ESPN Standing Up for Pat McAfee, Whose Show Is Reportedly Profitable

Given some controversies surrounding Pat McAfee, one question I keep getting is whether ESPN brass is happy with its weekday and College GameDay star. The answer is yes.

Start with profits. For the last year, McAfee has licensed his eponymous show to ESPN for $17 million a year. But McAfee’s show is making money, said Washington Post media reporter Ben Strauss on Puck News’ Varsity podcast hosted by John Ourand.

Second, McAfee connects with the younger sports fans who are tuning out linear television, according to ESPN president of content Burke Magnus and chairman Jimmy Pitaro. As Magnus noted at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit in New York, McAfee created his show, and became a star, completely on his own before signing with ESPN. 

Third, he draws the best guest list of any show on ESPN. Who else can make a call and get Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Bill Belichick, and Nick Saban? 

Fourth, he’s been a phenomenal addition to College GameDay, giving the venerable show a much-needed jolt in the arm. His weekly field goal competition is hilarious. ESPN’s legal team wasn’t sure about the segment, but McAfee’s instincts were right. And this week’s comedic disaster from South Carolina was the funniest one yet. (With an average of 2 million viewers, GameDay is off to its best three-episode start since 2010 and second-best ever.)

“Yes, he has done some things and said some things that required us to have conversations. It’s a very productive relationship that he has with myself, with Jimmy, and Mike Foss, who essentially runs the show,” said Magnus about McAfee at Tuned In. “Pat is extremely open. Never once has he been like, despite the construct of the relationship, ‘I don’t want to talk to you guys, leave me alone.’ … It’s never been any of that. It’s always been like, ‘How can I get better?’ He appreciates the megaphone that ESPN provides to him—and to his aspirations and his business.”