I Don't Know What The F@ck I'm Doing

Welcome to Episode 2 of I Don’t Know What The F@ck I’m Doing: “The Ballad of Pat McAfee”. Alright, you caught me. This isn’t really a Ballad. Do I know what a Ballad actually is? I do not. But I for damn sure know it sounds cool!

The story of Pat McAfee started in a quaint little town called Plum, Pennsylvania. Imagine the perfect start to the career of a man idolized by most of America’s college aged males and sports lovers. Now take whatever you just imagined and make it better. You MIGHT be getting close to how Pat got started. During his senior year of high-school, Pat needed about $1500 to fly to Miami for a football kicking camp highlighting top prospects. Coming from a working-class family, he couldn’t afford the ticket. So, he did what any determined young man would do. He entered an illegal poker game in the basement of an Italian restaurant. Surprisingly, Pat hit it big with a Full House (Jacks full of 9’s for those wondering) and walked away with enough money to attend the camp. While at the camp, he impressed and won the competition by drilling nine consecutive field goals. These ranged from 25 yards, all the way up to 65 yards. He narrowly missed from 70, but he had the distance. Upon returning to school the next day, representatives from WVU were waiting to offer him a scholarship, along with the trophy that he forgot at the competition.

After a college career in which Pat earned several national awards, including being selected as an All-American and being named 2007 Big East Special Teams Player of the Year, he was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 7th round (Pick 222) of the 2009 NFL Draft. He went on to be a multiple time Pro Bowler and even took on kickoff and punt duties in Super Bowl XLIV in 2009, where the Colts were defeated by the Saints 31-17. (#WHODAT).

Pat eventually retired from the NFL in February of 2016, citing his 3 knee surgeries as the main reason. Since then, Pat has built up an impressive resume of appearances and deals. These include appearances as a host on College Gameday, a commentator and wrestler on WWE, and as an analyst on primetime games as well as the Super Bowl. Oh yeah, did I mention that all of this is his “side gig”?

Now for the interesting part. Since the dawn of broadcasting, the ideal talent has been clean cut, professional, and absolutely not dropping f-bombs on tape. Then you have The Pat McAfee Show. The Pat McAfee Show is a daily sports talk show where Pat and his crew regularly get up to ridiculous antics, curse like sailors and pretty much have free rein to do as they please. Despite being opposites from mainstream sports talk - these guys CRUSH it! After departing from the NFL, Pat immediately transitioned into a role at Barstool Sports where he founded The Pat McAfee Show. The show operated under the Barstool umbrella for two years until 2018. After departing from Barstool, Pat and The Boys (his crew) then hopped around a bit, securing deals with DAZN in 2019 and Sirius XM in 2020.

Their biggest move until recently was made on December 9, 2021, when Pat announced a four-year $120 million deal with Fanduel, making them the exclusive provider of The Pat McAfee Show for the near future… or so they thought. On May 16, 2023, the news broke that The Pat McAfee Show would be walking from their contract from Fanduel to join ESPN for an undisclosed amount (sources put it over 8-figures per year.) Fans of the show expressed a mixture of excitement for the show and worry that it would become “sanitized” as they were acquired by the company that owns Disney. Pat quickly addressed the concerns on his show making the statement that they are “too dumb to change” and that the only difference would be a reduced use of a certain 4-letter word (spicily displayed in this blog title). The show will begin broadcasting in their new home this fall.

What. A. Rollercoaster. From a small-town Pennsylvania kid to one of sports talk’s most prominent personalities. Even Pat can’t do anything but be amazed, he regularly speaks on air about how he considers himself to be the luckiest man alive. Throughout the entire journey Pat has managed to stay true to his personality and make deals that continually enhance the brands success. Over the years Pat and The Boys have provided unique commentary, built a dedicated fanbase, and gained new support from ESPN that almost guarantees their presence for many years to come. I, along with many others, am looking forward to seeing where he ends up.

This wildly successful outcome for Pat makes me wonder how I can go about finding even one thing I love and excel at. Also I need to be paid for whatever this mysterious thing is. Oh well, that’s a problem for another day, right now I am content (stressed!) with flying by the seat of my pants.

Hopefully that little spiel got you interested in the awesomeness that is The Pat McAfee Show, or in my future attempts to enlighten myself and the world. Anyway, thank you for reading and tune in next week for another episode of I Don’t Know What The F@ck I’m Doing.

Much Love.