Pat McAfee’s role on ESPN keeps growing, and so too does his profile in the sports media world.
MORE: Pat McAfee sends message to Hockey Hall of Fame about Jack Hughes
After taking his eponymous YouTube show to ESPN, the former NFL punter became a recurring voice on “College GameDay” and an emcee at the MLB All-Star Game’s media day. Just this week, McAfee was a conspicuous presence on the field prior to the World Baseball Classic elimination games.
On the latest episode of “The Varsity” podcast, John Ourand of Puck introduced ESPN vice president Mike Foss as “the Pat McAfee whisperer.”
Foss brushed at the notion that McAfee can engage in quiet conversation, then went on to praise the tank-topped talking head at length.
“I think Pat’s very straightforward,” Foss said. “Pat wants to win at everything that he does, and he is hyper-intelligent.”
“He is a successful talent, yes, but he produces that show,” Foss continued. “He runs that business. He has launched multiple other careers simultaneous to that business. I think anybody who spends all of 60 seconds with Pat realizes that this is a very smart, intense, driven person. So if you are willing to match that energy and also willing to learn and be humble in that moment, this is a very successful person, a very driven person.”
Call McAfee’s profanity-laced delivery and intentionally misspelled screen grabs a bit of misdirection — a nod to the blue-blooded Middle American culture that launched him to fame.
Whatever you call it, it’s working. The New York Post reported in 2023 that ESPN paid McAfee $85 million over five years to air his show.
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