ESPN issues defiant response amid major Pat McAfee drama and College GameDay criticism

ESPN has launched a staunch defense of College GameDay star Pat McAfee after a poll claimed he was becoming less popular.

The polarizing host has been credited with breathing new life into the show after legendary broadcaster Lee Corso’s retirement.

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But a recent survey from The Athletic has caused a stir.

It asked: “How do you feel about Pat McAfee on College GameDay?”

The result showed that 49.5 percent of voters did not like McAfee on the show, 31.6 percent were fans, and 18.9 percent were undecided.

ESPN president of content Burke Magnus took to social media and boasted about GameDay’s huge audience.

“I say that people vote with their remote controls…so if three straight seasons of record high audiences for @CollegeGameDay (before & after any measurement changes) qualifies as ‘declining support’ then sign me up for more,” he wrote.

ESPN senior vice president Mike Foss agreed, and also highlighted McAfee’s personal viewership.

“2.7 million people every Saturday feels like a complete sample size, but we could always ask the 500K daily instead,” he posted.

Pat McAfee took 2023 results personally

McAfee and The Athletic’s readership clearly do not see eye to eye.

In 2023, the same survey saw 48.9 percent of responses claim they didn’t like him.

Per Awful Announcing, the All Pro punter considered quitting at the time but ultimately decided to stay put.

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ESPN has rallied behind McAfee in a public show of faith this time and a similar poll on Barstool Sports would probably have a vastly different result.

He has found his niche with high-energy WWE-style segments that whip the crowd into a frenzy.

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His kicking competition is also extremely popular and goes viral every week, although there are reports that it may not return in 2026.

The Pat McAfee Show missed its usual slot at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, leading to outrage from confused fans.

ESPN aired The Rich Eisen Show instead with no explanation at the time.

“The Pat McAfee Show is not on-air today as Pat is getting ready for College GameDay as well as Field Pass With The Pat McAfee Show for both the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl,” a spokesperson later told Entertainment Weekly.

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