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Pat McAfee wasn’t aware that a majority of his audience doesn’t like ESPN.
Earlier this week, McAfee announced that he was moving his show over to ESPN. While making the announcement, McAfee tried to assure fans that he would maintain full creative control and that his show wouldn’t change.
Pat McAfee says he received 4 major offers, but his show will move to ESPN beginning this fall.
The program will:
▪️ "Retain full creative control"
▪️ Not change in format
▪️ Follow 'Get Up' and 'First Take'
▪️ "Not say f**k nearly as much"
▪️ Air on ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN YouTube pic.twitter.com/JAyErtE86Q— Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 16, 2023
Hello beautiful people…
We appreciate and love you all.. together we've truly changed the game.
🗣🗣 #UpToSomethingSZN UPDATE: pic.twitter.com/Yv8SpyNH0E
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 16, 2023
McAfee would immediately face backlash from fans who are now calling him a sellout and believe the show will indeed change under ESPN’s management.
Pat Mcafee selling out. Another one bites the dust.
— Tyler Helio (@TylerHelio) May 17, 2023
The Pat McAfee Show will “retain full creative control” and “not change in format” https://t.co/eSvpMBT9KD pic.twitter.com/YoIk48b4jQ
— Jacob Wayne (@wayne_sports_) May 16, 2023
During Thursday’s Pat McAfee show, McAfee admitted that he was surprised by the backlash to signing with ESPN.
“It’s been tough to go over the mentions, “It has been tough out there. I don’t think I expected that. That was a miscalculation … I think the reason I didn’t expect it is because it didn’t even cross my mind…I feel like our people are the ones that were most mad. It’s like, ‘Hey, we have a good history, do we not?’”
“I don’t know,” McAfee added. “I guess not. … Some of the things that are being said are very, very, very rude.”