Aaron Rodgers is an uninteresting boob that tries on different costumes to make you think he has a personality of his own. Right now, he is wearing his Joe Rogan Halloween costume. He isn’t as smart as he thinks. He isn’t as fun as you thought. You can’t blame Pat McAfee for any of that, so why is he catching hell for that interview on Friday?
I will admit that I am a Pat McAfee fan. I don’t listen to the show every day, but I find that every time I do listen, I am thoroughly entertained. The guy is quick-witted. Plus, if he ever has a joke that does fall flat, his Yinzer accent makes up more than enough ground.
McAfee has had Rodgers on his show every week. I don’t know the full history of their relationship. I know that AJ Hawk is a part of McAfee’s supporting cast and I know he and Rodgers were teammates in Green Bay. If McAfee and Throw Rogan have a relationship that goes back further than that, I don’t know, but I also don’t really think it matters.
The segments have yielded good stories and strong opinions from Rodgers in the past. They were also very valuable for other hosts during an offseason when the Packers’ quarterback stayed in the headlines. The convserations between Rodgers and McAfee gave the rest of us a lot of content to work with.
Every single conversation between them has been similar. McAfee asks a question and then gets out of the way. Aaron Rodgers had an open forum to say whatever he wanted without being challenged. It wasn’t a problem when he was talking about Jeopardy! or aliens. He got a lot wrong about those subjects too. So why, when Aaron Rodgers starts talking out of his ass about Covid and homeopathic immunization wizardry, is Pat McAfee catching heat?
I wish someone had challenged Aaron Rodgers. I wish someone had even said “hey, explain what you mean by that” when he started talking about not trusting the Covid-19 vaccine because he has never heard Dr. Faucci talk about exercise. It would have made the interview more valuable in a variety of ways, but valuable, newsworthy interviews aren’t what McAfee does. They have never been his goal, so why now is it a problem?
Pat McAfee has never tried to be Dan Patrick. His show isn’t built on demanding answers or getting to the bottom of controversies. Over the summer, Colin Cowherd questioned his journalistic integrity and McAfee said he was fine with that, pointing out that he was a punter not a reporter.
I’ll give you this much, McAfee wanted his audience to hear what his friend had to say. Maybe he didn’t agree with Aaron Rodgers, but Pat McAfee wants you to like Aaron Rodgers because he likes Aaron Rodgers. Most of us would have liked to see Rodgers challenged on his position regarding his vaccination status. If you’re disappointed that didn’t happen on Friday, it’s on you for thinking it would. Pat McAfee has never given you a reason to think he is doing that kind of show.
Does McAfee’s show have journalistic value? Probably not. It is an entertainment product. You can say the very same thing about shows like The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight. The difference is those shows are using elements of the TV news format, so it is easy to be confused. Those shows have had some newsworthy people visit their hosts and sets in the past. If the hosts and producers chose to be journalists in those instances, good for them. The reality though is that those shows were still comedy shows at heart. They were under no obligation to make a format change in the spur of the moment.
The Pat McAfee Show has always been straight-forward comedy. The guests have always been there to hang out rather than have their feet held to the fire. Sure, Aaron Rodgers’s appearance could have called for someone demanding answers and justification, but we have no reason to be disappointed that isn’t what happened. McAfee has been pretty up front with that not being what he wants to do. Honestly, that is why Rodgers probably chose that particular show as his first post-Covid platform.
You’re entitled to think that is a failing on the part of Pat McAfee and his crew if you do. They don’t though. They turned it into content with McAfee himself giving a hilarious breakdown of the internet’s reaction to what Rodgers said. He even let the next guest, Ariel Helwani, give him hell for how he handled the interview and make fun of Rodgers for his responses. It was hilarious!
Feel however you want to about Aaron Rodgers. If his excuses for thinking he had outsmarted the NFL, the media, and a global pandemic strike you as absurd that is fine. I don’t disagree with you. If they offend you, that is fine too. Save that anger for Aaron Rodgers though. He is the one that thinks you’re an idiot.
All Pat McAfee wants is to have fun and make you laugh. That is all he has ever promised to do. You can’t blame him if you expected something different when he has never given you a reason to.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
