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In the nearly three years since he first entered a licensing agreement to lease his eponymous daily show to ESPN, Pat McAfee’s status as a golden child has been well documented.
But in case anyone needed a reminder, it came Wednesday night.
With the Knicks’ four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals leaving a void on ESPN’s schedule—and for its advertisers—the network found itself in need of a high-profile replacement. Rather than reaching into its portfolio of sports rights, the network turned to McAfee, who delivered an impromptu two-hour “Primetime State of Sports” special featuring nearly every major league commissioner, as well as an impressive guest list of analysts and athletes.
Adam Silver (NBA), Rob Manfred (MLB), Gary Bettman (NHL), Cathy Engelbert (WNBA), Don Garber (MLS), and Dana White (UFC) each agreed to interviews, as did NBA star Tyrese Haliburton, reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, and a bevy of ESPN analysts, including Jeff Passan, Monica McNutt, and P.K. Subban.
Even Roger Goodell’s absence was filled by a joint interview featuring NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, the first appearance of the former rivals-turned-colleagues under the ESPN banner.
“This is a monumental moment in the history of sports journalism,” McAfee said as he introduced the duo.
To be sure, nobody is going to confuse a Pat McAfee special for Outside The Lines.
Throughout the show, commissioners were largely fed the same softball questions on what’s working in their leagues, plus given the chance to address any current negatives (what’s “keeping you up at night”) without much pushback. In making his intros, McAfee repeatedly praised each league as being “up and to the right”—a reference to recent ratings success, which set the tone for each ensuing conversation.
But at this point, McAfee’s friendly, jocular interview style is a feature, not a bug. (Even as commissioners spoke, the show’s ticker declared, “Warning: This progrum is a collection of stooges talking about happenings in the sports world, it is meant to be comedic informative.”) And even if the special didn’t net much new news, the former All-Pro punter’s ability to book six big league chiefs in such a short time was plenty impressive. By his own admission, McAfee had roughly 48 hours to throw together the impromptu program. He could have just as easily been on paternity leave, less than one week after the birth of his son.
While the ratings will surely pale in comparison to what would have been Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals (featuring the Knicks, no less), ESPN proudly promoted the special with more fervor than just about any non-game program in recent memory, filling social media with advertisements and clips before, during, and after its airing.
McAfee has plenty of vocal detractors. But there’s no questioning his ability to book the biggest names and make even a show predominantly filled with pre-recorded interviews feel like an event.
