Pat McAfee Slams Survey Showing Low Popularity Numbers on ESPN Show: ‘I’ve Never Been Friends With a Human That Reads The Athletic’
Jesse Beals/AP
A survey from The Athletic revealed that Pat McAfee’s support on ESPN’s College GameDay is waning.
In response, McAfee took a shot at The Athletic and its readership.
Last Tuesday, the outlet posted its annual College Football TV Survey. In the survey, fans were asked questions ranging from their favorite commentary team to their thoughts on conference realignment.
One question asked fans what they thought of McAfee on the beloved Saturday college football talk show. According to the survey, just 30.1% like his addition to the show, while 48.9% don’t like it. The other 21% had no opinion.
In some of the comments added by the survey participants, one person claimed they no longer watch the show because of McAfee. Another said McAfee “adds great energy” to the show and they didn’t understand why he’s become so disliked.
On Saturday, McAfee finally addressed the survey.
“This has been brought to my attention more than a few times over the last few days,” he said in a tweet. “I’ve never been friends with a human that reads The Athletic so I’m not 100% sure what style of human these 3,100 folks are but…
“HUGE (shoutout) to the 30%… Hell yeah.”
McAfee also hinted at possibly not returning to the show next year and acknowledged the significant pushback he’s received.
“To the 49%, I have some great news,” he continued. “I have heard you all very loud and clear since the beginning of my stint with GameDay. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I have not (re-signed) a contract with the legendary show. I’m not right for some crowds and the “distinguished” College Football folks are definitely one of those.
“Excited to enjoy the rest of this year, that’s shaping up to be a GREAT one, and then see what the future holds.”
Since joining ESPN, McAfee has also proven to be a polarizing figure on his own show. He’s faced waves of criticism over the last few weeks due to Aaron Rodgers going out of his way to remind viewers he’s against the Covid-19 vaccine.
