Linda Cohn Questions ESPN’s Heavy Pat McAfee Push After Leaving Network

Pat McAfee will join ESPN's Monday Night Countdown.

Linda Cohn Questions ESPN’s Heavy Pat McAfee Push After Leaving Network

Pat McAfee (Image via IMAGO)

Pat McAfee is moving up in the world of broadcasting. After bringing a ton of views with his standalone show, the network decided to include the former NFL punter in their other IPs as well.

According to The Athletic, aside from hosting The Pat McAfee Show and College GameDay, McAfee will also feature in ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown. Linda Cohn, who recently retired after hosting SportsCenter for 34 years, took a sharp dig at ESPN for “McAfee-fying” everything on the network.

How much Pat McAfee is enough Pat McAfee?! The answer apparently was more.

Linda Cohn said on her YouTube channel, the Linda Cohn Show

Per Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, ESPN is close to agreeing on a deal with McAfee for a Monday Night Football alt-cast on ESPN2. Marchand noted that McAfee’s show would air during Manningcast off-weeks.

Let’s just call it ‘Monday Night McAfee.’

Cohn said
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Veteran anchor gave her thoughts on ESPN’s attempts to make Pat McAfee the face of the network

Cohn’s not the only one who reacted to Pat McAfee getting more work at ESPN. Longtime ESPN anchor Elle Duncan went on the Casuals show, hosted by Katie Nolan, to share her thoughts on the latest development.

Linda Cohn Questions ESPN’s Heavy Pat McAfee Push After Leaving Network elle duncan
Pat McAfee (Image via IMAGO)

Duncan mused that ESPN’s trying to tap into the “young, white male demo” with McAfee as their poster boy. Duncan also noted that this isn’t the first time the network has tried this method. A while back, they tried to give the job to Barstool Sports, but it did not work out.

McAfee, on the other hand, has a large audience, mostly young people passionate about sports.

It didn’t work out with Barstool; in fact, it was a very quick end to that. But I think that they’re trying to tap into that young, white male demo. It’s a big demo. I get why they want to give him that.

Elle Duncan said

Pat McAfee makes his feelings known about his increased role in ESPN

On August 19, The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov tweeted the revised lineup for ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown: Scott Van Pelt, Pat McAfee, Jason Kelce, Jason McCourty, and Marcus Spears.

McAfee reposted the tweet with a message, appreciating ESPN for entrusting him with such an important responsibility.

[Its] an honor to be a part of MNF in any capacity. I hope I can be an asset as we start the journey to The Biggest Super Bowl of all time in LA on ESPN and ABC College GameDay on Saturday.. Monday Night Countdown on Monday.. I’m the luckiest man on Earth. Football has been so good to me and my family.. I will try my best to continue to give back to it.

Pat McAfee tweeted

McAfee wrote that when he and his colleagues started the show in a basement, they went in completely blind.

No agent.. no publicist.. no manager.. no PR firm.. just a love of sport and it’s people. So thankful for it all and for all of you who have followed along with this absurdly dumb life.

McAfee wrote

According to NBC Sports, McAfee makes around $30 million/year ($17 million for his daily show and $13 million for College GameDay and other network duties), which he divides among his crew members. The new deal will double the money, an annual payout between $60 million and $65 million, with initial agent requests starting at $100 million.

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