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As DJT would say, he’s just not “hot” anymore. The sun is setting on the former Indianapolis punter turned sports media giant, going from local Indianapolis radio to a household name. His loud, audacious, unfiltered wife beater guy style once allowed him to connect with football audiences in ways that the establishment of old (cowherd, smith etc) and other retired athletes turned analysts in their five piece suits couldn’t. These personality traits and branding took pat from local Indianapolis media, to a smaller show on Barstool Sports, to sixty million dollar deals with ESPN. However, these same factors that enabled him to break into the sports media world as an outsider and climb to the top, may very well contribute to his downfall.

Much like Icarus of Greek myth, Pat flew too close to the sun. America, as a society, bears a deep and innate resentment toward men that refuse to act their age. While Pats frat-boy antics may have been amusing a short while ago, they aren’t hitting the same for audiences when his beard is starting to show fifty shades of grey. With Pat now featured on “Monday Night Countdown”, football fans are overdosing on his overbearing and over stimulating forty year old frat boy wigger personality and his constant talking over his cohosts trying to steal the segment for himself. Especially when many of his cohosts have value to add to the conversation, it’s annoying and played out. On any given Saturday, as Pat does his weekly appearance on “College Gameday” it’s guaranteed that there will be 2-4 viral tweets sarcastically talking about enthusiasm for Pat doing the same circus gorilla bit he’s been doing for years. At this point, there’s more of a demand for jokes about Pat than demand for Pats jokes in sports audiences. It doesn’t help Pats case that his analysis and predictions on the show are usually off to say the best. This all begs the question, if Pat just makes audiences cringe and doesn’t add analytical value to his appearances, what exactly is ESPN getting in return for the sixty million they’re in talks to give to Pat in his next contract (expected to be signed later this year)? Realistically, out of touch executives at ESPN are unlikely to heed this warning and will go forward with the contract. Also, to put myself in Pats shoes, even if I knew I was washed up I would keep milking the minstrel act until the cow dried up.

To quote some viral posts about Pat: “The ESPNification ruined him” “Was better as a whacky podcast guy than a serious voice in sports” “Should just own being a bought out corporate tool since the move to espn” Fred Toucher, a radio personality in Boston, says “once you work for Disney, the rebellious factor is gone. You’re a cog”. This sentiment seems to be resonating with many on the Mcafee Question.

Pat has tried to rub off the criticism by insinuating that it just comes from the camp of old guard analysts who always had it out for him. But aside from having this faction of football audiences against him, he’s also lost the 30-50 crowd due to his cussing and dabbling with substances on air not being family friendly and the sub 30 crowd due to the cringe of going to college campuses on game day and trying to rage bait college kids, not to mention ripping your shirt off as if you’re a twenty year old at kappa sig.

It’s hard to tell what the future holds for Mcafee, but longevity certainly isn’t in the cards. Hes just not “hot” anymore.