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- Caroline Mercer via fox - Most Popular
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Pat McAfee blasts Utah over students mocking him before GameDay
RePat McAfee blasts Utah over students mocking him before GameDay
ESPN's Pat McAfee said Utah's official social media posting of student impressions of him before College GameDay made him uncomfortable, and the university has since apologized.
Pat McAfee said he felt "very, very uncomfortable" after the University of Utah's official social media account posted a video of students doing impressions of him before a College GameDay broadcast from the campus. The university has since apologized, saying the post was meant to be lighthearted but "missed the mark."
In the video, students mocked the ESPN host, with one calling him "corny" and another saying his shirtless bit was "creepy." McAfee said he had no problem with random students roasting him. What bothered him, he said, was the university itself amplifying the clips right before he was set to go on national television to promote the school. He also said the episode felt especially troubling given the very real safety threats he and other public figures face, and he referenced the assassination of Charlie Kirk while explaining why it bothered him.
The tension carried into the broadcast itself. By the end of GameDay, McAfee picked Houston to beat Utah and told the crowd, "I'll never see you again, hopefully." Utah's apology, however, said that Pat and the GameDay crew are always welcome back. McAfee has not indicated he plans to accept that invitation soon.
The episode was one of several sports moments from the weekend that drew attention. The College GameDay kicking contest also turned awkward on Saturday after a contestant, who had been selected for the contest, asked McAfee for $3 million to make the kick instead of the $1 million she had already been offered. The column's author questioned why a contestant with little chance of making the kick would enter the raffle at all, while noting that plenty of men also miss such attempts.
Separately, the WNBA Finals scheduling drew criticism. The Atlanta Dream normally play at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center but wanted their Finals games at the larger State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks. State Farm already had conflicts on every Atlanta Finals date, including a Hawks-Cavaliers game on Thursday night. The league shuffled Games 3 and 4 around those conflicts but had not resolved the schedule for a guaranteed Game 6 until late in the process. Game 6, in which the Golden State Valkyries could win the championship, is set to tip off Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET, which is 9:30 a.m. local time for Golden State fans. The Hawks pushed their game back an hour, and State Farm Arena staff must flip the building between games, requiring broadcast partners, security, vendors and fans to adjust.
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