Pat McAfee has cemented himself as one of the most popular faces of the new wave of sports media — and since making the decision to move his independent daily show to ESPN — has been able to pretty much do and say whatever he wants on a network known for asking their employees to steer clear from controversial issues.
The former Indianapolis Colts punter began a podcast after his long NFL career and has changed the way sports media is looked at, consumed and set the stage for shows like New Heights with the Kelce brothers and an an informal, funny yet informative, behind-the-scenes glimpse into everything NFL and college football.
Many believed the move to ESPN didn’t align with McAfee’s brand and he would have to tread carefully to appease network executives, but so far, the opposite has been true.
It seems like Pat McAfee — in a media landscape where any little slip can get someone cancelled — has all of the power and can’t be controlled no matter what.
This was evident when he recently called out one of the top executives by name publicly, Pat McAfee didn’t hold back when voicing his displeasure with top ESPN exec Norby Williamson publicly, who has apparently been less than thrilled about the content he’s bringing to the airwaves of the World Wide Leader and was called out by the hottest name in sports media for apparently leaking misleading ratings information.
McAfee has a unique contract He works as a talent for College GameDay and a weekly guest on First Take, but his Pat McAfee Show airs on ESPN through a separate licensing agreement. That has led to some clashes with management, including most notably Norby Williamson. .
McAfee also stood by NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers after Rodgers alluded to Jimmy Kimmel being connected with child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein earlier this year. McAfee’s arrival has been an abrupt departure from the buttoned-up image president Jimmy Pitaro tried to cultivate since taking over in 2017.
McAfee weighed in on the controversy that put him and his show in a public dispute with Norby Williamson at the sports network, which in 2023 committed to paying McAfee $85 million over five years to air his program. (A clip of the podcast episode was released late Tuesday; the full episode will post Thursday morning.)
When asked whether he faced backlash for his comments, the former Colts punter turned radio host and commentator said he wasn’t sure and then weighed in on his situation with the network.
“I report directly to president] Jimmy [Pitaro] and [Disney CEO] Bob [Iger],” McAfee said on the episode. “I saw [media reporting] ‘Pat calls out his boss.’ I don’t got a motherf***ing boss.”
Prominent Women’s Group Calls For ESPN To Fire Pat McAfee After Caitlin Clark Comment
Earlier this week, McAfee made headlines yet again for the wrong reasons.
The former NFL punter referred to Caitlin Clark as a “White B-” during his show on Monday.
McAfee was pushing back on the notion that the new rookie class is responsible for the uptick in WNBA interest, pointing out that it’s solely due to Clark’s arrival. But, in doing so, he made a regrettable mistake .
The popular show host has since apologized for his ill-advised verbiage, revealing he reached out to Clark, who accepted the apology and was keen on moving forward.
However, UltraViolet, a group that describes itself as a leading gender justice organization, feels the apology is “insufficient” and wants Pat McAfee dropped from the network.
Ultraviolet released a very lengthy statement on the matter. In it, they called for Pat McAfee to be fired by ESPN. They also urged the network to take the necessary steps to ensure that “sexist and racist remarks” like this are never made on air, while also asking that they “do a better job covering women’s sports in an unbiased way.
Pat McAfee’s apology for his racist and sexist comments about Caitlin Clark and other WNBA players is insufficient,” a statement from the group reads. “The simple reality is that even if McAfee meant what he said as a compliment – he should know that referring to any professional athlete with a misogynistic or racial epithet is never a compliment and shouldn’t be done.
“But it’s about more than just the specific words he chose to describe Caitlin Clark. His entire segment, which he has said he stands behind and doesn’t apologize for, was used to downplay the contributions of other WNBA rookies including Angel Reese, and perpetuate a dangerous narrative rooted in misogynoir that the WNBA, a league dominated by Black women for years is being “saved” by Clark, when both profits and viewership have been on the rise prior to the start of this season.
“Coupled with McAfee’s pattern of promoting problematic falsehoods – including platforming Aaron Rodgers and allowing him to spread conspiracy theories about the coronavirus or Jeffrey Epstein – demonstrate that McAfee simply does not have the necessary judgment that sports fans deserve.
“Not only does McAfee deserve to be fired, but Disney needs to ensure that ESPN commits to a culture where commentators will no longer be allowed to spew sexist and racist remarks. That should be the minimum standard that sports fans should expect from their commentators and that ESPN and Disney should expect from their hosts. It is hard to ask for anything less when we recall that ESPN is the same network that suspended Jemele Hill for calling President Trump a white supremacist.
“We urge ESPN and Disney to fire Pat McAfee and take action to clean up its news room and frankly do a better job of covering women’s sports in an unbiased way.”
So far, the network has stayed silent on the issue which has been the go-to move involving other past McAfee controversies. It’s amazing to see the influence one man has had on an entire sports media company and almost impossible to fathom the clear 180 that has been done by ESPN to accommodate the biggest superstar in the industry right now.
