ESPN understood the gamble involved in paying a significant amount of money to add the popular yet unconventional “Pat McAfee Show” to its network lineup.
McAfee’s charm lies in his spontaneous demeanor and openness to expressing his thoughts. His show’s success was due to that, yet it also caused ESPN to be concerned about his daily on-air commentary.
Indeed, McAfee has been involved in a few controversies during his time at the company. McAfee’s show on ESPN has caused issues for the network due to conflicts with colleagues Stephen A. Smith and Norby Williamson, as well as inappropriate remarks about Nebraksa guard Keisei Tominaga and disgraced doctor Larry Nassar.
The network will be placed in an uncomfortable spot by his most recent remarks regarding Caitlin Clark.
ESPN has a stake in the success of the WNBA because they have exclusive broadcasting rights for the league. Although McAfee supported Clark and the league, his description of her was seen as disrespectful by many sports fans.
Here is all the information about McAfee’s remarks concerning Clark and the WNBA’s new group of players.
What did Pat McAfee say about Caitlin Clark?
McAfee featured a portion on his show Monday aimed at highlighting Clark’s significance to the WNBA’s prosperity.
What are the key arguments he made? Clark has been involved in four of the top-rated games in the league in 2024 and is attracting a higher average viewership per game than any other WNBA rookie.
McAfee described the current state of the WNBA as a lucrative investment. A celebrity exists. McAfee made it clear that he was not suggesting that the players change how they were treating Clark. He made a mistake when he urged the “media people” to recognize Clark’s excellence compared to other rookies.’
I want the members of the media to stop repeatedly mentioning “This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class.” “Nah, let’s just label it as it is,” McAfee stated. “The Indiana team has a superstar player who is white.”
Monday's Pat McAfee Show opened with a Caitlin Clark PowerPoint:
"I would like the media people that continue to say, 'This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class'. Nah, just call it for what it is — there's one white bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar." pic.twitter.com/psGNQXts5O
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 3, 2024
Predictably, McAfee receiving backlash for labeling Clark a “white b—” in his critique of her work. Numerous people criticized the talk show host, as well as ESPN, on social media for his portrayal of Clark. They also pointed out how he told everyone to respect Clark but used a derogatory term to refer to her at the same time.
McAfee’s efforts to admire Clark resulted in him criticizing those who claim her popularity is solely based on her race. That subject was discussed on programs such as “The View.”
Could it be possible that people simply love watching her play basketball due to her exciting and captivating skills on the court? What were her actions, her values, and her approach in pursuing her goals? Perhaps,” McAfee stated. Instead, we have to listen to individuals claim that we only favor her because of her race. She is popular solely because of the actions of the other rookies. “Well, that’s a load of nonsense.”
Maybe he saw his comment about “white bitches” as the appropriate lead-in to that discussion. In any case, it was a mistake considering the backlash he faced.
Later in the day, McAfee issued an apology for the term he used to describe Clark. He expressed that he holds a great deal of respect for her and women to say such things, and he meant the “white b—” comment to be a compliment.
Using the term “white bitch” to describe Caitlin Clark was not appropriate. Regardless of the situation.. even if we’re discussing race as a factor in some of the occurrences.. I have immense respect for her and all women to speak or think such things.
I shouldn’t have used “white bitch” as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark. No matter the context.. even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening.. I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe.
My intentions when saying… pic.twitter.com/F6OHB4gvYh
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 3, 2024
McAfee additionally mentioned that he personally sent an apology directly to Clark.
Despite McAfee apologizing, ESPN may still need to address the situation, especially since a McAfee clip was the second women’s sports coverage debate to gain widespread attention. Monday’s episode of “First Take” featured Monica McNutt calling out Stephen A. Smith for the first time.
