Longtime ESPN broadcaster Linda Cohn has voiced strong criticism of her former employer's extensive programming centered around Pat McAfee, warning that the network risks viewer fatigue. Cohn, who retired from ESPN in June, expressed her disapproval of what she described as a "lovefest" for McAfee across the network's platforms.

"I admire it all, but admiring what Pat McAfee has accomplished doesn’t mean I believe he needs to be everywhere at every time," Cohn stated on her podcast, "The Linda Cohn Show." She questioned the network's strategy, asking, "How much Pat McAfee is enough Pat McAfee?! The answer apparently was more."

McAfee's presence on ESPN is set to expand significantly. In addition to his daily show, "The Pat McAfee Show," he is joining the "Monday Night Countdown" roster and will host an alternate broadcast for "Monday Night Football." This concentration of McAfee's content could lead to a day heavily dominated by his programming during the NFL season.

Cohn outlined a potential Monday schedule that could include three hours of "The Pat McAfee Show" originating from a game site, McAfee's appearance on "Monday Night Countdown," and possibly his own alternate "Monday Night Football" broadcast. She suggested this level of saturation could lead viewers to experience "McAfee fatigue."

"They’re basically saying, ‘I like Pat, I watch Pat, I just don’t need him at breakfast, lunch, and dinner’," Cohn said. She cited an incident where ESPN's "First Take" program was reportedly cut short to accommodate the beginning of McAfee's show, an event that occurred while "First Take" was honoring ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen.

Cohn, who hosted the first "SportsCenter" in 1992, noted that ESPN has a history of favoring certain personalities. "ESPN has done this for decades," she commented. "They have their favorites. Let me tell you. And they make sure you know it over and over and over again. The viewers can speak up, say they don’t like it. But ESPN, most of the time, turns a deaf ear. They do it more than you know. Trust me, I was there."

![Pat McAfee speaking into a microphone with T.J. Watt during "The Pat McAfee Show" at Pittsburgh Steelers Training camp.]( "Pat McAfee speaking into a microphone with T.J. Watt during "The Pat McAfee Show" at Pittsburgh Steelers Training camp.")