Over the weekend, Pat McAfee tweeted out a video clip from a previous episode of his eponymous program, The Pat McAfee Show, where he declared he was “Up to Something.” The return of “Up to Something Season” this time around, however, seems to have been ephemeral with McAfee divulging news on his show Monday afternoon.
With the upcoming ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) taking place from the Dolby Theatre, McAfee will be present and, apparently, be holding a microphone in the early stages of the ceremony. This has led some fans to speculate he will be giving an opening monologue, especially since the show will be without a host for the first time in its history because of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
“I feel good where we’re at right now; I’ve got a couple of days to kind of piece some things together,” McAfee said. “I will have a microphone on Wednesday night at the ESPYS, and I’m honored for that, I’m pumped for that, I’m thankful for that and I can’t wait for that.”
McAfee recently inked a multi-year, multimillion dollar deal with ESPN to bring his hit digital show to its linear channel and digital platforms. The announcement was made during the 2023 Upfront event for The Walt Disney Company, much of which spotlighted burgeoning sports properties of the “Worldwide Leader.” Other athletes presenting at the ESPYS include Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, retired WNBA champion Sue Bird, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, gymnast and social media influencer Olivia Dunne and WWE superstar Becky Lynch. Additionally, Peyton and Eli Manning will participate in a comedy sketch together.
Lil Wayne will begin the show with a performance, and music throughout the night will be provided by the House of Vibe All-Stars. The show will also feature a performance by five-time Grammy Award winner H.E.R. to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The V Foundation and Jim Valvano’s 1993 speech imploring viewers not to give up. Before the ESPYS begin, ESPN will air a new SC Featured documentary titled “The Speech,” featuring interviews with Valvano’s family members, ESPN personalities Chris Berman and Dick Vitale and former network president George Bodenheimer.
Pat McAfee was TERRIFIC.