Pat McAfee has never shied away from speaking candidly about the sports media business. On Tuesday, the ESPN host and former NFL punter shared on The Pat McAfee Show how his production company unexpectedly became involved in editing and producing Rushmore On X, a new program that debuted today exclusively on X/Twitter.
McAfee praised the show’s creators, Mixed Management co-founder Ben Persky and TKO Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel, for developing a concept that he believes is unlike anything else in the market.
“Ben and Ari, I don’t even think they knew this while they’re doing it, they created a show that nobody else on earth could create,” McAfee said. “Ari’s relationships through business, throughout all these years, has ties with all these people that are the top of their industries, and it’s like he gets them to open up. It’s a very good show. We’re lucky to be a part of it.”
The partnership, however, began in an unorthodox way. McAfee recalled being asked for feedback on early cuts of the program and quickly realizing the editing didn’t match the platform.
“Ari was like, What do you think about this? And I said, where’s this going? And he said, it’s going to live on X, which is a huge deal for us, because we use X a lot,” McAfee said. “But the people that edited it clearly have never been on X in their life. So I watched it, and I said, I think this is s**t, to be honest, but this is really good booking… So then they just started sending us files. Literally just started sending us files a couple months ago… and all of a sudden we become the production company for this.”
McAfee explained that he and his team went to work restructuring the program, cutting down the lengthy interviews, and reshaping the show’s pacing. He believes the finished product not only helps Rushmore On X but also signals what X hopes to become as it moves further into original content and live programming.
At the same time, McAfee used the experience to highlight his frustration with some companies within the sports production ecosystem.
“A lot of other sports production companies get called for everything,” McAfee said. “There’s some a** ones out there who have never made anything true, and somehow they’re like an authority, just strictly because they can accomplish the task… that is the sports media world.”
He doubled down on that critique, saying, “There’s a lot of people that have these hubs or production companies that I don’t think they’ve made a single f****ng good thing, and somehow they’re still able to fundraise, and they’re still able to get deals and all this s**t. So I talk s**t on these people, pretty good, like, pretty loud.”
Despite those frustrations, McAfee sees opportunity ahead. With Rushmore On X now launched, he hinted that this could be the first of multiple projects.
“Congrats to them on a great show,” he said. “And what if this is another avenue we get a chance to do? What if we get opportunity to do some more shows?”
For McAfee and his team, the surprise move into editing and producing a program for X could prove to be more than a one-off experiment. It may mark the beginning of a new chapter in how his company approaches media opportunities beyond The Pat McAfee Show.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
