Sports

Nebraska Bar Owner Acknowledges Bad Press After Pat McAfee Jello Shot Drama

by Last Updated

iStockphoto / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

West Virginia won the Jello Shot Challenge at the College World Series.


The College World Series has come to an end, and so, too, has the annual Jello Shot Challenge at Rocco’s Pizza & Cantina in Omaha. West Virginia won this year’s title, though not without drama.

Pat McAfee alleged poor treatment during his initial trip to the establishment. His attempts to support the cause were met with confrontation.

What is the Rocco’s Jello Shot Challenge?

The pizza and cantina is located right outside Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. As a result, it is one of the most popular gathering spots for baseball fans at the College World Series.

Each year, thousands travel to support their teams on the field. Many stop into the establishment to donate for a good cause.

The challenge works as follows:

Fans purchase Jell-O shots with school affiliation in mind. Numbers are posted to a leaderboard throughout the week to update standings. The team with the most purchased shots wins. Pretty simple!

Each shot costs $5. Of that, $3.50 goes to the bar, $1 goes to the specific university’s local food bank, and $0.50 goes to a non-profit in Omaha.

Pat McAfee went in last Thursday to place a large donation. He claims to have been dismissed by the owner and staff, who were apparently unhappy that he did not call ahead to place his Jell-O shot order.

The ESPN personality appeared willing to spend upwards of six figures on booze. The bar, according to McAfee, made it as difficult as possible.

Pat McAfee returned the next day.

Despite the bad experience, he returned to Rocco’s. He gave the bar the largest tip it had ever seen. McAfee took the high road for a good cause.

The bar owner referenced his donation/purchase in a subsequent post on social media. It was not enough to repair the damage created by the previous interaction.

Many believe the Jello Shot Challenge has been ruined by big business. It is no longer about regular fans buying a drink to support their team. It’s turned into a race to the top with mega-donors placing massive orders. The fun has been sucked out of the competition. It no longer feels authentic.

That does not change the fact that the challenge supports a great cause, even with McAfee pointing out that the gimmick also largely benefits the bar. Somehow, the owner was able to create negative press out of a charity drive.

With the College World Series wrapping up on Monday, a post was made to recognize the winner. West Virginia, in part because of Pat McAfee, took first place.

That post seemed to subtly reference the drama with McAfee. Ultimately, the competition is a good thing, but the bar was unable to avoid criticism for its handling of the situation.

It put a negative spotlight on a positive effort. The owner highlighted the $120K raised while being fully aware of the haters. Luckily, McAfee looked past the poor treatment to support the cause.