Aaron Rodgers continued to show his weekly look on the Pat McAfee present right into a circus on Tuesday, persevering with to spout conspiracy theories in regards to the COVID vaccine, ABC speak present host Jimmy Kimmel and took pictures at ESPN government Mike Foss.
It did nothing to silence the storm that erupted every week in the past when Rodgers continued his feud with Kimmel, setting off every week of controversy for this system, McAfee and Rodgers himself.
New York Publish media critic Andrew Marchand wrote one other column in regards to the present on Tuesday, arguing that McAfee’s present is becoming an $85M disaster for ESPN.
The community introduced McAfee on this previous 12 months and gave him complete management to proceed doing his present the best way he did when it was streaming. They’ve additionally tried to make him one of many stars of the community, discovering spots for him on School Gameday and main school soccer broadcasts.
However all of the deal has carried out over the previous couple of weeks is create complications for ESPN, nearly totally because of the weekly presence of Rodgers (who’s reportedly paid handsomely to be there).
Rodgers has used his weekly look as a platform to share his conspiracy theories on just about each topic he thinks he’s an professional on, whereas additionally spreading baseless rumors about Kimmel — one in all ABC and Disney’s greatest headliners and moneymakers.
What’s most baffling about all of that is no one must be doing this.
McAfee has a large enough following impartial of Rodgers that he doesn’t have to carry his circus act on as soon as every week to usher in viewers.
He additionally has a large contract with ESPN to be one in all its greatest headliners and might merely run his present the best way he does for the a number of hours per week the place Rodgers is just not a visitor.
Rodgers definitely does not want the additional cash, and it does nothing to “get rid of the BS” that he talked about concerning the Jets and what they should do to win. The one “BS” oozing out of the Jets group is all the things that comes out of Rodgers’ mouth when he makes these appearances.
At this level it is nearly as if McAfee and Rodgers are trying to be renegades and simply defy authority as a result of they will. Virtually as whether it is only a large joke to them.
What is just not a joke for ESPN — or for McAfee within the large image — is that his present’s TV scores usually are not doing sufficient to justify his wage or the circus tent he retains propping up for Rodgers.
As Marchand notes McAfee’s present is dropping practically half of Stephen A. Smith’s viewers from First Take, which isn’t the form of factor ESPN is paying large cash for. McAfee mustn’t solely be anticipated to take care of that viewers, but additionally construct on it.
He isn’t. So long as he isn’t it creates the query of how lengthy ESPN will assume all of that is price it. Not solely when it comes to Rodgers’ appearances no the present, but additionally McAfee typically.
