Get the latest gossip
Pat McAfee Shatters Old TV Rules and Shows How Much ESPN’s Game Is Changing
Pat McAfee's ability to flout longstanding ESPN policies comes as the network faces new challenges in trying to cultivate ties with younger audiences
In 2017, ESPN pulled the plug on a reworked version of its 6 p.m. “Sports Center ” that allowed co-hosts Jemele Hill and Michael Smith to talk about social issues and broader cultural topics, and even advocate certain positions. ESPN in 2018 pulled its colorful former host Michelle Beadle off of the then-nascent morning program “Get Up” after she announced on the show that she was no longer watching football due to the way the sport treated women — just before the NFL and college-football seasons are set to begin in earnest. McAfee’s hire in some ways reflects that, as ESPN seeks to keep current with aficionados who can find any number of outside podcasts, videocasts and audio programs that chew up the issues of the day that have little to do with touchdowns, home runs or free-throw percentages.
Or read this on Variety