College Game Day is an institution and adding the likes of Pat McAfee and Nick Saban has fellow pundits purring.
Rece Davis, a Game Day veteran and superb analyst, believes the networks love the type of energy the like of McAfee brings to a team.
“He’s a great teammate, and he doesn’t have to be,” Davis postulated on the Stuck in My Thoughts Podcast, “because he is the hottest thing in sports media.
McAfee has built a wildly popular on-campus Friday flair to ESPN, and his appeal to younger fans have seen supporters turn out in record numbers.
“He’s built an empire — independent of any traditional media giant. He can call his own shot, yet he has respect for our show and respect for us, that he has come in, and he has helped us elevate the show. And he’s been a good teammate along the way.”
But McAfee also appeals to any demographic it seeks as highlighted by Davis.
“He’s even winning over some of the older audience.
“My wife’s aunt is 88 years old. And when Pat first came on the show, even though she’s a huge sports fan and a huge football fan, she didn’t remember the punter from the Colts or West Virginia punter and kicker. She didn’t know who he was. So, initially, she was, just as you might expect — not a big fan — but as time went on, and she started watching him, I now say, ‘It hurts my feelings that I think you like Pat more than you like me.’ She loves all the stuff he does.”
The oft time controversial host of the Pat McAfee Show has proved that adaptability to read the zeitgeist of a moment is key.
“So, I think even the people who may be initially were like, ‘Whoa, wait a minute,’ I think if you give him some time and kind of see what he’s about, that in most cases, I think he’s won a lot of those people over, too. Not everybody, because you’ll find this…if you’re in front of the camera, if you’re putting yourself out there in the media business, a lot of people are going to look for a reason not to like you; there’s not a lot you can do about it.”
