ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen passed away on Tuesday. The news broke just before 10 a.m. ET, when “First Take” was on the air. Host Courtney Cronin announced Rasmussen’s passing and then spoke briefly about his impact with Devin McCourty, Evan Cohen and Chris Canty. As Cronin was wrapping up, she took a couple seconds too long and she got cut off.
The next voice people heard belonged to Pat McAfee.
Let’s make one thing crystal clear. Pat McAfee did not do anything wrong. He was told his show was starting on-time and was ready to go. He wouldn’t have been watching “First Take” and even if he had been, they cut away at noon. McAfee simply welcomed viewers to his show when the cameras started rolling.
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Having said that… this is a real OOF moment for ESPN.
It just looks like McAfee is the only important person at the network. He is everywhere. He was hanging out with the president in a totally non-political way a week ago. He’s about to go back on the road as the face of “College GameDay.” He is starting a new season of welcoming Aaron Rodgers onto ESPN’s airwaves to say whatever he wants about whoever he wants, including the network.
The awkward transition from “First Take” looks like ESPN prioritizing McAfee over everything else, even if it’s just a slight miscommunication or timing issue on the production side.
There is no escaping him. Not on TV and definitely not online where ESPN employees have been celebrating McAfee’s new album. Dan Orlovsky and John Buccigross both expressed their support online as McAfee’s musical debut failed to impress most people.
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ESPN love for McAfee
Kirk Herbstreit was so impressed that he suggested the songs not only be used on GameDay but performed live on the show. Anyone hoping to avoid McAfee’s musical stylings might want to sit out the first couple weeks of GameDay this year.
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When you consider all that, the transition to McAfee’s intro today doesn’t actually seem so awkward. ESPN just has no choice. McAfee is happening and if you ask them about any of it, they basically just shrug and say they have nothing to do with it.
McAfee is just there. He’s on ESPN. All the time. If he’s not, assume he’s going to show up soon. That’s just the new reality.
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