On Tuesday, The Washington Post published a story detailing Pat McAfee’s controversial first few months at ESPN.
But while much of the story focused on the reaction within “The Worldwide Leader” to McAfee seemingly playing by a different set of rules than the rest of the company, it also included some details about his run at his previous employer, FanDuel.
Most notably, McAfee was reportedly “upset” that the gambling giant used Rob Gronkowski—and not him—for a Super Bowl ad that saw the former NFL tight end attempt a field goal with $10 million in bonus bets on the line for customers earlier this year. “The Kick of Destiny,” which included a month-long buildup, received widespread attention in both the football and advertising worlds.
It’s unclear how upset McAfee was about the snub, as the report only notes that “McAfee was upset when the company used Rob Gronkowski to kick a field goal in its Super Bowl ad last year instead of him, according to people familiar with the relationship.” But it’s worth wondering how much of a role it might have played in the fracturing of the relationship between FanDuel and McAfee, who announced he was taking his show to ESPN three months after the ad aired.
As for McAfee’s gripe, it would be tough to argue that FanDuel didn’t make the right decision in going with Gronkowski, who is an “exclusive brand partner” with the platform. While McAfee has a sizable and loyal following, he’s not nearly as famous as Gronkowski—a four-time Super Bowl champion and arguably the most recognizable member of the New England Patriots dynasty not named Tom Brady—is to the casual fans the ad was targeting.
While McAfee—a former All-Pro punter in the NFL who also handled kickoffs, and a college kicker and punter at West Virginia—training for and attempting the kick surely would have been entertaining, it likely wouldn’t have received the same mainstream buzz that Gronkowski helped generate. It is, however, worth noting that a FanDuel source told the Post that “McAfee was the top talent for converting his viewers into gamblers” during his run on the platform.
McAfee’s belief that he should’ve been used for the spot over Gronkowski shows where he views himself in the sports entertainment landscape. And considering his success, it’s hard to blame him, even if in this particular instance, FanDuel was right. If nothing else, McAfee would’ve been more likely to make the kick than Gronkowski, who shanked it.
