Pat McAfee's jump from FanDuel to ESPN is paying serious dividends. Per a press release from ESPN, The Pat McAfee Show received 242 million viewers across all platforms in its first month on the network. The weekday show, which airs in the noon broadcast slot, is simulcast across ESPN, ESPN+, and YouTube. Furthermore, the single-day peak of McAfee's first month was a live broadcast from Boulder on September 15. That show alone brought in 1.9 million viewers.
“To be rather transparent, I’m not sure any of us had any certainty of how this particular report was gonna be when this all started a month ago. We had hopes that a massive new audience provided by ESPN would give our show a chance and ESPN had hopes of us helping with the transition into the new multi platform generation of daily sports entertainment. I’m proud of my guys for their work and very thankful for ESPN’s belief in us because I do believe these numbers are telling us all that we’re off to a rather good start. We appreciate everything and everybody. We’re pumped about the continued possibilities on ESPN’s phenomenal platform. Cheers," McAfee said in a statement.
Pat McAfee Finds Aaron Rodgers' "Mr. Pfizer" Comment Hilarious
One of McAfee's most regular guests during his first month at ESPN has been sidelined Jets QB Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers gave a fairly shocking interview this week. In it, he reiterated his belief that he could be ready to return to the Jets this season. "There's nothing normal about how I'm attacking this rehab. The common practice is about six weeks in a boot, and I was in a shoe in 13 days. This is just my mindset. I believe in the power of intention, I believe in prayer. I believe in your mental status and the power of will, I believe in making room for the miraculous to happen," Rodgers said. Achilles tears, such as the one Rodgers suffers, typically take six to nine months to heal. However, Rodgers believes he can do it in four.
Meanwhile, Rodgers also spoke of meeting Travis Kelce at the recent Chiefs-Jets game. He dubbed Kelce "Mr. Pfizer" due to Kelce's recent appearance in a series of commercials encouraging people to get the new COVID-19 vaccine. Rodgers is perhaps the face of the anti-vax movement in the NFL. Additionally, he was reprimanded by the league after faking his vaccination status. However, McAfee found Rodgers' comment to be the funniest thing he had ever heard.
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