Skip to main content
Join Now

Charles Barkley blasts critics of Pat McAfee's ESPN deal

Nick Profile Picby: Nick Geddes05/26/23NickGeddesNews
charles-barkley-pretty-damn-sure-he-doesnt-need-nba-title-on-resume
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Diehard fans of “The Pat McAfee Show” have expressed their concerns and criticized the former NFL punter’s move to ESPN this coming fall as part of a multiyear deal with the network.

McAfee has even admitted he’s been caught off guard by the negative reaction, saying he made a “miscalculation.”

“It’s been tough to go over the mentions,” McAfee said on last Thursday’s show. “It has been tough out there. I don’t think I expected that. That was a miscalculation. … I think the reason I didn’t expect it is because it didn’t even cross my mind. … I feel like our people are the ones that were most mad. It’s like, ‘Hey, we have a good history, do we not?’”

Ignoring the critics is certainly an option, one that NBA legend Charles Barkley encouraged him to do during a Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“I’m happy for your success,” Barkley said, via Awful Announcing. “And hey, listen. I was watching you last week and you said people are giving you a hard time for taking your new deal. Tell them to shut the f— up. Hey, who don’t take a better f—— job? Tell them to shut the f— up! I just laugh, who the f— don’t take a better job?”

“The Pat McAfee Show” will continue to air live weekdays simultaneously on ESPN, ESPN+ and the network’s YouTube channel. McAfee will continue in his analyst role on “College GameDay,” and on ESPN‘s alternate broadcasts of college football telecasts. Per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, McAfee’s show could take over Max Kellerman’s “This Just In” time slot, which currently starts at 2 p.m. ET.

Pat McAfee retaining creative control in move to ESPN

McAfee is exiting his four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel to make the jump to “The Worldwide Leader in Sports.” He will retain full creative control over the show, though he admitted there will be less f-bombs going forward.

“Our show will also be on in every airport, cafe, restaurant, house, etc, with the incomparable power of ESPN. Out of respect for that, we have decided we won’t be saying ‘f–k’ nearly as much… Every other word is good to go… everything else will be good,” McAfee said. “We will still have full creative control of the program. Why would ESPN want to license our show and then change it entirely? That makes no sense.”