it was reported to be valued at $85 million over five years, although ESPN refused to comment. All three hours stream on ESPN's YouTube channel and ESPN+, while the main ESPN channel simulcasts the first two hours. It was also announced that the program would occasionally broadcast Friday editions from the site of that week's edition of College GameDay—which McAfee joined as a panelist in 2022[10]—during college football season.[11][12] As a tie-in, The Pat McAfee Show had already involved itself in "Field Pass" broadcasts of selected ESPN College Football games.[13]

In March 2024, the show similarly traveled to Iowa City for the first round of the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament, following the Iowa Hawkeyes and star player Caitlin Clark.[14]

Controversies

[edit]

In 2021, the show was criticized for allowing frequent guest Aaron Rodgers to spread vaccine misinformation while complaining about the NFL's COVID-19-related policies.[15][16]

In February 2023, Brett Favre sued Pat McAfee after McAfee called Favre a "thief" who was "stealing from poor people in Mississippi" on the show. McAfee made the comments after Favre was accused of taking money from Mississippi's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds to enrich himself.[17] The lawsuit was later withdrawn.[18]

Following the announcement that the show would move to ESPN in 2023, some fans accused McAfee of being a "sellout".[19]

Rodgers appeared on the January 2, 2024 edition, on which he discussed plans to release the client list of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Rodgers stated that "if that list comes out, I will definitely be popping some sort of bottle" because "a lot of people including [late night talk show host] Jimmy Kimmel are hoping it doesn't come out."[20] Kimmel responded to the clip of this statement surfacing by threatening to sue Rodgers over it on X (formerly known as Twitter), where he said:

Dear Aasshole: for the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any “list” other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality. Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.[21]

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on Rodgers' role in that episode. McAfee, however, issued a public apology to Kimmel the following day, stating that Rodgers was "just trying to talk shit".[22][23]

Awards

[edit]

On December 19, 2022, the show won Sports Business Journal's inaugural Best Sports Audio award.[24]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ VanTryon, Matthew (May 12, 2022). "'That's a big (expletive) fire': Pat McAfee Show evacuates after downtown apartment complex fire". IndyStar. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Guthrie, Marisa (August 7, 2019). "Former NFL Star Pat McAfee Lands Daily Show on DAZN and Westwood One (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ Ourand, John (September 16, 2019). "Party time: How DAZN, Westwood One got McAfee". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  4. ^ "'DA' Takes Mornings At CBS Sports Radio, Pat McAfee Added To Middays". Insideradio.com. January 2, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Pat McAfee Show Leaves DAZN". barrettsportsmedia.com. May 8, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  6. ^ "Pat McAfee Show Moving To SiriusXM September 8th; Bill Reiter Takes His Place At CBS Sports Radio". all access.com. August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Huff, Cole (December 9, 2021). "Pat McAfee is about to make so much more money than he made in the NFL". For The Win. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Koster, Kyle (December 9, 2021). "Pat McAfee, FanDuel Agree to Massive Deal". The Big Lead. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  9. ^ Staszewski, Joseph; Marchand, Andrew (August 29, 2022). "'The Pat McAfee Show,' SiriusXM parting ways: 'Never made an offer'". New York Post. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Deitsch, Richard (September 10, 2022). "How ESPN landed Pat McAfee for 'College GameDay' and made the best college football hire of 2022". The Athletic. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  11. ^ Lucia, Joe (August 17, 2023). "'The Pat McAfee Show' premieres September 7 on ESPN". Awful Announcing. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  12. ^ McDaniel, Mike (May 31, 2023). "Report: Contract Details for Pat McAfee's Lucrative New ESPN Deal Are Out". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Staff, S. V. G. (January 6, 2023). "ESPN's CFP National Championship MegaCast To Feature Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show". Sports Video Group. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Pat McAfee Show and WWE champion Roman Reigns are heading to Iowa City on March 22". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  15. ^ Wood, Ryan (November 5, 2021). "Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers blasts 'woke mob' over COVID-19 news on Pat McAfee show, rips NFL's 'draconian' protocols". packersnews.com. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  16. ^ Keely, Sean (December 29, 2021). "The Pat McAfee Show is Aaron Rodgers' safe space". Awful Announcing. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  17. ^ Barr, John; Olivieri, Anthony (February 9, 2023). "Brett Favre sues Shannon Sharpe, Pat McAfee, auditor for defamation". ESPN. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Riess, Rebekah (May 12, 2023). "Brett Favre withdraws defamation lawsuit against sports commentator Pat McAfee". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  19. ^ Cohen, Bethany (May 18, 2023). "Pat McAfee lashes out at fans calling him a sellout after ESPN deal – "Ya'll motherfu**ers have no idea"". sportskeeda.com. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  20. ^ DeMeyer, Tess (January 3, 2024). "Jimmy Kimmel threatens 'court' action over Aaron Rodgers' Epstein allegation". The Athletic. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  21. ^ Brito, Christopher (January 3, 2024). "Jimmy Kimmel fires back at Aaron Rodgers after comment about release of names of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged associates". CBS News. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  22. ^ Florio, Mike (January 3, 2024). "ESPN declines comment on whether it's examining Aaron Rodgers's role on Pat McAfee's show". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  23. ^ Moreau, Jordan (January 3, 2024). "Pat McAfee Apologizes After Aaron Rodgers Accused Jimmy Kimmel of Having Epstein Connections on His Show: 'Aaron Was Just Trying to Talk S—'". Variety. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  24. ^ Fischer, Ben (December 19, 2022). "Year-End Awards: Best Sports Audio". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
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