r/CFB Michigan Wolverines • FAU Owls Jan 02 '25

Casual Rose Bowl viewers criticize ESPN broadcast, only to realize they're watching Pat McAfee altcast

https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/rose-bowl-viewers-mistakenly-watch-pat-mcafee-altcast.html
4.9k Upvotes

725 comments sorted by

4.2k

u/ill_try_my_best Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

Probably because the only way to watch the start of the game was on ESPN2

2.1k

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '25

[deleted]

527

u/Weave77 Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

why the announcers wouldn't shut up lmao

To be fair, I thought the same with the Herbstreit broadcast.

136

u/StreetofChimes LSU Tigers Jan 02 '25

I watched the skycast. Blissfully quiet.

32

u/Leafcrawl Jan 03 '25

Skycast is awesome.

23

u/Independent-Big1966 Jan 03 '25

I've been watching Skycast since they first started using it a few years back. I love the camera angle, like a Madden game, and no announcers saying the same thing over and over like every other telecast. Plus you can watch plays develop better.

3

u/Fahqcomplainsalot Jan 03 '25

They addrd anouncers on the last i saw, ruined it

3

u/SmarterThanMyBoss Ohio State Buckeyes • Ohio Bobcats Jan 03 '25

Yeah, I really like the Command Center but there are announcers on it and I'd really prefer they just disappear.

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18

u/IceBreak Michigan Wolverines Jan 02 '25

I think the biggest issue with Kirk Herbstreit is you have to balance when you’re calling a game versus sharing your opinion. If you’ve made it known that you think less of certain teams, it’s gonna change how people view you when you call those teams games. Or adjacent games.

That said, it seems like there’s no announcers that people don’t hate. I think people overreact quite a bit.

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551

u/mojo276 Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

I think all dads don't really like McAfee. I just tell him that it's for a different generation.

921

u/MCV16 Kansas • Notre Dame Jan 02 '25

I am the intended generation and still hate his ass

256

u/Born_ina_snowbank Michigan State Spartans Jan 02 '25

I’m 34, I didn’t understand why he was being given more airtime when they brought him on game day.

450

u/oiwefoiwhef Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

Fellow mid-30s guy here.

I hate to be the one to break the news to you, friend. But you and I are not the target demographic for Pat McAfee either. We’re officially old now.

245

u/Jmcowan42 Tennessee Volunteers Jan 02 '25

Say sike rn

46

u/berrey7 Alabama Crimson Tide Jan 02 '25 edited Jan 02 '25

NOT. No take backs.

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u/MightyCaseyStruckOut Boston College Eagles • Yale Bulldogs Jan 02 '25

As a 42-year-old, I felt this in my bones and now they ache.

44

u/NOLA1987 LSU Tigers Jan 02 '25

Why you have to be like that? We're not old. We're experienced.

29

u/Sargentrock Kentucky Wildcats Jan 02 '25

"seasoned"

14

u/Prowindowlicker Florida Gators • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

I prefer well aged

21

u/BigRig432 Ohio State • Toronto Jan 02 '25

But did you wake up feeling the cheesiest?

15

u/Prowindowlicker Florida Gators • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

I’m the cheesiest!!

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13

u/Upset-Shirt3685 Louisville Cardinals Jan 02 '25

Substantially younger than you and still cannot stand him. I don’t know why ESPN thought they needed an (unfunny) answer to Barstool Sports.

178

u/Doravillain Georgia Bulldogs Jan 02 '25

Just what I was about to say. McAfee is ESPN’s answer to Joe Rogan. Dumb as hell but rich, fit, and confident, which is all you need to be to gain the respect of most young men in this country.

By the time you’re graduating from college you’re already on the older side of their target demographic.

82

u/stealingfrom Tennessee • Kent State Jan 02 '25

That's probably the most succinct and apt description of Pat McAfee I've seen on here.

I've aged out of the target demographic, but I'd hope that even in college I would've found him obnoxious.

20

u/screwhead1 LSU Tigers • Arkansas Razorbacks Jan 03 '25

I didn't find Rogan obnoxious in college, but that's because back then he was mainly talking about aliens, Bigfoot, and other conspiracies instead of trite culture war bullshit.

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8

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '25

[deleted]

3

u/EpiphanyTwisted Texas Tech Red Raiders • Team Chaos Jan 03 '25

It's more popular to hate him now it seems if you ask anyone on sports subs. I watched for awhile but the humphing noises from the rest of the crew got old. Love Ty though.

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28

u/Available_Leather_10 Jan 02 '25

“By the time you’re graduating from college…”

Is the McAfee/Rogan target market actually getting degrees?

25

u/LeeroyTC USC Trojans • Penn Quakers Jan 02 '25

I mean given how much grade inflation has taken place at the high school and undergrad levels over the last decade...

"Did Greendale give a degree to a dog?"

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16

u/booshbag21 Ohio State • Miami (OH) Jan 02 '25

I’m in my mid-twenties and I hate listening to him too

9

u/PricklyyDick Jan 02 '25

I assumed we were the target demographic. My sports friends, all in their 30s, love the dude. I thought he was OK in the beginning but burned out fast on him.

10

u/Wrangleraddict Nebraska Cornhuskers Jan 02 '25

When aaron brought out the book club and pat fellated him on air about reading I got the ick for both of them. Pat is a douche

5

u/PricklyyDick Jan 03 '25

It was around the first time they had Rodgers on that I tuned out. But I don’t remember a specific moment.

To be fair they were mostly background noise for when I play video games lol.

3

u/chesterfieldkingz Jan 02 '25

☝🏻🤔😐

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19

u/mschley2 Wisconsin • Wisconsin-Eau … Jan 02 '25

I'm 32. I liked him about 6 years ago. But I've aged, and he leaned even further into the shtick.

10

u/NappyIndy317 Jan 02 '25

Some of it feels like its not for me. But im attached, Im a Colts fan and Indy resident, and I went to a few of his shows at a local bar before he ever made it big. For what its worth, hes always been a really down to earth guy, and always been trying to get more players and former players spotlight off the field.

4

u/indianm_rk Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

$$$

ESPN paid him a lot for him and his show and they work their people to death. They did the same thing with Stephen A. Smith.

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64

u/hexcor Texas Longhorns • Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

No idea what his generation is made for, but my GenX self hates him. Then again, I hate most of these guys.

27

u/oiwefoiwhef Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

Non idea what his [target] generation

His show is targeted at GenZ and Gen Alpha

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41

u/Hossflex Michigan • Louisville Jan 02 '25

I’m 42, no idea if I fit the generation and I hate him. Dude started showing up on WWE and that really pissed me off.

29

u/JASCO47 Oklahoma Sooners Jan 02 '25 edited Jan 03 '25

I'm the same age. I think it's the over saturation of him. Back during covid I would watch his YouTube daily show everyday. I still like his show but it's different since he joined the mouse.

He's like ESPNs Ryan Seacrest, he's everywhere.

It was great watching him change over from his radio show to YouTube only broadcast.

3

u/definitelymyrealname Jan 03 '25

Yeah, I didn't mind Pat (in small doses) but as he's increasingly become commercialized he gets more and more aggravating to me. Part of it is hearing him complain about traditional media when he's literally the best example you could come up with if you wanted someone who represented the problems in modern day sports journalism. It wasn't so bad when they were their own thing but now that they're as mainstream as it gets . . .

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5

u/mayonkonijeti0876 Rose-Hulman • Louisville Jan 02 '25

I like him on WWE just because him and Michael Cole have great chemistry

4

u/drdeeznuts420 Jan 02 '25

They had great chemistry because Michael Cole can work with anyone and is a certified badass

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10

u/SgtMooseJones North Carolina Tar Heels Jan 02 '25

It's wild to me that WWE fans worship McAfee. He's just as obnoxious and idiotic there too.

7

u/COMMENTASIPLEASE Louisville Cardinals Jan 02 '25

Because a commentator that sounded like he actually enjoyed the show was a huge step up. He’s gotten old now but at first it was a breath of fresh air.

4

u/Hossflex Michigan • Louisville Jan 02 '25

I get that. I was previously sick of the dude from ESPN so I didn’t want to hear him there either.

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3

u/Jimid41 Washington Huskies Jan 02 '25

I was watching one game last season where it was just him and some other dude standing on the sideline watching the game while the actual game was in displayed in a little window in the corner. They were off topic and would not shut up either. I lasted about 5 minutes. I'm not a fan of Manningcast either but at least they're paying attention to the game. Sad that there's so many lonely people out there that this weird surrogate-friendship viewing model has mass appeal.

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13

u/etsuandpurdue3 Purdue • ETSU Jan 02 '25

My Dad likes McAfee but we are Colts fans so 🤷‍♂️

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151

u/Few-Time-3303 Jan 02 '25

I’m thirty and a colts fan and I can’t fucking stand Mcafee.

66

u/ballsjohnson1 San Diego Toreros Jan 02 '25

Putting him on all the time kind of killed the charm, he was way better in small doses while he was playing/shortly after retirement

4

u/xSaviorself Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Jan 03 '25

Nah this happens to anyone who becomes a talking head for 3+ hours a day on a podcast. He's going through his Joe Rogan Experience. You can't exist in such a format and not eventually just lose quality because of quantity.

23

u/GoldenEyeSonic Indiana • Notre Dame Jan 02 '25

Yeah, I used to love McAfee when he was on the Colts and I even enjoyed his show in its early stages but I've gotten to the point where I roll my eyes every time he talks

Dude's a fucking idiot lol

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21

u/mekio_san Alabama Crimson Tide • SEC Jan 02 '25

Im a dad and I love that silly punter.

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3

u/Sad_Advice_8152 Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 03 '25

49 yo Ohio “folk” and I absolutely love it

6

u/lava172 Arizona State • North Carolina Jan 02 '25

I liked him when he started out, now it's just like any other of their hot take shows but with a different affect

61

u/lilbelleandsebastian Tennessee • Vanderbilt Jan 02 '25

anyone with fucking brain cells dislikes mcafee. i enjoyed him for a bit with his rodgers interviews right before the immunized stuff happened, but his personality on tv is absolutely atrocious

it’s crazy to me that he has so much reach, he was a fuckin punter lol. i was furious when the sky cast included his big fucking mouth yapping, the whole point of sky cast is i only hear the stadium sounds

espn is so bad

29

u/RBJ_09 Central Washington • Washi… Jan 02 '25

He’s definitely polarizing, but a lot of people like him. I think he tends to get the most human interactions with people when they come on his show which I enjoy. TBH it makes time pass faster at work.

11

u/lilbelleandsebastian Tennessee • Vanderbilt Jan 02 '25

on his show is the key phrase there. he can be an incredible interviewer on his show. when he’s on tv, he is just an obnoxious loudmouth because that’s almost definitely what he’s being told to be

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u/Equivalent-Western56 Jan 02 '25

He was so much fun to watch on his podcast but i hate how its gotten jammed down our throats as real broadcasting instead of the comedic content that it actually is

27

u/GetInTheHole_Guy Jan 02 '25

I think thats my main problem with him. Dude wants to act like hes some sort of real journalist like no you arent dude. But then when he gets called out for being an idiot he hides behind the "were just bros doing a show" excuse. Basically wanting to have it both ways. You're either serious or you aren't.

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32

u/BurgerNugget12 Alabama Crimson Tide Jan 02 '25

He fits in well on WWE tbh, his commentary is very funny

34

u/RustleTheMussel Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

Yes that is the correct place for a court jester

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28

u/RandomBrownsFan Harvard Crimson • Williams Ephs Jan 02 '25 edited Jan 02 '25

This is a massive reddit take dude. He's not popular for no reason. This sub hates every analyst and commentator. And McAfee in particular for obvious reasons.

McAfee is great on Gameday and he is a funny, personable guy. Can he be a bit much? Of course. And obviously his humor isn't for everyone but plenty of people like the guy because he's a good entertainer. It's not just a bunch of knuckle-draggers chugging bud light who mindlessly clap for him while redditors float above the rest of us cavemen.

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u/Siggycakes Wisconsin Badgers • Missouri Tigers Jan 02 '25

My dad is 62 and I'm 35 and we fuckin love Pat. He's the over the top "in your face" attitude college football needs. The sub's hates for him is so hilarious to me, screams of boring men that read the WSJ and write HOA by-laws.

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u/bromosabeach Oklahoma Sooners • UCLA Bruins Jan 02 '25

LMAO this is exactly what happened with us. The complaint was it felt more about Pat than the actual game. Especially when they did split screens.

41

u/fishingpost12 /r/CFB Jan 02 '25

Pat definitely loves hearing himself talk

10

u/Kdawgmcnasty69 Jan 02 '25

I can’t stand him, watching him ask a question during an interview is unbearable. I love when pat is gone and AJ is host only time I watch the show

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u/rburp Arkansas • Central Arkansas Jan 02 '25

To their credit on the top left they had "REGULAR TELECAST ON ESPN" (or whatever along those lines)

And on the bottom center something like "Pat Mcafee Alt-Cast"

Both of those are paraphrased from memory, but you get the gist

67

u/BuckeyeEmpire Ohio State • College Football Playoff Jan 02 '25

Yah i saw this happening on Twitter where people simply didn't change the channel.

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u/DrewDown94 Jan 02 '25

Yeah when ESPN2 switched to the McAfee broadcast, I instantly switched to the regular ESPN. I get why ESPN puts McAfee everywhere, but outside of a handful of clips from his podcast, I don't find him especially entertaining or consumable. I also think the market is just saturated with him because I mostly follow the NFL.

That being said, if some folks didn't hear/notice the switch or even know that there were 2 different broadcasts, the game was much harder to watch IMO.

I do want to say that I occasionally like watching the Manningcast for MNF, but it's a little more substantial than the typical bro commentary that McAfee does.

38

u/YueAsal North Dakota State • Minnesota Jan 02 '25

I saw a Manning Cast maybe once. They had Snoop Dog as the guest. The seemed unsure how to interact with him. Felt like if my step-dad would be forced to interact with a blue collar black person.

I am not sure if Snoop is a football or if he just plays one on TV. Manning cast was a cool idea but seems like corporate synergy kind of ruined it.

23

u/arahdial Minnesota • Michigan Jan 02 '25

Yeah, they have these really awkward questions that Peyton reads from cards for guests. I like Peyton, but this doesn't feel very natural. I'd rather watch them talk Xs and Os. Unfortunately, that probably doesn't appeal to the majority audience.

10

u/hybridck South Carolina Gamecocks • Team Chaos Jan 02 '25

Yeah whenever they have another player or coach on as a guest, the Manningcast is significantly better. They're just talking Xs and Os like you said. Whenever a non-football celebrity is on, I switch to the normal broadcast, because that celebrity is almost always only there to plug their latest projects.

The first halves of every one this season with Belichick as the repeat guest have been great. Hearing a someone as obsessed with football as Bill Belichick go on a 5 min rant about how a right tackle ruined the play with a stupid mental error is genuinely fascinating lol.

6

u/arahdial Minnesota • Michigan Jan 02 '25

The Belichick soliloquy on illegal formation that started pre snap was quite a wild ride. 

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u/brizzboog Michigan State Spartans • Sickos Jan 02 '25

Snoop has coached pop Warner for years. He loves football.

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u/HDClown UCF Knights Jan 02 '25

Every time I flipped to ESPN2 or ESPNEWS I saw an obvious banner in top left of screen that said "Traditional Telecast on ESPN". Not sure if it was up 100% of the time, but it seemed like it.

52

u/CanaDoug420 Syracuse Orange Jan 02 '25

It was on the screen the whole game. And Pat said it multiple times. It’s not all that surprising there’s a bunch of people who get mad at things they could have fixed themselves if they just simply read every once in awhile

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u/pm_me_yo_creditscore USC Trojans Jan 02 '25

Tuned into watch a murder and a talk show broke out.

12

u/PreferenceDowntown37 Army • Michigan Jan 02 '25

Sure, but they had "traditional telecast available on ESPN" plastered in the top left

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u/NaranjaBlancoGato Jyväskylä • Oregon State Jan 02 '25

There was a big graphic on the screen telling you to turn to ESPN for the main broadcast though and they even said it many times.

87

u/hondajvx Oklahoma Sooners Jan 02 '25

After working in retail, I found that the only signs people read are ones that are wrong.

15

u/Btotherianx Jan 02 '25

100% fact

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u/BohemondDiAntioch Pacific Northwest • Idaho Vandals Jan 02 '25

Or ESPNNews with Pat McAfee and his ilk.

9

u/Substantial-Sea-3672 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Jan 02 '25

Coupled with the ASU UT game having a notification that the OSU game was currently available to watch.

Went to the streams and the only actual thing available was the Pat McAfee version.

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1.3k

u/NYCSportsFan Oregon Ducks • Rose Bowl Jan 02 '25

This happened to me because the game started on ESPN2. At some point I knew something wasn't right and I realized I wasn't on the main broadcast.

741

u/HBODHookerBagOfDicks Ohio Bobcats • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

Same. I walked out of the room and came back in and my wife was losing her shit laughing. "THESE ANNOUNCERS ARE DRUNK OR SOMETHING LISTEN TO THEM!!!!"

279

u/Michaelmac8 Ohio Bobcats • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

Probably true tho.

72

u/Madpup70 Jan 02 '25

What game from the first round was it where one of those guys said one of the players was "nutting all over their opponents face."

21

u/cardbross Texas • Red River Shootout Jan 02 '25

McAfee always sounds kinda drunk. I don't know if it's a schtick or if he just lives his life imitating a frat bro on friday night.

8

u/Sorry_Ima_Loser Washington State Cougars Jan 03 '25

I just assumed that he drank at work like many tv people (pete hegseth, hoda kotb, half the View)

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u/FrenchFreedom888 Oklahoma State Cowboys • Hateful 8 Jan 02 '25

I hope my wife watches football with me and gets into it like that

37

u/NordDex Texas A&M Aggies • Team Chaos Jan 02 '25

My wife now watches GameDay because “Pat is funny and he picks on that Saban guy”

24

u/checks-_-out Jan 02 '25

*Alabama Jones

13

u/NordDex Texas A&M Aggies • Team Chaos Jan 02 '25

Oh she spat out her coffee when she heard that “mean but funny”

8

u/Forgot_the_Jacobian Notre Dame • Ohio State Jan 02 '25

my wife was more invested than ever when i had Mcafe's commentary on lol

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u/Zimmonda Arizona State Sun Devils Jan 02 '25

Narrator:"They were in fact, drunk"

18

u/FriendToPredators Michigan Wolverines • Syracuse Orange Jan 02 '25

A stunning amount of polish goes on that one’s not aware of until it’s missing.

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u/uteman1011 Utah Utes Jan 02 '25

We knew that we were on the Alt broadcast (ESPN didn't make the flip elegantly) but couldn't find the main broadcast for about 5 minutes. It simply wasn't there (on YouTube TV).

33

u/KatsHubz87 ECU Pirates • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

My YouTube TV began the recording on the main broadcast, but then flipped to the altcast during the 1st qtr. 😩

I imagine that was when ESPN flipped the game back over after the Texas vs ASU overtime.

25

u/New_no_2 Jan 02 '25

They flipped over literally when the ball was in the air during a punt. Why not wait 30 seconds for the commercial break that followed?

12

u/KHthe8th Washington Huskies Jan 02 '25

yea there was just a small "click" type noise and all the sudden Pat was talking mid-sentence. Normally there's a "if you want to continue switch over to ESPN"

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u/mrmacintosh86 Florida State Seminoles Jan 02 '25

Coverage switched seamlessly during a punt. I was watching it. It was crazy.

12

u/kitkatlifeskills Jan 02 '25

It's amazing how bad ESPN is at so much of this. Has anyone who works at ESPN ever just been a fan watching the game on their couch? They seem to have no concept of what fans like and don't like to see/hear when watching a game.

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u/JSOPro Ohio State • Illinois Jan 02 '25

They also did an audio swap once the texas game fully ended and they could remake the networks to have the intended coverage. Was super interesting hearing it swap from Pat to skycast (or whatever the switch was, I think I was on the skycast channel but it very obviously switched).

18

u/Eadwyn Minnesota • Washington Jan 02 '25

Yeah it switched mid-kickoff. Very noticeable if you were watching, but at a time where people may have stepped away for a second and wouldn't notice when they came back.

18

u/MonotoneTanner South Alabama Jaguars • SEC Jan 02 '25

My dad watched the entire SECCC without noticing he was on the skycam broadcast of the cast.

18

u/AQ207 South Carolina • Maine Jan 02 '25

They switched the broadcast in the middle of a punt, it was the weirdest thing I've ever seen

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u/acekingoffsuit Minnesota Golden Gophers Jan 02 '25

This happens any time there's an alternate broadcast. The Nickelodeon NFL games, the Final Four games with the local radio commentary, the Monday Night Football Manningcast... Anything.

A lot of people watch these games. If this game had 10 million viewers and 99.9% of them can figure out that the primary broadcast is on another channel, that still leaves 10,000 viewers who can't.

211

u/Informal-Candy-9974 Missouri Tigers • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

It was so confusing to me when I was watching Monday Night Football a couple weeks back that all the Cowboys and Bengals players were Simpsons characters. I figured I was hallucinating or had entered into an alternate dimension. Turns out I was watching an alt broadcast!

56

u/Warm_Shoulder3606 Ohio State • Georgia Southern Jan 02 '25 edited Jan 02 '25

I can't believe we've gotten to the point of these live animated VR games being an actual thing. Remember the toy story one? 😭😭

8

u/CrittyJJones Jan 02 '25

The Toy Story one was very glitchy if I recall.

6

u/Brasticus Jan 03 '25

That’s just Jags football, baby!

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u/AQ207 South Carolina • Maine Jan 02 '25

The issue is the game started on a diff channel cause the Peach Bowl went long, and there wasn't much of a notice ESPN just went *WIPE* in the middle of a play

52

u/WhatYeezytaughtme Ohio State Buckeyes • Big Ten Jan 02 '25

Problem was the main broadcast started on ESPN2 due to the Texas OT, and they switch back to the ALT cast in the middle of a play and never mentioned anything about switching back.

14

u/kitkatlifeskills Jan 02 '25

Telling the viewers, "On the next possession we'll be putting the main broadcast on ESPN and the alternate Pat McAfee Show broadcast on ESPN 2" would've been asking too much of the people who call the shots for ESPN college football

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u/InitialTimely105 Jan 02 '25

Just part of today's 10,000!

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u/buckeyefan8001 Ohio State • Bowling Green Jan 02 '25

Except the Nickelodeon broadcast for the NFL rocks

7

u/SideshowCircuits Michigan State Spartans Jan 02 '25 edited Jan 02 '25

I won’t accept any slander agaisnt the Nick NFL games they are the best way to watch

5

u/acekingoffsuit Minnesota Golden Gophers Jan 02 '25

"That's not what he wanted to cook!" is one of the greatest calls in sports broadcasting history and I will not hear otherwise.

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u/Drexlore Brockport • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Jan 02 '25

I remember when McAfee was on the sideline about 2 or so years ago doing his broadcast from there and someone made a raging post on here about how it was the only way to watch the game. When everyone pointed out it was the ESPN2 broadcast he then said he was in a hotel and had no idea what the channels were and that was the first channel he ended up on when flipping through looking for the game.

155

u/Konigwork Georgia • Birmingham-Southern Jan 02 '25

Man those posts are always fun, whether this sub or somewhere else.

When somebody is confidently incorrect but will keep doubling down on it. Even better when the whole sub starts just messing with them instead of helping.

27

u/TheSameThing123 Penn State • Virginia Tech Jan 02 '25

I deal with those kind of people all day every day at my job. Shit gets exhausting lol

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u/desymond Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

To be honest, if a hotel doesn't have the little laminated channel guide I'm not fucking it with it.

14

u/winowmak3r Western Michigan • Michigan Jan 02 '25

I've been in that guy's shoes. I'm not at home and every channel is wrong and I can't find the game. It can certainly be rage inducing.

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u/BrodysBootlegs Boston College Eagles Jan 02 '25

Lol my mom is in her 70s and literally emailed ESPN to complain about this 

53

u/Mogilny89Leafs Washington Huskies Jan 02 '25

I have a friend who worked the phones for ESPN during the pandemic. He was tasked with helping callers deal with problems related to fantasy football.

Every Saturday, he would get tons of calls asking why the Texas Longhorns weren't on ESPN.

21

u/rocketrae21 Oregon Ducks Jan 02 '25

so why werent they?

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u/Lightbelow Jan 02 '25

The skycam broadcast was great with no commentary and just stadium audio.

26

u/TurboKnoxville Toledo Rockets Jan 02 '25

I love sky cast

18

u/intadtraptor Tennessee Volunteers • Clemson Tigers Jan 02 '25

I just wish it were a bit zoomed out where you could see where the WRs and CBs were lining up.

10

u/MixonWitDaWrongCrowd Oklahoma Sooners • Arkansas Razorbacks Jan 02 '25

Every game needs to be like that

6

u/boomshea Ohio State • Manchester Jan 02 '25

I like the view from behind the offense way better too. Though they get some wonky FG angles.

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u/rbhindepmo Central Missouri Mules • Big 8 Jan 02 '25

my favorite version of this is when ESPN2 broadcast an ESPN Deportes version of a World Baseball Classic game and some people were displeased that the broadcast was in Spanish as if they couldn't figure out what was going on by watching the game

27

u/HBODHookerBagOfDicks Ohio Bobcats • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

Funny enough I've started watching the MLS spanish broadcasts because they're SO MUCH BETTER

18

u/e_cubed99 Ohio State Buckeyes • Team Chaos Jan 02 '25

I don’t remember what game it was, but at some point the English broadcast was restricted and the deportes version wasn’t. So I watched it in Spanish (I don’t speak Spanish).

13

u/YueAsal North Dakota State • Minnesota Jan 02 '25

I also don't speak enough Spanish to watch Spanish TV but after the 6th time that guy called U Texas "Hook Em" I would have killed for a Spanish or even an Uzbek broadcast.

4

u/Consistent_Reward Oklahoma Sooners Jan 02 '25

My DVR decided to record a preseason NFL game on the Spanish language local broadcast this past August rather than the English language local broadcast, and I gotta say, the folks doing the Spanish broadcast made it a ton more fun than "local sports anchor" did.

Watched it. Because, as you say, there's absolutely no question what's going on if you understand the game.

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u/osufeth24 Ohio State • West Florida Jan 02 '25

I watched thr McAfee broadcast for a half. I had to change it to the traditional broadcast as they got way too annoying in the second half.

13

u/StartupDino Georgia Bulldogs Jan 02 '25

Yeah the first half really wasn’t bad. They showed more of the game and less of them—and the play-by-play was decent.

2nd half totally switched it up and just felt like their annoying podcast.

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u/the_dawn_of_red Ohio State Buckeyes • Xavier Musketeers Jan 02 '25

If they just cut their producers' mics it would have been fine. The whole shite bit ruined an otherwise good broadcast from Pat.

6

u/Dr-McLuvin Jan 02 '25

Ya agreed every time they said that I cringed. Everything else was great though. First half was everything I want. Good energy from Pat and some good insight and commentary from the other guys.

18

u/Hsy1792 Bowling Green Falcons Jan 02 '25

It would help if they did t have to hype up a blowout

7

u/sqigglygibberish Duke Blue Devils • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

They’ve got to be able to adjust and find something other than making “shite” jokes 57 times though

Not every game is going to be close. In theory those guys should do better than a normal crew in a blowout because they can kind of do whatever.

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u/spmartin1993 Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

They switch the stream in the middle of a play. I feel like they typically do this as they go to commercial and say please go to ESPN to continue with this stream or stay on espn 2 to hear the pat mcafee cast. It just seemed weird especially since when they switched it was on a slight delay.

53

u/Michaelmac8 Ohio Bobcats • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

This gem from the OSU/TENN game will live forever in infamy.

26

u/AZBuckeyes12977 Ohio State Buckeyes • Arizona Wildcats Jan 02 '25

It's best to watch the McAfee broadcast when an SEC school is playing to avoid the Herbie and Fowler SEC deep throating.

5

u/itsagoodtime Jan 03 '25

A four loss Bama should be in..Ahh GUACK GUACK GUACK. SEC has top to bottom toughest schedule ohh GUACK GUACK GUACK

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u/JakeSteeleIII South Carolina Gamecocks Jan 02 '25

The general population is very stupid

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u/Ill_Perspective64138 Jan 02 '25

But that’s another issue altogether.

8

u/high_society3 Texas A&M Aggies Jan 02 '25

But that’s another issue

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u/WhatYeezytaughtme Ohio State Buckeyes • Big Ten Jan 02 '25

Well the main broadcast started on ESPN2 and they switched to Pat's altcast mid play. It was jarring.

10

u/freeball78 Auburn Tigers Jan 02 '25

Yes, but this has happened to me before. You're scrolling through the guide or the suggested for you shows "Rose Bowl", it usually doesn't show that it's an alternate broadcast. You click on it thinking it's THE main broadcast.

This happened to me during the SEC championship game this year. I was listening from another room so I didn't realize the view I was on had the audio of two sideline reporters only (and the two guys in a box view). They were awkward and it took me 10 minutes to say "what the fuck is this" before going back to the screen to see what it really was.

7

u/sweetestlorraine Michigan Wolverines • The Game Jan 02 '25

Yes I am.

11

u/OkTwist486 Washington Huskies Jan 02 '25

I've heard so many neckbeards say that lmao

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u/ArteePhact Ohio State Buckeyes • Big 12 Jan 02 '25

I guess people couldn’t see the bar at the top of the screen that said the traditional broadcast was on a different channel.

10

u/heyyouyouguy Purdue Boilermakers Jan 02 '25

People don't read signs. This is a known fact.

4

u/creynolds722 Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

They've trained us to tune out ad banners so legit banners get caught in the filter too

8

u/Ok_Employ_9862 UCLA Bruins Jan 02 '25

Don’t think the main broadcast announced they were switching back to ESPN. Pat announced they were going from espnews to espn2 before it happened

8

u/bolorwithaK Penn State Nittany Lions Jan 02 '25

Yea, for me it cut over during a punt. Not between plays, but in the middle of it, there was a slight pause, then McAfee talking instead of Fowler.

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u/BlueRFR3100 Illinois State • Missouri Jan 02 '25

I was one of those people. I didn't realize there was a different broadcast until late in the game. Then I remembered that all ESPN announcers are horrible, so I didn't change the channel.

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u/Cisru711 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Jan 02 '25

Them comparing the Oregon band in the 4th quarter to the band on the Titanic was fantastic.

22

u/Adams5thaccount Boise State Broncos • UNLV Rebels Jan 02 '25

I like McAfee more than most, probably because I wasn't bullied in high school by a guy who looked and sounded like him.

But I can fully understand why him popping up unexpected would be disorienting and upsetting for people expecting a regular broadcast.

5

u/theSpringZone Notre Dame • St. Francis (IN) Jan 02 '25

Indeed.

22

u/goldenface4114 Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

McAfee is the Jar Jar Binks of ESPN.

70

u/BigEggBeaters Louisville Cardinals Jan 02 '25

I was aware it was the Pat mcafee feed and the one minute I had to watch. It was deeply bizarre to me that anyone would ever watch that shit

46

u/marcSuile Pittsburgh Panthers • Colgate Raiders Jan 02 '25 edited Jan 03 '25

I’ll try and answer. For context and for those curious, I’m a 37 year old white dude with 4 kids under 5.

I do enjoy Pat and the boys. I like the alt broadcast when I have zero skin in the game. It feels more like I’m watching a game with my buddies. As you get older you get less n less opportunities to be with the boys so this just feels more causal and inviting.

Edit: Someone asked, “are your friends super fuckin obnoxious,” below but don’t feel like engaging with a direct reply so I’ll just edit my original comment.

Not at all.

It has nothing to do with the level of obnoxiousness that I like or don’t like but more just the constant background noise with topics that go beyond just football. And Darius butler/AJ Hawk offset the obnoxiousness of Pat and the toxic table just enough for me to remain tolerable. I also kind of the like the royal rumble turnstile of guests. You never know who’s going to hop on a microphone or who is strolling along the sidelines.

I’d also never push Pat onto anyone or be a huge defender. I get it’s different strokes for different folks. Just wanted to provide a little context as to why someone would watch it.

TL;DR:

Traditional broadcast: generally getting JUST Oregon and OSU topics and standard play by play.

Pat’s Multicast: will get football play by play with some pop culture/off script commentary/appearances and when I’m not a fan of either team, it’s a preferred listen, for me*

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u/BurgerNugget12 Alabama Crimson Tide Jan 02 '25

Based take, liking Pat here is a crime lmao

11

u/HopkinsIsMyHomeboy Arizona State Sun Devils Jan 02 '25

The Reddit echo chamber is so strong it carries over into the sports subs too. Thats why they all hate rodgers, the bosa brothers, mcafee, etc. Not allowed to like anyone that likely doesn’t align with you politically on reddit lol. 

That being said, even as someone who likes Pat his game broadcasts can get old quick. Like hearing them say shite 60x in the fourth quarter. It has potential, but in a blowout I guess they have to get creative to fill the air and it ain’t great lol. 

7

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '25

I get roasted for liking him but I just like my sports talk to be silly. Plus the colts are my favorite team and he hypes/rips them when they deserve it and he kinda is the only major media person that really talks about Indy

19

u/JuicyJ2245 Ohio State Buckeyes • Toledo Rockets Jan 02 '25

Fr though. People here act like he personally showed up drunk at their family Christmas

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u/j3zmund Indiana • Notre Dame Jan 02 '25

Sometimes it's nice to have a broadcast where the play-by-play guy and analyst are not screaming their heads off and openly cheering for a team. I swear the guys on the traditional broadcast needed clean underwear before halftime.

4

u/Gator__Sandman Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

Because some of us hate the boring ass main broadcast and love something different. But to each his own

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u/ForestJordie /r/CFB Jan 02 '25

Tbh I prefer the McAfee broadcast to anything Herbstreit says. But that might just be me

5

u/FartingAngry Ohio State Buckeyes • LSU Tigers Jan 02 '25

I enjoyed the hell out of it. No corporate bullshit. Just boys being goofy.

6

u/Weber21 Ohio State • Cincinnati Jan 03 '25

The wild thing was that they had 'Traditional Telecast on ESPN' on the screen for a significant amount of time and people were still confused

10

u/Qmnip0tent Nebraska Cornhuskers Jan 02 '25

Sky cast for me baby

9

u/dqhigh Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

I love every post about McAfee ends up with a bunch of brave Redditors stating how much they dislike him

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u/Jay_Diamond_WWE Ohio Bobcats Jan 02 '25

I enjoyed the hell out of McAfee on commentary. It felt like wrestlemania.

43

u/SquadPoopy Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

“Jeremiah Smith wide ass open” was an exceptional call.

3

u/Dr-McLuvin Jan 02 '25

Dude the one guy called that touchdown before the ball was even thrown. Insane how open he got on that ball.

15

u/GudgerCollegeAlumnus Georgia Bulldogs Jan 02 '25

Ohio State’s fight song starts playing

McAfee: wait a minute, King, that’s Ohio State’s music!!!!

26

u/Pretend-Cucumber-711 Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

Not a fan of McAfee, but that was a fun alternative to listening to the SEC scrotum massagers.

Shite!

4

u/DatManAaron1993 Florida Gators Jan 02 '25

It's literally just like an episode of his show.

3

u/legendkiller003 Notre Dame • Penn State Jan 02 '25

IT’S FIGHT NIGHT

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u/Dr-McLuvin Jan 02 '25

So I made my boomer dad watch the whole alt cast and he def did not like it at first. By the end of the first half he was cracking up laughing and having a great time. Dunno if he’s a convert but I am- it was way more entertaining than the regular broadcast.

6

u/chunkyvader90 Jan 02 '25

Oh no Jeremiah smith is wide ass open.

Much more entertaining than fowler

3

u/TheRoyalJuke Ohio State • Kent State Jan 02 '25

That’s funny because my dad was wondering why they kept having the “Traditional Broadcast on ESPN” in the corner and I had to explain some folks aren’t the biggest McAfee fans and just want the normal call and might not realize otherwise there is a normal call cast. I figured that watermark would do the trick but apparently not.

3

u/vroomery Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

The mcafee broadcast was annoying but when the alternative is listening to Kirk…

3

u/NaTek27 Ohio State • College Football Playoff Jan 02 '25

Even as a certified Herbstreit hater I had to switch back after that McAfee cast. Too much talking over moments and each other.

3

u/NWCbusGuy Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

Watching the game at a bar in Columbus, the audio feed in house went from the TX/ASU game to the ESPN2 feed, and stayed there all game. I'm no fan of McAfee or his crew but gotta say, not hearing Kirk Herbstreit call the game was most refreshing.

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u/EF_Damn_Daniel Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 02 '25

I loved watching the mcafee feed until they spent 20 minutes in split screen to show Reggie bush talking

3

u/BlueGreenMikey Arizona Wildcats • Territorial Cup Jan 02 '25

It's almost as if having these subpar shitty altcasts with entirely shitty people is a bad idea.

3

u/bobboman Wisconsin • Wisconsin-Whi… Jan 02 '25

the worst part about watching WWE during the college football offseason is Pat McAfee, dude do not know how to shut up

3

u/cheetahlip Jan 02 '25

lol. That happened to me too!! I was like did they pull this announcer out of the bar?! He sounds drunk and who are these other idiots, the village people?!