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Former Indianapolis Colts player Pat McAfee added ESPN to his portfolio. alongside his "Fan Duel" contract worth $120 million. He will appear as a sports analyst in the popular "College GameDay" show. The network also hosts his "Pat McAfee Show."
The popular analyst joined a renowned cast including show host Rece Davis who runs the three-hour show.
Lee Corso, 88 years old, has been a mainstay since the show made its debut in 1987. He had a stroke in 2009 that left him partially paralyzed; he now has to memorize a script before the show. He once spoke about his unique circumstances.
“It hurts me not to be able to communicate like I used to,” Corso said, “I used to be pretty good at coming back, you know, quick one-liners. I don’t have spontaneity, I can’t do that as much now. … Every single week, I memorize the show, so that when I get on, I can actually do it. It gets frustrating because I want to be able to be like I was.”
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In addition, Kirk Herbstreit and 1992 Heisman winner Desmond Howard are mainstays on the show.
The cast is joined by reporters Jess Sims and Jen Lada who add to the fan engagement of the show.
Why did Pat McAfee receive backlash for joining ESPN?
When it was announced that Pat McAfee would get a slot for both his "Pat McAfee Show" and ESPN's GameDay, he received a lot of backlash from various quarters.
The move by ESPN to acquire McAfee's show from "Fan Duel" cost the network $85 million over a five-year contract.
At the same time, the network let go of up to 20 well-regarded reporters and analysts. This anguished fans who saw the exorbitant payment as the cause of the sackings and defections.
The sports analyst took to X to explain his version of events:
“We’re very pumped to be joining ESPN and our goal is that ‘Mass exits’ are never a thing again... we hope to help that... obviously, that’s a lofty goal but, that’s how I truly look at life…"
He continued his explanation, paying homage to the departed reporters and analysts:
"I wish we could’ve worked alongside a lot of the folks that got released today. Some absolute legends, that we all respect, in the sports media world were trending today for losing jobs. That sucks.. no matter how you slice it.”
McAfee will have to work extra hard to win fans who enjoyed David Pollack's work.
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