We’re not exactly sure what ESPN was expecting when it invited Tony Hinchcliffe to Saturday’s edition of College GameDay. Perhaps the Worldwide Leader wasn’t aware of his performance at Netflix’s Roast of Tom Brady. Perhaps it was. Obviously, he’s a comedian, so it’s always a roll-of-the-dice from a filter perspective, and that’s putting it mildly.
The last time a comedian was on GameDay for the weekly kicking competition, Pat McAfee egged on Shane Gillis to do his famous Donald Trump impression. Otherwise, it was pretty tame. But dating back to last week, there’s at least a precedent from going above and beyond talking at a PG-13 level, with Kaitlin Olson mentioning she lost her virginity at the University of Oregon from Eugene.
In this version of “anything goes” College GameDay, Hinchcliffe, an Austin native since 2020, made not one but three not-so LGBTQ+ friendly quips in the direction of the student participating in the kicking competition. The University of Texas student, a freshman, made some arrogant comments about kicking a football, saying that as a Kinesiology (Pre-Med) student, he needed to kick the ball straight.
Hinchcliffe used that as an opportunity to talk about things that aren’t necessarily straight.
“I didn’t realize that we had three prepubescent lesbians kicking today,” he said.
We got a “Prepubescent Lesbian” and “Brokeback Bob the Builder” mention on College GameDay today! pic.twitter.com/ODNPN3OZv2
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 19, 2024
Probably not what you expected to hear when you tuned into College GameDay today! And whether you found it funny or distasteful, McAfee deserves credit for trying to shift the conversation back on track while keeping his composure.
But you didn’t think Hinchcliffe would stop there, did you?
“I mean, it’s an incredible look,” said Hinchcliffe. “He’s like Brokeback Bob-the-Builder.”
That wasn’t all, as Hinchcliffe later referred to the freshman, Max Gomez-Wright, as “Matthew Mc-Kinda-Gay,” which is also notable considering that Matthew McConaughey is perhaps among the bigger Texas superfans out there.
Also, a Matthew Mc-Kinda-Gay… https://t.co/qIKYyr8YJM pic.twitter.com/h8bbeoKIow
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 19, 2024
As GameDay tries to stay fresh and relevant, it’s a tricky balance between entertainment and ensuring everyone feels welcome.
Based on the immediate replies, and this shouldn’t come as a surprise, certain viewers likely found Hinchcliffe’s comments amusing as part of his no-holds-barred style, while saw them as out of place (and offensive) on a national broadcast that’s become a Saturday morning staple for families.
It’ll be interesting to see how ESPN handles the fallout from this one and what it means for the inclusion of comedians like Hinchcliffe on GameDay moving forward.