SerpApi.Org
As much as Pat McAfee may sympathize with the plight of the ESPN talents that just got laid off, his behavior doesn't always support it in the way fans want.
On Wednesday, McAfee announced the upcoming release of his first music album, which is set to debut in mid-August. He said in his announcement that many of the songs are about how much people hate him.
"For as long as I can remember my mere existence has made people hate my guts.. I’ve been writing songs about it for 20yrs & it’s time to let them aht.. A LOT of headlines & narratives.. if I was to die, I’d like my kids to know exactly who their dad is," McAfee said in his announcement.
Timing is everything...
Sports fans weren't amused with McAfee's album release announcement. Many accused him of engaging in poor timing by announcing his album the day after some beloved figures at ESPN were let go while he gets to enjoy a lucrative extension on the network. Others simply accused him of having low self-awareness.
"You’re not a polarizing figure, Pat. You’re a hot-take talking head who’d seize any opportunity to get rich while colleagues are being laid off in droves. No amount of PR spin or self-mythologizing changes that. In the age of social media, it’s harder than ever to control the narrative, and thankfully people can see through the (expletive)," one user on X wrote.
"Your colleagues are getting fired left and right and you decide to make an album. On par," wrote another.
"I’m a big Pat McAfee fan. Been watching his show since 2019. But putting this out as ESPN is gutting their payroll to make space for his show and First Take is kind of wild," a third wrote.
"Come on man. This is something Portnoy would do. You’re getting paid $60m and are ESPNs golden child. Please just get back to real sports content and less WWE."
"ESPN fired hundreds of people to produce this pile of garbage."
By now McAfee probably accepts that he's a hated figure and is choosing to lean into it rather than fight it or try to change his approach to content.
