Not every person who goes on the air and speaks confidently about a topic is a journalist. Many of them act like they are! They cite sources, speak with authority, and question guests as if they are trying to uncover a secret truth. But many of them are not journalists. They are just TV personalities who know how to be loud and speak with authority. They want to be treated with respect. But they don’t want to face the consequences of their actions. It’s just a show!
Yes, the people in question (or in this case, the person) want the best of both worlds. They demand to be taken seriously. But not too seriously! If they are taken too seriously, they need to be careful what they say and who they talk to. But they better be respected! Again, not too much, because it’s still just a fun little show they put on between their WWE appearances. You clicked the link. I’m talking about Pat McAfee.
McAfee is a former football player and current football commentator. He has a show on ESPN where he sits behind a desk (but mostly stands) and has fun with his buddies. They talk about football, life, the ineffectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and what restaurants they like. It’s a totally relaxed time, unless you ask McAfee if he’s willing to hold himself to a certain standard when it comes to misinformation.
“Define journalistic standards,” McAfee said when CNBC’s Alex Sherman asked him if journalistic standards should be applied to his show. McAfee didn’t like the question and used the opportunity to rant against a show called Awful Announcing, which he said was using his show to generate clicks by taking clips out of context. He went on to claim that he could sue people if he wanted to. Threatening to sue is always a good way to show that you’re not evil!
McAfee is just a fun guy who wants to have fun! Everyone else is just haters. “I understand you have a lot of reasons to hate me,” McAfee explained. “I think they’re misguided. I would appreciate if you would give me and my guys a chance. I think we’re helping the sports media as a whole going forward. I think we’re going to get some things wrong and we apologize for that. But if you’re going to tear us down and try to kill us, I certainly think ‘journalistic standards’ are problematic. We want to be good for sports in sports media. We want to build sports. And we would appreciate if you would just give us a fair chance.” Yeah, guys, relax!
Why did things get so heated in the first place? Someone asked about McAfee’s buddy Aaron Rodgers. In particular, they wondered if McAfee would continue to invite him on the show, giving him a platform to spread more harmful misinformation. While McAfee isn’t sure, he’s “optimistic.” He also doesn’t care about people wishing he wouldn’t invite him because Rodgers is a really good football player. “I’ve heard some people say, ‘Why is he letting this guy in? He doesn’t fight back,'” McAfee told the room. He went on to say that Rodgers “is going to be on the Mount Rushmore of NFL quarterbacks. … He’s one of the best football players of all time.”
See?! It’s OK. Everyone calm down and don’t be too serious. Knowing that one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL is an ignorant charisma vacuum is good for the sport. He was so good in 2020 and 2021, folks! So good that McAfee nicknamed him the “COVID King”! Yes, McAfee was initially “thrilled” to get rid of the guy, but happiness doesn’t bring good ratings!