The Pat McAfee Show

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

''The Pat McAfee Show'' made its debut on September 9, 2019, as part of the multiyear deal with DAZN and Westwood One. Westwood One distributed the show through the radio to 40 markets at launch. McAfee also began broadcasting the show live from marquee boxing and MMA DAZN cards. In January 2020, CBS Sports Radio also began carrying the program. In May 2020, the show moved its stream from DAZN to YouTube.

On September 8, 2020, ''The Pat McAfee Show'' moved to Sirius XM's Mad Dog Sports Radio. It also moved from the 10 AM to 12 PM ET slot to the 12 PM to 3 PM on weekdays. The show continued to be broadcast live on YouTube. 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. The deal also included the creation of a new studio space in Indianapolis called the "FanDuel Igloo", also known as the "Thunderdome". 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.

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—during college football season. ''The Pat McAfee Show'' had already involved itself in "Field Pass" broadcasts of selected ''ESPN College Football'' games as a tie-in with his presence on ''College GameDay.''

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.

Controversies

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.

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. The lawsuit was later withdrawn.

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

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 ate night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel are hoping it doesn't come out." 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: 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".

Awards

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pat McAfee Show
American sports television series
American English-language television shows
Mass media in Indianapolis
Sports podcasts
2020s YouTube series