This will not be (completely) successful piece on Pat McAfee. It’s extra about how we should always categorize what McAfee does, as a result of The Athletic — you recognize that sports activities web site owned by The New York Times — named him its Sports Media Person of the Year, and that suggests that he’s a journalist.
What McAfee does has notes of journalism. He has a present the place he interviews athletes, talks X’s and O’s on ESPN College Gameday, and fills the function of analyst on WWE’s Friday Night Smackdown, which is loosely a sport. (Deadspin covers wrestling prefer it’s a sport, however nitpicks storylines as in the event that they had been status TV.)
However, McAfee is simply as a lot a journalist as he was a soccer participant. Punters and kickers are folks, too, but when Jay Feeley calls a recreation the one time I worth what he says is when it pertains to the kicking recreation. The similar logic applies to McAfee.
Unless he’s dropping his shit over a punter, the remainder of what he says — whereas knowledgeable — ought to be handled as leisure. He had one groundbreaking second this yr, which I’ll get to, and the way in which it was dealt with was not in any class I took. (I’ve a communications information editorial diploma, which is half the explanation for this rant.)
I believe McAfee is nice on Gameday, and that’s an ideal discussion board for his schtick. He can name Peyton Manning “Sheriff,” co-conduct the UT band, and backflip into the Tennessee River all he desires. Being charismatic doesn’t make him any extra of a journalist than Lee Corso.
The Athletic lauding McAfee as this beacon of the business overlooks the missteps he deliberately makes. Dan Patrick is pleasant with a number of athletes, too. However, when he has one on, they’ll anticipate a tricky query or two. McAfee has unfettered entry to Aaron Rodgers as a result of he lets Rodgers say something he desires, and McAfee nods like he’s the Green Bay QB’s therapist.
Real journalists would rebuke No. 12 for his stance on the vaccine, and name him out for making an attempt to tie inoculations to the “woke mob.” Just as a result of it’s coming from largely Democrats doesn’t make it woke.
McAfee did break the most important Rodgers story of the yr. The QB first revealed that he’s no extra immunized than the subsequent loon taking ivermectin, and may’ve obtained a shit ton of pushback if not an outright giggle when he stated he sought out podcaster Joe Rogan for recommendation on different vaccines.
Who awarded Rogan a Ph.D.? I do know he didn’t get one from an accredited college. But no, McAfee regarded on with that “I’m listening” face as if it was 3 a.m. and Rodgers was pitching him his thought for a bar and grill.
Other journalists did yeoman’s work in 2022, and a man like Baxter Holmes — a James Beard Award winner — whose reporting led to Robert Sarver placing the Phoenix Suns up on the market, deserves some acknowledgment. How concerning the New York Times’ Jenny Vrentas*, who dug up the story detailing Deshaun Watson’s assembly with 66 completely different masseuses over a 17-month span, and discovering that the Houston Texans enabled their QB’s habits. The Texans have since settled a swimsuit over the accusations, and all of the thorough reporting undoubtedly performed a consider Watson’s suspension being appealed and upped to 11 video games.
(*As said above, the NYT truly owns The Athletic, which is hysterical as a result of they got down to finish newspapers. Even if it wasn’t a battle of curiosity, Vrentas isn’t profitable The Athletic’s award.)
I get that almost all sports activities media followers most likely have by no means heard Vrentas communicate, or seen her do a gainer off a houseboat. The solely time Holmes will get air time is for random hits about items he’s penned. In the grand scheme of sports activities journalism, these tales are considerably extra vital than McAfee’s model of reactions.
Now that sports activities media has devolved from truly reporting tales to reacting to video games with inane arguments that can by no means be settled, the loudest, most likable individual will get the award mainly for not being overwhelming. (Yes, I’m completely conscious of how ironic that is as I’m writing it.) So a lot about how we really feel towards broadcasters or personalities comes from whether or not they’re new or contemporary. Tony Romo was nice till it grew to become an act. I didn’t fall for it as a result of fuck the Cowboys, however I believe even Jim Nantz is getting sick of Romo’s power.
The neatest thing about McAfee is he’s tolerable. That’ll get examined quickly sufficient as he turns into more and more omnipresent. As it stands, he’s fucking unbelievable — that was sarcasm — which is why he was named The Athletic’s People Person Media Person of the Year.
If you’re questioning what’ll draw extra clicks: McAfee or hard-nosed investigative journalism? It’s McAfee. I even wrote about him earlier this yr, and it skewed positively as a result of he is excellent at his job. What precisely is his job — that’s a special story.