Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and guest picker Johnny Manziel on the set of College GameDay Built by the Home Depot. Photo by Joshua R. Gateley / ESPN Images

Even before he arrived, the relationship between Pat McAfee and ESPN brought with it many questions.

While the Disney-owned company was excited to license his daily show with a lucrative deal, the timing rightly or wrongly led to some questionable optics. The Pat McAfee Show’s brash Barstool-adjacent presentation took some viewers a while to get used to, and that was before the infamous Aaron Rodgers interviews kicked in. There have been other hiccups along the way as well.

However, one year in, McAfee’s arrival has been deemed a success by all involved. He’s since become an ever-present face across ESPN channels, arguably becoming the face of College GameDay and injecting his brand into alternative broadcasts and other special showcases. The show has become a must-stop for A-list players and coaches while also showcasing sports that other flagship ESPN shows have struggled with.

One looming question that has continued to linger over the show and, more specifically, ESPN’s interest in it, is whether it’s financially lucrative for the company. Linear ratings for The Pat McAfee Show don’t exactly blow the doors off, though the YouTube and social media numbers excel. It’s worth noting that most of that YouTube success goes directly to McAfee’s channels, not ESPN’s.

So how does that translate to success when ESPN tries to figure out if it’s getting its money’s worth from McAfee?

“Pat is really helping the broader ESPN brand with younger people,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro told Puck’s John Ourand on the latest episode of The Varsity. “If you were to ask our employees what our priorities are, I believe that, to an employee, they’d be able to tell you our four business priorities, one of which is audience expansion. Audience expansion means a bunch of things, but first and foremost it means attracting and speaking to the younger demographic.

“We all know how challenging this is today and how many options younger people have. If you ask me, John, what keeps me up at night? Really, it’s that. That is in part why we went ahead and did the deal with Pat and licensed in his show.”

Pitaro added that a need to grow its presence across all social media platforms is critical for ESPN.

“We have to continue to think about how we can do more of that and how, for example, we show up on social platforms,” said Pitaro. “One of the things that I said, I think going back seven years now is we have to be on social platforms and we have to be there organically natively. It can’t just be marketing. It can’t just be us taking clips from SportsCenter and putting them on Instagram or TikTok or Twitter.”

Pitaro bristled at the notion that anyone would still refer to ESPN as a “network.” Instead, he sees the company as a “multi-platform ecosystem” that needs someone like Pat McAfee to help expand their brand into different arms of that ecosystem.

“We have networks. That’s one part of what we do. But we are a multi-platform ecosystem,” he said. “And bringing this back to Pat and your point or your question on YouTube, that audience is a big part of our strategy here. I get it. People historically, and we’re even guilty of this, when things go well with linear ratings, we’re the first to talk about them. I totally understand why the focus is on the linear side. But for Pat’s show, you have to look holistically. Again, the reason why we licensed in the show was to attract the younger audience in large part. And younger audiences are across these platforms.

“So when we look at the value that Pat is bringing to ESPN, it has to be looked at through a multi-platform lens.”

Ourand then wondered, if McAfee has found so much success with his YouTube and social presence, why haven’t other ESPN talent and properties followed suit?

“I actually do think it’s a template. You’re right in that today it’s just The Pat McAfee Show,” said Pitaro. “Are there other opportunities to really be cross-platform? We have to get away from this idea that we are going to value ourselves or our success based on linear ratings. It is a piece of the puzzle here, and it’s important and will continue to be important, but it’s just one piece. We will judge ourselves based on the totality of people that are accessing ESPN across various platforms.

“But I do think that what we’re doing with The Pat McAfee Show could apply to other programs.”

[The Varsity]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.