ESPN personality Pat McAfee once again drew attention to media coverage of his antics during Saturday’s broadcast of “College GameDay,” shedding his shirt and climbing atop his chair in front of a large crowd of Utah fans.
Just minutes past 7 a.m. local time in Salt Lake City, as the program focused on Utah’s undefeated start, McAfee began unbuttoning his shirt. The gesture has evolved into a weekly tradition since he joined the popular college football pregame show. Turning toward former Alabama head coach and fellow analyst Nick Saban, McAfee directly referenced media scrutiny.
“New York Times already saying it,” McAfee remarked to Saban. “This asshole is shirtless at 9:02 a.m. Eastern. Sorry, Coach. I’m ruining the whole sport. I’m ruining the whole sport because of this. I just enjoy it too much not to have a good time.”
McAfee claimed he had not planned to remove his shirt during the broadcast, but changed his mind after estimating that thousands of gathered fans were chanting for him to do so. He later defended the spontaneous moment, arguing that the atmosphere surrounding college football should remain unpredictable and passionate.
“I guess the energy of college football is not supposed to be one that the suits get upset if a man ends up shirtless at 7 a.m. in Utah,” McAfee said during the segment. “It’s supposed to be wild. It’s supposed to be chaotic. It’s supposed to be the best atmosphere in all of sport. No matter what country you’re in, college football is the best. The fans are the greatest.”
The on-air moment marked McAfee’s second consecutive week referencing media coverage on the program. During the previous week’s broadcast while analysts broke down James Madison’s undefeated start, host Rece Davis joked about Billy Napier — now leading JMU — remembering how to coach after being dismissed by Florida. After Davis clarified it was a joke, McAfee jokingly warned him, “New York Times is gonna write an article about you! Don’t do it, Rece.”
Those remarks appeared to reference a published column discussing McAfee’s dominant presence on the program, which suggested that his frequent appearances make it harder to view the broadcast as a universal gathering place for all fans despite strong ratings this season.
McAfee, a former Indianapolis Colts punter who has built a successful post-playing media career anchored by his daily multi-platform show on ESPN and YouTube, continues to be a polarizing figure in sports broadcasting. His expanded media portfolio recently included an alternative broadcast for “Monday Night Football,” which drew 351,000 viewers.
