ESPN Has A Pat McAfee Problem
Issue #138 — Pat McAfee's freedom to operate his show as he sees fit presents a problem for ESPN, a network known for clamping down on rebellious on-air talent.
ESPN Has A Pat McAfee Problem
When it comes to live sports, no one does it better than ESPN. They have their tentacles in nearly every major US sport. High viewership is guaranteed when it airs a live event, but during the off-peak hours when there are no sports to show, how does the network maintain viewer interest?
Enter the talk-radio format, which now dominates most of ESPN’s morning and early afternoon schedules. Their flagship show, SportsCenter, which you used to blanket the airwaves in the AM hours, has been replaced by debate-style shows helmed by Mike Greenburg and the boisterous Stephen A. Smith.
The reworked AM schedule has worked for ESPN; it has generated viewership interest and maintained ESPN’s go-to position in the mornings. Could what worked during that time period work in the late mornings and early afternoons?
Rather than cultivate a debate-style show as they did with Smith, ESPN decided to bring in an already established show to feed its sports-talk show demands, enter The Pat McAfee Show.
The Pat McAfee Show landed on ESPN’s airwaves in September 2023, with the first two hours of the three-hour show airing on ESPN, while the last hour airs exclusively on ESPN Plus and YouTube.
When it launched in 2019, the show anchored by the former NFL punter became an online hit because, according to The Hollywood Reporter, his “Blend of extreme enthusiasm and positive populism has earned him a devoted following that has grown since he left the league.”
ESPN recognized that and, wanting to draw in a younger audience, licensed his show to a five-year $85 million deal.
This should have been a perfect match between the two media entities, but McAfee’s show came with additional baggage, one of them being Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers makes weekly appearances on McAfee’s show and is allowed free reign to discuss whatever pleases him during his allotted time, from football to non-football-related topics.
It should be noted Rodgers’ appearances on McAfee’s show are paid appearances with the bill being footed by McAfee.
The non-football-related topics discussed by Rodgers have ranged from politics, his skepticism and inaccurate assumptions related to the COVID-19 vaccine to the Jeffery Epstein saga.
The Epstein saga discussion is what has brought unwanted attention to Rodgers, The Pat McAfee Show, and ESPN. Early in the year, Rodgers claimed on the show that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s name would be on a list tied to Epstein’s associates, which was to be released soon by a judge, and that Kimmel was “really hoping that doesn’t come out.”
None of that is true, but the fact that Rodgers went after Kimmel, whose show is on ABC, which is part of the Disney empire like ESPN, the network that airs The Pat McAfee Show, set off an inter-family feud that the worldwide leader in sports did not anticipate or wants to participate in.
Kimmel responded to the accusation on social media, saying, “Dear Asshole: for the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any ‘list’ other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality. Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up, and we will debate the facts further in court.”
McAfee tried to quell the brouhaha on his next show, saying that Rodgers was “just trying to talk shit” and that “We obviously don’t like the fact that we’re associated with anything negative ever. We like our show to be an uplifting one, a happy one, a fun one. But it’s because we talk shit and try to make light of everything. Some things obviously people get very pissed off about, especially when they’re that serious allegations, so we apologize for being a part of it.”
Kimmel responded by roasting Rodgers on his late-night show, further deepening the feud. Rodgers responded by saying the blowback from his comments is "the game plan of the media, and this is what they do. They try and cancel."
McAfee is not a direct ESPN employee. He is, however, a direct employee of the network when he appears on ESPN-produced shows, including College Game Day. Having his show licensed by the network affords him some independence direct employees do not have, and this is where he becomes a problem for ESPN.
ESPN does not have creative control over The Pat McAfee Show, so McAfee operates it how he sees fit. McAfee lobbed attacks toward ESPN executives during the Rodgers-Kimmel feud, calling Norby Williamson a “rat.” Rather than stop Rodgers from making appearances due to the commotion, McAfee still has him coming on the show, but with reduced frequency as a result of Rodgers' football season coming to a conclusion.
The Rodgers-Kimmel feud is a minor example of what could happen when ESPN has no control over a product that appears on its air. What happens if McAfee uses his platform to discuss a subject beyond sports? What if it is about politics or a conspiracy theory? What does ESPN do about it, then?
Currently, ESPN’s leverage is that it can take away McAfee’s exposure, but is that strong enough of a deterrent to get him to act in a manner acceptable for the sports behemoth?
McAfee’s digital influence and independence free him from ESPN’s control, and for a company that operates with an iron fist towards on-air talent that goes against the grain, see Jemele Hill, Dan Le Batard, he has presented a problem that despite being a beneficial union for on-air programming, it could undermine an image of wholesome unity.
An image ESPN has managed to embrace and learn from its parent company, Disney.
(The Hollywood Reporter, Jimmy Kimmel/X, CNN, Variety, The New York Times)
ESPN RECAP
ESPN: The network is discussing with the NFL about a potential ownership stake in the network. (New York Post)
ESPN: The sports network ran a scheme to get Emmy Awards for on-air talent. (The Athletic)
ESPN: Stephen A Smith has a serious beef with Jason Whitlock; here is how it happened. (Complex)
ESPN: Is the sports network already having a bad year? (The Ringer)
QUICK RECAP
Awards: It’s a third consecutive win for the CNN Original Series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. (CNN Pressroom)
Artificial Intelligence: CNN and Fox News are negotiating license deals with OpenAI. (Bloomberg)
Davos 2024: CNN will offer multiplatform coverage of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting. (CNN Press Room)
CNBC: The business network is going to begin selling paid courses. (Axios)
Fox News: Mike Lindell’s My Pillow ads are not showing on the network because of unpaid bills. (The Daily Beast)
Ratings: Fox News’ Trump Town, 4.4 mil, gets more viewers than CNN's GOP Debate, 2.5 mil. (Forbes)
NFL Ratings: NFL Network's 2023 regular season viewership highlights. (NFL Media/X)
NFL Ratings: CBS Sports, ESPN, and NBC Sports posted a ratings increase during the regular season. (Sports Media Watch)
Health: ABC News’ Michael Strahan reveals that his daughter Isabella had brain cancer. (Good Morning America/X)
Health: CNN's Sara Sidner reveals live on-air that she has stage 3 breast cancer. (Sara Sidner/X)
CNN: Former anchor Chris Cuomo called allegedly called Angela Rye a “tinsel crotch.” (The Daily Beast)
CNN: Is Warner Bros. Discovery still thinking of selling the news network? (The Media Mix)
Politics: Fox News can’t quit Trump. (Vanity Fair)
Politics: CNN and Fox News aired Trump’s full comments from the civil fraud trial. (New York Times)
Politics: NBC News brings back the Plan Your Vote interactive website tool. (TVNewser)
In: Christiane Williamson joins the basketball edition of ESPN's College Game Day. (ESPN Press Room)
In: Ashley Nicole Moss joins CBS Sports as an on-air talent. (Ashley Nicole Moss/X)
In: CBS News promotes Sahand Sepehrnia and Jamie Reysen. (CBS News PR/X)
In: ESPN re-signs Kevin Negandhi to a new, multi-year contract extension. (ESPN Press Room)
In: CNN announces promotions for Ryan Young and Kyung Lah. (CNN Pressroom)
In: Tennis player Nick Kyrgios joins ESPN as a guest commentator for the 2024 Australian Open. (ESPN Press Room)
Out: NBC News reporter Miguel Almaguer leaves the news organization. (TVNewser)
Out: NBCUniversal News Group lays off several dozen staffers. (TVNewser)
Out: Mehdi Hasan announces on-air that he has left MSNBC. (TVNewser)
Programming: NewsNation retools its weekend and weekday schedule. (TVNewser)
Programming: CNN Names new executive producers for its primetime and weekend shows. (TVNewser)
Programming: Scripps News partners with Politico for a new weekly series. (TVNewser)
Sports: After retiring as a coach, could Nick Saban be headed to TV? (Awful Announcing)
Sports: Fox Sports reveals its full 2024 MLB regular season schedule. (Fox Sports Public Relations)
Sports: What are the 2024 media predictions? (Sports Business Journal)
Sports: Former Villanova head coach Jay Wright loves his CBS Sports analyst gig and isn’t interested in going back to coaching. (Awful Announcing)
MSNBC: Alicia Menendez on her new weekend MSNBC show with Symone Sanders-Townsend and Michael Steele. (Axios)
MSNBC: The Weekend is the news network’s latest attempt to retool its weekend morning lineup. (The Hill)
MSNBC: What should viewers expect from The Weekend? (The Hollywood Reporter)
MSNBC: Here is how The Weekend debuted. (The Weekend on MSNBC/X)
Streaming: Will viewers flock to Peacock to watch the NFL's Wild-Card match-up? (Business Insider)
Streaming: Peacock is using the NFL Playoffs to boost subscriber numbers. (New York Post)
Streaming: Former Saturday Night Live alumni Dan Aykroyd get drinking series on Fox Nation. (Variety)
Streaming: Netflix is creating aQuarterback-style show for the NBA. (Yahoo! Sports)
Streaming: NBC News Now had double-digit growth in 2023. (Forbes)
Streaming: Former CNN anchor Don Lemon to launch a new show on X (Twitter). (Los Angeles Times)
Streaming: Dennis Miller to host three-part docuseries on Fox Nation. (TVNewser)
Streaming: Former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs is back with a far-right-fringe online show. (Forbes)
Streaming: Fox News Audio announces The Will Cain Show will be available on live video on Fox News Digital platforms. (TVNewser)
Thanks for reading the Coverage Notes Newsletter and sticking with us. A lot happened towards the end of 2023 that hindered the newsletter’s publishing. We look forward to a fruitful and exciting 2024.
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #138 - 2024