Maybe they’re just trying to hype up their friend…
ESPN personality Pat McAfee released his debut album last Friday, and true to its title it’s been quite the polarizing project.
The album, The Diary Of a Polarizing Figure, was brought to life with the help of country singer Ernest, but so far the reviews have been…less than stellar.
Speaking about his inspiration for wanting to make an album, McAfee said he wanted to be able to tell his side of his own story, without the narratives that often swirl around such a…well, a polarizing figure:
“For as long as I can remember my mere existence has made people hate my guts.. literally since elementary school. Teachers, administrators, other parents, you name it.. I didn’t understand it as a child but throughout my life I’ve come to realize that this is just how it’s gonna be.
I’ve been writing songs about it all for 20yrs. It’s time to let them aht.. There’s A LOT of headlines & narratives about me.. if I was to die, I’d like my kids to know exactly who and what their dad is.”
Unfortunately though, it seems the album has been just as polarizing. Many of his fans and critics alike have taken to social media over the weekend to mock the album – with some joking that the best part of the record is when it’s over:
In fact the only group that seems to have universally praised the album just so happens to be…Pat’s co-workers at ESPN.
NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky heaped praise on the album, and was promptly mocked for his takes:
(Never great when the reply has six times more likes than the original post).
And John Buccigross similarly seemed to enjoy the album:
McAfee’s College GameDay Kirk Herbstreit went a step further during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, asking Pat to perform some of the music from his album on GameDay during this upcoming football season:
“You really got some strong lyrics and sent some really good messages. … Can you maybe do some on GameDay?”
Well naturally the reaction had fans wondering: Was ESPN behind this PR push from their talent to praise and promote McAfee’s album? Or were they just supporting their friend and co-worker? (I guess the other explanation is that they genuinely liked the album…).
According to Front Office Sports though, ESPN has denied forcing their employees to promote the album:
“Amid a number of ESPN talents praising Pat McAfee’s new album this weekend, a source tells [Front Office Sports] that the network had no involvement in its production, and has no involvement in its promotion now.”
Still, it seems like anybody in sports media who has anything good to say about the album is accused of having an ulterior motive:
I guess that’s what happens when you’re a polarizing figure like Pat McAfee…
Ernest On Helping Bring ‘Diary Of a Polarizing Figure’ To Life
Ernest and Pat McAfee were introduced to one another through Jelly Roll, and the “Flower Shops” singer told us here at Whiskey Riff that the two of them immediately hit it off:
“When I was on tour with Jelly Roll, he was like, ‘I’m gonna go do Pat McAfee this morning if you want to roll with me.’ I rolled with him. I was wearing my ‘Legalize Country Music’ jacket. Me and Pat bro-ed down. Jelly connected us. Pat had mentioned he wanted to do music and Jelly was like, ‘I gotta connect you with Ernest.’ Which is crazy. I guess I’m the guy for that.”
Pat and Ernest first worked together to release a song titled “Dookie,” which was released back in December, and the country artist says they busted out eight or nine songs that could be perfectly inserted into any sports video game:
“We’re having a blast. We went in and cut eight or nine songs with a band. Pat flew into town and cut vocals. We were coaching him through it. He’s got songs… some of them are ridiculous, but they’re true story type s*** that Pat McAfee is writing.
His story is insane. There’s a lot of that struggle coming up and beating the odds stuff. You could hear it as you’re creating a player on Madden. Any EA Sports game should have a Pat McAfee song on it. It’s locker room hype s***.”
Maybe we’ll hear it on GameDay this season.
