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Odd Reaction to Pat McAfee Joining ESPN Is Baffling

Also in Traina Thoughts: New ‘SI Media With Jimmy Traina’ is out; Jimmy Butler makes Kevin Harlan lose it; Charles Barkley calls out JJ Redick and more.

Jimmy Traina

Odd Reaction to Pat McAfee Joining ESPN Is Baffling
Odd Reaction to Pat McAfee Joining ESPN Is Baffling /

1. Earlier this week, Pat McAfee announced he is headed to ESPN this fall as a part of a new deal that will see his daily show air on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN’s YouTube channel.

This wasn’t a shock since McAfee teased the move weeks by tweeting a photo of himself with Disney CEO Bob Iger. What has been a shock, at least to me, is the reaction to McAfee joining the World Wide Leader.

While it’s always dangerous to use social media as a gauge, the amount of people who have expressed disappointment in McAfee jumping to ESPN because they think McAfee “won’t be able to be McAfee” anymore has been surprising.

McAfee must be seeing the feedback, as well, because he has sent these two tweets over the past 24 hours.

During his Wednesday broadcast, he also addressed the concern of his show changing once it gets to ESPN. 

While I understand the rationale behind the thinking that McAfee won’t have the freedom on ESPN that he has on YouTube right now, I’m taken aback that people don’t have more faith in McAfee, who has done nothing but make the right move after right move since retiring from the NFL.

He joined Barstool Sports right after calling it quits in the NFL. That move was a win. He left Barstool Sports and went on his own. He put his show on YouTube, and his popularity only grew, and that was a win. He then landed a $120 million deal with FanDuel. That was a win.

Do these critics not think McAfee negotiated some assurances that his show has to remain the same? Do they think ESPN is bringing McAfee over to sanitize him? McAfee had multiple offers, four according to him. You can be sure they were all for massive money. He could’ve easily gone somewhere else if he was worried about his show getting watered down. If you know McAfee, you should trust him to make the right move for himself and his show.

O.K., he can’t say the f-word on ESPN. Big deal. That won’t change the essence of the program (or as Pat says, “progrum”).

I think one of the misconceptions regarding McAfee is that because he has a dynamic personality and isn’t your cookie-cutter sports talk host that he’s the sports version of Howard Stern from the 1990s.

The truth is, if you watch or listen to McAfee regularly, he’s an overwhelmingly positive person who champions athletes, his guests and his crew.

What might be McAfee’s greatest accomplishment is that in a time when negativity and hot takes sell, he does neither. McAfee is all about passion and uniqueness. That’s why ESPN wants him. Plus his massive audience.

ESPN has always let its top talent get away with more than others, now more than ever. They’ll put up with some off-color humor from McAfee’s show in exchange for everything else that McAfee will bring to the table.

So if you’re a fan of Pat and his show, just stop worrying.

2. A brand-new episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped this morning, and it features two guests.

First up is NFL VP of broadcast planning Mike North on putting together the 2023 schedule.

Just some of the topics covered: What game did networks want the most? What’s the philosophy behind ESPN having staggered doubleheaders instead of straight doubleheaders? Is it true the league doesn’t want to waste great matchups on days when it’s guaranteed to have a huge rating? Will the league consider a team to be a permanent fixture on Black Friday? Why does the NFL feature the Raiders in prime time so much? 

After North, golf journalist Dan Rapaport from Barstool Sports joins the show to talk about the PGA Championship, what’s going on with LIV Golf, Tiger Woods’s future and much more.

Following Rapaport, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we share our thoughts on the NFL putting a playoff game exclusively on Peacock and Pat McAfee joining ESPN. We also discuss which one of us is more difficult to go away with, my recent dilemma with my  father’s birthday and more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

3. It appears TNT's Charles Barkley has taken direct aim at ESPN's JJ Redick regarding the Ja Morant situation.

Redick, while not condoning Morant’s behavior, took up for the Grizzlies star on Wednesday’s First Take.

Later in the evening, Barkley made it clear who he was calling out when he weighed in on the Morant saga.

4. Kevin Frickin’ Harlan.

5. The best tight end in the NFL, Travis Kelce, has some interesting takes on sausage. He’ll eat a sausage patty or sausage in a sauce, but he won’t eat it in tubular form. I need more of this conversation.

6. Bovada is offering a fascinating prop bet on Victor Wembanyama for the 2023–24 season.

Average Points Per Game
Over 19 -120
Under 19 -120

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date, May 18, in 1995, we saw one of the most memorable collisions at home plate in sports history.

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Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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