I read Michael McCarthy’s column on Friday about ESPN’s producers being fed up with Pat McAfee’s antics. If you’ve read this website for a while, you’ll recall I took Pat to task for prior remarks he made. John Mamola has done so too, as recently as last week. Pat’s ability to handle criticism can be debated by many, but all that matters is whether or not Pat himself sees it as an issue.
I’ve maintained that Pat McAfee is highly entertaining and a smart business investment for ESPN. Regardless of whether I’ve praised his approach or criticized it, this is not about that. It’s about the environment behind the scenes at ESPN.
I don’t work in Bristol nor do I keep tabs on who is whispering in the hallways these days. Like every workplace, people bitch and complain about a lot of things. I saw it frequently during my ESPN days. The amount of internal BS over Mike and Mike getting things others didn’t was ridiculous. My mantra forever is ‘bullshit lives in every building, and it follows everyone, regardless of stature and paycheck’.
My question though is this, ‘why do folks inside ESPN constantly run to news outlets to trash McAfee’? The last time I checked, Pat works out of a studio in Indianapolis during the week. He’s on location on Saturday for College Gameday. That means that he doesn’t cross paths with most employees in Bristol, he just does his own thing, Gameday aside.
Are folks that bothered by what he says? Is it a case of jealousy over how much he gets paid? Are people annoyed that he won the tug of war with Norby Williamson? Is it a case of his views being less challenged and gaining better access to top guests? Maybe it has to do with his loud personality, involvement on College Gameday, or something silly like people being annoyed that he used to give Aaron Rodgers a large platform.
More likely, people don’t like that he has Burke Magnus, Jimmy Pitaro, and Bob Iger’s full support. McCarthy shared a quote in his article from a source which said, “Right now, Pat’s bulletproof because Burke, Jimmy and Iger have his back. Pat holds all the cards.”
I hate to break it to whoever said that but management is absolutely right to have his back. Why wouldn’t Bob, Jimmy and Burke offer their full support to McAfee? Are you not paying attention to what’s going on?
Less than two weeks ago ESPN announced The Pat McAfee Show reached a milestone, generating over 1 billion social media views in a single month for the first time. The surge came as the show delivered its most-watched September ever across ESPN and YouTube. In the same press release, ESPN shared that College GameDay averaged 2.82 million viewers, up 29% year-over-year and pacing toward its most-watched season ever. Viewership was up 36% in the 18–34 demographic.
With Lee Corso gone and Big Noon Kickoff getting better, do you think ESPN wants its flagship college football show without McAfee’s personality on it? Did you see that the WWE recently entered into business with ESPN. Do you think McAfee’s involvement with both parties didn’t help?
Does that sound like the individual management should be creating friction with? Why on earth would they put a target on Pat’s back and side with behind the scenes folks? If you’re going to pay premium dollars for a premium talent, you expect them to deliver. When they do, you move objects out of the way so they can continue to perform at a high level. This isn’t rocket science folks.
From my vantage point, Pat McAfee seems to enjoy being the underdog and operating with a chip on his shoulder. Remember, he took a risk leaving the NFL to move into media with Barstool Sports. He then bet on himself again leaving Barstool, and struck deals with FanDuel, CBS Sports Radio/Westwood One, SiriusXM, WWE, and ESPN. He’s been told he didn’t fit the mold of what was needed on game broadcasts, his TV ratings have been criticized repeatedly, The Athletic ran a poll suggesting he hurts College Gameday, and he’s had people in his own company, including executives, root for his failure. Can you blame him if he isn’t exactly offering to fall in line with the Bristol way?
Would I prefer Pat be less sensitive? Sure. Do I think his remarks about old white people and old ESPN people were smart? No. I shared previously that Pat’s camp blocked Barrett Media on X years ago. It was an immature and odd move. I’ve sent a few messages over the years to folks on Team McAfee and they often go nowhere. It’s not how I prefer to communicate with people I like and respect but so be it. I’m a big boy, I’ll get over it.
Regardless, I’ve been a fan of Pat’s work for years. His energy, humor, and chemistry with his team have been strong for years, and he’s also grown as an interviewer. If you watched his conversation with LeBron James, it was spectacular. His involvement on College Gameday is also important, and his Kicking Contest has become one of the single best segments on sports television.
Does it really matter if Pat plays nice with producers in Bristol or if he has thin skin? I produced Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, Doug Gottlieb, and many others at ESPN. Do you think they didn’t all have ego to some degree and ways of communicating that worked with some and not with others? My job wasn’t to get them to fall in line with me. It was to help them do what they do best. They were the main attraction that people were coming to see, and the company was invested in them. If I felt disrespected or something was being done that was a mistake, I’d speak up, but I also understood that it wasn’t about me.
Say what you want, but Pat McAfee has delivered a ton of impact for ESPN. The company has a better chance of selling subscriptions, betting partnerships, advertising, retaining/luring new rights deals, and attracting attention from sports fans with Pat McAfee on their airwaves. Anyone inside the company who can’t see that is either blind or foolish.
In Pat Riley’s book ‘The Winner Within‘ he wrote, “The greater a single teammate’s success, the stronger the resentment can be from the weakest 20 percent.” A few of ESPN’s producers are proving Riley right.
The NBA Gambling Scandal
I was reminded last week of how important shows like Outside the Lines, E60, and Real Sports were. When the NBA gambling scandal broke, opinions were offered everywhere on TV and I missed those shows where hardcore journalism shined. That said, Inside The NBA, Brian Windhorst, Shams Charania, Rob Parker, Colin Cowherd, and others provided excellent insight and commentaries around a critical story. A video podcast though by ex-mobster Michael Franzese formerly of the Colombo crime family was especially interesting because it offered a different perspective.
When networks and leagues responsible for investigating issues and delivering information are heavily funded by those who stand to lose a lot from the truth getting out, it’s fair to question if there’s less motivation to bury them. Between the Shohei Otani-interpreter mess, Calvin Ridley’s suspension, and the NBA scandals, gambling is infiltrating sports the way AI is affecting everyday content. People now scroll through social media wondering what’s real and what’s not just as fans watch and question if the final results of games are legitimate.
There were already questions about the NFL’s involvement in impacting outcomes which Craig Carton addressed perfectly last week. Adam Silver’s NBA has been linked to too many betting incidents. Between the league’s gambling partnerships and its inability to quiet the noise, many like former NBA player Enes Kanter are calling for Silver to resign. Congress has also requested a briefing with Silver by October 31st.
We’ve seen how gambling can hurt broadcasters in the past. I know of one talent who hosted a daily show at a betting network who was pulled from the lineup because his gambling activity got so bad, suspicious characters were showing up at the studio waiting to rough him up. Opinions shared by hosts may encourage betting activity that benefits sportsbooks but influencing behavior is different than changing an outcome on the field, court or ice. How long until an athlete is seriously hurt or killed over a gambling related matter?
If you think Rob Manfred, Adam Silver, Roger Goodell and other league executives are going to conduct extensive investigations that could harm their businesses and bite the hands that feed them, you’re naive. Sports leagues spent decades resisting the temptations of allowing gambling in because they knew the dangers that came with it. Now, the legitimacy of competition is under fire. If someone puts Pablo Torre on the case, who knows what else we’ll find out.
Reporting on The Death of Charlie Kirk
I’m not a conspiracy guy. In fact, I loathe reckless speculation about life events. But isn’t it odd that cable news networks have little new information to report on the death of Charlie Kirk? Tons of personalities have discussed Kirk, shared news from the FBI, and have offered condolences, but where are the new details from TV reporters? Kirk died on September 10th, and we know as much today about the facts surrounding his death as we did six weeks ago.
News television has become the opinion section of a newspaper over the past two decades. It makes for more entertaining television, but there are times when the pursuit of the truth matters. It’s why independent journalists are sought out more on YouTube, podcasts, X, Substack, and other digital locations.
If you don’t have the time to watch everything on TV, do a quick search on YouTube. Type in Charlie Kirk news, Charlie Kirk investigation, Charlie Kirk and whichever network you prefer. Take a look at what pops up. You’ll find little new information. The video above from NewsNation is the best I could find. Most new content revolves around personalities remembering Kirk or blasting people who are trashing his memory.
When someone like Charlie Kirk gets murdered in broad daylight in front of the entire world and it is seen by millions across social media, it should motivate networks to dig for answers. I could be wrong but it feels like the Casey Anthony and Natalee Holloway cases had more reporting and nightly coverage than this one. Kirk was a prominent personality and political figure and after just six weeks, the news cycle is on to the Government shutdown, Trump’s ballroom, Zohran Mandani, No Kings protests, and other stories designed to emotionally charge the audience. Little though is moving the Kirk story forward.
Opinion may be the smarter business play but pursuit of the truth builds much deeper and longer trust. Charlie Kirk’s death deserves more answers.
Quick Hits
- I watched two-hours of NFL Sunday Countdown yesterday and thought the crew had a great show. There was great analysis from Tedy Bruschi (Steelers issues on D), memorable commentary by Rex Ryan (Ravens defense is Swiss cheese), strong opinion from Alex Smith (NY Jets ownership), humor from Randy Moss (Halloween party), and great production for the Steelers-Packers game utilizing Third Eye Blind’s ‘How’s It Gonna Be’ to help Jeff Darlington tell the Aaron Rodgers story. Mike Greenberg ran point perfectly, knowing where to extend segments, and when to move them forward. Ryan’s emotional words after learning of Nick Mangold’s death were especially touching. Football fans watch Sunday pregame shows, expecting them to set the scene for Gameday. On this Sunday on ESPN, they got even better than they expected.
- The Amazon NBA broadcast team provided an outstanding breakdown recently on how the Knicks can set up Jalen Brunson for greater defensive success. ESPN and NBC are going to gain most of the attention but if Udonis Haslem, Steve Nash, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki and Taylor Rooks can deliver more of this, they’re going to win fans over. Tremendous detail and insight by people who know the game inside and out.
- I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and grew up on Bruce Springsteen’s music. I’ve been a fan for years, and was excited to see, ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’. I watched the movie on Saturday and was disappointed. If you enjoy two hours on Bruce’s depression, childhood trauma over his Dad’s drinking and hostility, and drama over releasing the Nebraska album, this film is for you. Given his lengthy success and influence, a film about ‘The Boss’ deserved way more than focusing on one small chapter. Hopefully that’s to come in the future.
- Go to YouTube and find the song “I Wanna Go Back Home” by Avril Lavigne featuring MGK. It sounds like another Avril hit except if you try to find the song elsewhere, you can’t. A fan used AI to create the song. If you want to hear an example of what artificial intelligence can do to music, this is a good one. Lavigne may have to learn the song and start playing it live if it continues gaining traction.
- Taylor Swift is dominating the charts like usual and a band out of the Netherlands is taking advantage of it. Call It Off are putting a rock/pop spin on Swift’s songs, tapping into a formula that worked before for iPrevail and Walk Off The Earth. Based on first impressions, they should do well.
- X is testing a new way to boost engagement for posts with links. Nikita Bier, head of product at X said “posts with links tend to get lower reach because the web browser covers the post and people forget to Like or Reply. So X doesn’t get a clear signal whether the content is any good. To help get better signal, posts will now collapse to the bottom of the page so people can react while you’re reading.” Referral traffic is down as platforms place greater value on video and interactions over link sharing. The modifications are an attempt to fix it. Will it make things better? Only time will tell.
- Kudos to Christian Fauria on what he’s doing for Bryant University students. The longtime sports radio host, TV analyst and former NFL Tight End is taking 10 kids to radio row to broadcast live during the week of the Super Bowl. It’s great to see talented people like Christian helping prepare the next generation for what lies ahead.
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Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
