(Video) Pat McAfee Sends out Message to People Criticizing Him for Covering Team USA’s $150,000 Bar Tab Following Historic Olympic Gold Triumph

Pat McAfee fired back at the people who criticized him for doing a favor for the men's hockey team and avoid the women's team after both won gold at the winter Olympics.

(Video) Pat McAfee Sends out Message to People Criticizing Him for Covering Team USA’s $150,000 Bar Tab Following Historic Olympic Gold Triumph

Jack Hughes and Pat McAfee inside the circle (image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Pat McAfee faced criticism for paying a $150,000 bar tab for the U.S. National Hockey Team after their Olympic gold win.
  • He defended his actions, stating that sports bring happiness and unity, dismissing the backlash as politically motivated.
  • McAfee's show has seen significant viewership growth, averaging 436,000 viewers in 2025, highlighting his influence in sports media.

Pat McAfee has had enough of the political discourse in sports. He is baffled by people who are offended for supporting the U.S. National Hockey Team. Recently, the former NFL punter was criticized for paying the bar tab of the hockey team after they won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The boys knocked out arch rivals, the Canadian National team, in the final to sit at the top of the food chain after a long wait. To celebrate the victory, they visited a nightclub called E11EVEN, where they racked up a $150,000 bar tab thanks to “vast amounts of E11EVEN Vodka, Armand de Brignac champagne, and Dame Más tequila.”

McAfee generously paid off the tab, which ticked off the liberals because the host of the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN did not do the same for the women’s team that also brought home the gold. Speaking on his show from the NFL Combine, McAfee addressed the situation.

Buying the tab [for the gold medalist team] felt like an obvious move. This is what should happen. That turns into me being a sexist, racist, everything like that. Really cool that that happens by a small number of people that we cannot let [bother us]. We would like to let them know that you will never outweigh the happiness and the unity that sports bring, so you can all eat [profanity].

Pat McAfee said

Per a report from Daily Mail, later picked up by all major outlets, McAfee agreed to pay the bar tab as a tribute to the hockey team’s achievement. As he was not able to attend the festivities himself, McAfee had sent a pre-recorded video to congratulate the athletes.

Thank you for representing the United States of America in such a great way. It was an honor to watch you win, enjoy the hell out of it. Tonight, all of your drinks are on me.

McAfee said in the recording

Of course, the aftermath of the men’s team’s victory became incredibly politicized. The presence of Kash Patel, the Director of the FBI, complicated the situation. Some alleged that he made the trip to Italy by spending taxpayer funds on flights, hotels, and other leisurely activities. The hockey team later visited the White House, appearing at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

Former NFL wide receiver calls out Pat McAfee after the bar tab incident

McAfee may champion himself as the gatekeeper of modern sports hosts, but few despise his over-the-top, “everything-goes” persona. He has successfully created an empire that can function in parallel even without being part of big conglomerates such as ESPN.

(Video) Pat McAfee Sends out a Bold Message to People Criticizing Him for Covering Team USA's $150,000 Bar Tab Following Historic Olympic Gold Triumph
Pat McAfee (Image via IMAGO)

Honestly, his following has exceeded that of major brands. He can easily cut ties and survive on his own. This shift of power agitates a few. A notable voice in this debate is retired Ravens wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who criticized McAfee for showing unequal treatment toward the two hockey teams.

Y’all want the truth about ESPN? If @PatMcAfeeShow didn’t carry that station, he would’ve been fired yesterday. He wouldn’t have been allowed to apologize 20 times like @Realrclark25. Just the facts. Crazy, right?? Different rules for different folks.

Stokley tweeted

So, basically, he is implying that if Ryan Clark can be reprimanded, then why can’t ESPN do the same with McAfee? Clark has his own gig, the Pivot Podcast. But is it bigger or even in the same stratosphere as PMS? Certainly not. If ESPN cuts McAfee from its network, the company will lose more than half of its viewership.

A report from Front Office Sports revealed that the Pat McAfee Show wrapped its most-watched year (2025) ever at ESPN. The weekday show averaged 436,000 viewers across TV/digital in its noon to 2 p.m. ET time slot during 2025, an 8% increase from the previous year.

Moreover, McAfee’s involvement in College GameDay broadcasts roped in an average of 2.7 million viewers (the most in the show’s history). His kicking contest especially helped to up the viewership by a large margin.

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