Yikes…
Whether you call yourself a fan of Pat McAfee or not, there’s no denying that the 38-year-old has really carved out a lane for himself. He flipped a punting career in the NFL, which netted him two Pro Bowl appearances and an All-Pro nod, into a sports media empire. And now, he’s one of the faces of ESPN, all while having the freedom to do whatever he wants on the sports network.
He’s the biggest personality in all of sports, being an analyst on College GameDay, hosting The Pat McAfee Show and even making frequent appearances at WWE events, before announcing he had left the organization back in April after eight years. For me, I really don’t mind him as a TV personality. He’s incredibly entertaining, surrounds himself with knowledgeable panelists, brings in A-list guests, it’s not hard to see why people love him.
But I can also see why people hate him… he brings nonstop energy, he’s never afraid to say what he thinks, he seemingly isn’t afraid to throw a middle finger to the suits at Disney/ESPN… he’s certainly a polarizing figure. You’re always gonna have a certain group of people who hate anyone hyper successful. And then throw in the Aaron Rodgers stuff, him sitting next to Trump, etc… and now you have a certain side of the aisle that doesn’t seem to like him either. But they don’t even watch sports…
Pat has now turned his sights towards music, calling this new venture a “crazy addition” to his life, and said that his journey into music production has been as much fun as he’s ever had. That’s probably because he’s working with one of the most talented hitmakers in the entire music industry: Ernest.
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 debuted 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***.”
And this past Friday, he released the full debut album called, The Diary of a Polarizing Figure, and it’s really… something.
It’s a bit bro-country, a bit pop country/hip hop, but it’s pretty much a combination of all of the most horrific clichés in country music. We’re not winning any Grammys here. And look, we all know Pat isn’t a musician or a songwriter so we can’t judge this project through the same lens that we would actual country music artists. So while I wholeheartedly believe people should chase their dreams, and this is just Pat having fun, I would never dream of pretending like this music is good, particularly one called “Blue Collar Symphony,” which is about him growing up in Pittsburgh.
You can listen to a clip of it here, but don’t say I didn’t warn you:
@patmcafeeshowofficial The Diary Of A Polarizing Figure is AVAILABLE NOW on Spotify and YouTube. #thediaryofapolarizingfigure #bluecollarsymphony #music #patmcafee #thepatmcafeeshow ♬ original sound – Pat McAfee Show Clips
Most of the internet has spent the weekend ragging on him, and even his fans in the comments were ripping him… it’s been brutal:
“Don’t listen to the haters pat this s*** is worse than what they even say.”
“How many at ESPN were fired to fund this album?”
“I’m gonna lie this is gas.”
“Pat we love your show and you but cut this music crap out.”
“Other than being slightly out of tune, it sucks really really bad.”
“Last place in our fantasy league has to listen to this album from start to finish. I am a little worried the person that gets last would rather just quit that face that punishment.”
“Jelly Roll be shaking in his boots.”
“Isn’t Pat from Pennsylvania? What’s this southern drawl he channeled in the notes of this song? lol.”
“First time embarrassed to be from Pittsburgh.”
“See and all the liberal haters said this would be terrible, and they were right. Honestly great call by the haters.”
“I have the sudden urge to steal copper.”
“ESPN pays this man $30M a year and he’s making songs about blue collar workers.”
“Some of the worst s*** I’ve ever heard in my life, the fact that this isn’t a joke is unreal.”
“Love the show Pat but not enough people are telling you no.”
“He used every last drop of water in Pittsburgh to make sure AI could write this”
“People talking s*** on this even though this is 90% of how all Morgan Wallen songs sound lol.”
“All it took was one friend to tell him the truth.”
All I can say is, don’t quit your day job, Pat… and I know you won’t. And look, I’m sure there are fans who will enjoy this, and will tune in to support someone they admire. Music is obviously subjective and people like what they like, but man, the comments have been ROUGH.
And if you want to hear the full song… listen at your own risk:
“Blue Collar Symphony”
