Pat McAfee Taunts New York Times Again on 'College GameDay'
The ESPN personality continued his critique of the newspaper by referencing its coverage while going shirtless on air.
Pat McAfee once again directed barbs at The New York Times during Saturday's broadcast of ESPN's "College GameDay." The commentator, known for his energetic and often unconventional on-air presence, found another opportunity to reference the newspaper during the pre-game show, which was in Salt Lake City for a matchup featuring Utah.
Approximately nine minutes into the 7 a.m. local time broadcast, McAfee began his customary act of removing his shirt and climbing onto his chair. He then turned to former Alabama head coach and "College GameDay" analyst Nick Saban, remarking, "New York Times already saying it. This asshole is shirtless at 9:02 a.m. Eastern. Sorry, Coach. I’m ruining the whole sport. I’m ruining the whole sport because of this. I just enjoy it too much not to have a good time."
McAfee indicated that his decision to go shirtless was not pre-planned but was influenced by an estimated thousands of fans chanting for him to do so. This latest jab follows a similar incident the previous week.
During the October 19th broadcast, when the analysts were discussing James Madison's undefeated start, host Rece Davis made a joke about Billy Napier, then coaching JMU, recalling how to coach after being fired by Florida. McAfee interjected, cautioning Davis, "Don’t be joking on here. New York Times is gonna write an article about you! Don’t do it, Rece."
At that time, McAfee was likely reacting to a column published by The Athletic's Jerry Brewer. The article suggested that "College GameDay" had evolved into McAfee's show and that his growing presence made it increasingly difficult to perceive the program as a unified fan gathering, despite reported ratings increases that season.
McAfee, a former NFL punter, has established a prominent media career following his playing days. His ventures include a daily show broadcast on ESPN and YouTube. He was also part of an alternative broadcast for "Monday Night Football" on ESPN, which, according to The Athletic, drew 351,000 viewers.
Five days after his comments regarding the previous week's broadcast, McAfee was seen on air in Utah, unbuttoning his shirt and interacting with the crowd before resuming his analysis. "I guess the energy of college football is not supposed to be one that the suits get upset if a man ends up shirtless at 7 a.m. in Utah," McAfee said during the segment. "It’s supposed to be wild. It’s supposed to be chaotic. It’s supposed to be the best atmosphere in all of sport. No matter what country you’re in, college football is the best. The fans are the greatest."