SI

Pat McAfee Made a Power Move and Won Big-Time

Also in Traina Thoughts: New ‘SI Media’ podcast; Aaron Rodgers isn’t going anywhere; reality of Taylor Swift “joke” and more.

Jimmy Traina

1. “There are some people actively trying to sabotage us from within ESPN. More specifically I believe Norby Williamson is the guy who is attempting to sabotage our program.”

That was Pat McAfee calling out ESPN executive senior vice president of studio and event production on his show Friday.

McAfee wisely waited until the ESPN TV portion of his show ended before setting the sports media world on fire during the streaming-only final hour.

Maybe the thinking was that if he said it while the show was being broadcast on ESPN, the network would pull the plug or use a dump button or go to commercial.

However, it doesn’t appear that any of that would’ve happened because ESPN is taking no action against McAfee for committing the ESPN-on-ESPN crime.

The network released a statement Saturday, saying, “No one is more committed to and invested in ESPN’s success than Norby Williamson. At the same time, we are thrilled with the multi-platform success that we have seen from ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ across ESPN. We will handle this matter internally and have no further comment.”

This is a HUGE win for McAfee.

First, let’s get to McAfee’s claim about Williamson. On Thursday, the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand wrote a piece that was critical of McAfee’s television ratings. McAfee deduced that Marchand was getting his information from Williamson and let the world know about it.

Based on reaction from former ESPN on-air talent and off-the-record conversations I’ve had with past and present ESPN people, I can tell you many suspect Williamson has a history of leaking. The fact that ESPN didn’t take any disciplinary action against McAfee can also make one believe that McAfee's claim against Williamson is true. Think about it. McAfee accused Williamson of leaking. He accused him of leaking wrong ratings. And he accused him of sabatoging his show. And ESPN took zero disciplinary action against McAfee. And good for McAfee for defending himself. And good for McAfee doing what he felt like he had to do to get the negative leaks about his show to stop.

McAfee is in the enviable position of (a) not needing ESPN and (b) not giving a s---. That means he can get away with a lot more than others at the World Wide Leader. But even with McAfee’s power, ESPN absolutely would’ve punished McAfee in some way, shape or form if his claims about Williamson were not true.

What strikes me the most about this saga is Williamson’s sloppiness and foolishness. And the shortsightedness of people evaluating McAfee’s success based on TV ratings.

For anyone to evaluate McAfee’s show solely based on television ratings is just disingenuous. ESPN didn’t get in bed with McAfee for television ratings. McAfee’s digital reach is enormous. You can’t judge McAfee’s show without including the numbers he generates on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

It just doesn’t work this way anymore and it especially doesn’t work this way for a show like McAfee’s, which is a major player in the sports world. And forget the numbers for a minute. The guests that appear on McAfee’s show alone make the show relevant and important.

The real question in all of this is why doesn’t Williamson like McAfee? Does he not like the fact that McAfee doesn’t need ESPN? Does he not like that McAfee’s outlandish personality is unlike anyone else’s at ESPN? Was Williamson upset about the headache ESPN executives had to deal with last week after Aaron Rodgers connected Jimmy Kimmel to Jeffrey Epstein on McAfee’s show? Could it be all of this?

Whatever it is doesn’t really matter because the top dog at ESPN, Jimmy Pitaro, likes McAfee and that’s all that matters and that was made very clear this weekend.

2. Another layer, as I mentioned, to this whole McAfee-ESPN flare-up is Aaron Rodgers. While Rodgers went too far last week with his comments on Jimmy Kimmel based on the fact that ESPN issued an apology, it’s mind-boggling to me that people think ESPN is unhappy with the Rodgers appearance or that ESPN would consider axing Rodgers from McAfee’s show. If you don’t think ESPN and McAfee LOVE the attention that Rodgers gets them each week, you don’t know how the media game works. Yes, last week may have been a little too much for ESPN since Rodgers pissed off a Disney employee in Kimmel, but ESPN isn’t going to start a war with McAfee over Rodgers.

As long as every sports site and blog and people on social media breathlessly cover all the stuff Rodgers says to McAfee each week, ESPN will continue to welcome him with open arms. Rodgers loves playing this game. And the media loves playing the game with him.

3. While Traina Thoughts was off last week, I did record a new SI Media With Jimmy Traina episode. Topics covered during the episode include the controversial ending of the Lions-Cowboys game, the ridiculous takes that followed and how the NFL has handled the situation; huge ratings for the Alabama-Michigan college football semifinal and the ridiculous start time for the Washington-Texas semifinal; the best play-by-play person in college football; The Rock's return to Monday Night Raw and how he set up a future match with Roman Reigns; a review of The Iron Claw; the Aaron Rodgers–Jimmy Kimmel feud; Ian Ziering’s fight with a biker gang; why SiriusXM’s new app is a disaster; and much 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 Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

4. I’m fully aware that any perceived slight toward Taylor Swift has to be treated like a five-alarm fire, and that most people completely lose their minds when it comes to anything related to Swift and she always has to be made out to be a victim, but the reality of this “joke” that comedian Jo Koy told at the Golden Globes last night was not making fun of Swift, but making fun of networks that carry the NFL.

5. Fox’s lead NFL play-by-play broadcaster, Kevin Burkhardt, is having some fun after ruining the perfect season of Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who was 35-of-35 on field goals before Burkhardt’s classic announcer jinx.

6. I sent out this tweet Saturday night during the Texans-Colts game.

I was stunned by the reaction and how many NFL fans still didn’t know that a wild-card game was going to air exclusively on Peacock’s streaming service. Now we know it will be the Dolphins at Chiefs on Peacock this Saturday night. I’m kind of surprised the NFL would bury Patrick Mahomes on a streaming service, but here we are. If you read this column regularly or follow me on Twitter, you know I’ve said a million times that this is the worst time ever to be a sports fan when it comes to what you have to pay to watch sports. And it’s only going to get worse.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: This Wednesday will mark the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos’ debut on HBO, so we’ll be celebrating the greatest show of all time in this space. Here is the first scene from the first episode.

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.

Published
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.

Home/NFL