How Pat McAfee Broke The ESPN Machine | ALL THE SMOKE

Former ESPN host, Dan Le Batard reflects on his split from the company and explains how Pat McAfee has broke the 'machine' and forced ESPN to change.
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[@ckaiborbor]

Dan selling his HOF vote is legendary

[@JW-28]

Pat and the boys dont need ESPN at all. He was killing it when he was on yt before going to ESPN.

[@Sckoobiey]

He's still on KZbin though, only the first half of the show is on ESPN, the rest is on KZbin , the entire show isn't on ESPN.

[@chinqlinq89]

He’s a very similar example to Joe Rogan. Spotify seeked Joe out and paid him an estimated $150-200m just for the rights to exclusively stream his podcast, Joe stilled owned the show and all the content AND he still got to pocket all the $ from his ad reads which was like $100K+ per episode. Pat was similar in that he was able to demand what he wanted monetarily & with creative freedom. Reason why is because he put in the work to sign that $300m+ with DraftKings I believe. Both of them have the leverage through hard work AND the ‘don’t give fuck I’ll bet on myself’ attitude.

[@CarolCityCane305]

Why is Pat sooo important? I didn’t know who the f he was until this epsn came in

[@GOKUKAMEHAMHA1]

@@CarolCityCane305then you were just out of the loop my friend

[@AllUpOns]

@@CarolCityCane305 Because he's a self-made media presence and has a big following. He produces his own show. He reportedly took a pay cut to go to ESPN. If they fire him he can just go back to youtube and get his millions from DraftKings. So ESPN has very little leverage over him compared to any of their other talent.

[@adamweger40]

ESPN definitely needs pat more so than pat needs espn

[@Kaybaptista]

Who is pat ?? 😂

[@jacobmays3535]

Pat never needed ESPN

[@YaboiPerky]

@@Kaybaptistawe get it buddy, you don’t like Pat. You don’t have to tell the world😂 what a fucking weirdo lmaooooooo. WHO TF ARE YOU, weird mf

[@hangtime1111]

He's rating are pretty bad

[@Chozin1]

@@hangtime1111 your looking at tv ratings for a show that started on youtube. Most of us still consume this show on youtube, ESPN came to him. He didnt go to them.

[@JWendel12]

The biggest and most important difference is that McAfee built his empire before going to ESPN. He had that established following which gave him all the power. Lebatard Show blew up when they went to ESPN and their viewership has taken a hit since.

[@GutsBatman]

This is why leverage is all that really matters in negotiations. It also shows how much technological advancements have helped change the dynamics of leverage in this mediascape. Local radio shows are a different flavor of sports radio their national counterparts because each fulfills a specific role in the media chain. Dan was a celebrated local media star. The size of the market he inhabited (Miami/Florida) helped put him on ESPN's radar, but didn't give him any real leverage in his dealings and negotiations because he didn't have the reps. It also undoubtedly forced him to work outside of his preferred lane. Now, he's back in it, only now the regional borders that exist for local/regional media stars are infinitely more vast than they were when he made the move to ESPN. Pat benefited from those regional borders expanding to allow him to get those national market reps without actually being at that national market stage. That difference might sound minute but it's the difference between the Aaron Rodgers joke causing the cancellation of his of show and not doing so. It's crazy how right Machiavelli was 500 years ago.

[@emunety]

ESPN and the NFL helped build Pat up behind the scenes and then brought him under their umbrella to get into the podcasting world. It was made to look like it was done organically but it wasn’t. It was all a set up.

[@lewisjones3345]

Dan is saying that and he’s proud of Pat for doing so.

[@mactallica9293]

​@@emunetyhahaha

[@mactallica9293]

​@@emunetyyet he had to pay the NFL millions to show highlights. You realize he was podcasting and doing barstool

[@slattpatt]

I used to watch Highly Questionable every day after school and I was devastated when it was cancelled. Dan’s right about it being similar to Pat’s show. Dan, Papi, and Bomani always had great takes and did it in their own fun way. Thanks for the memories and keep doing your thing!!!! Edit: still don’t know how around the horn points work tho 🤷‍♂️

[@Bman32x]

Whomever’s hosting’s opinion. Why do you think Woody Paige never won when Max Kellerman was hosting?

[@em-wf7gw]

Dan's show will always be the goat

[@1PrinceWilliam]

No one knows how the points work! I just know the way they’re allotted is dictatorial in nature!

[@andrewcartier7748]

@@em-wf7gwPats show blew Dan’s out of the water almost immediately.

[@jonathans7240]

Didn’t Obama create those cages Trump used? Dan’s a legend though

[@R__K]

Yeah and you get free 5G with your COVID vaccine too. 😃

[@KingFalsetto]

That would be a yes..they always tend to look over the guy that was literally named the "deporter in chief" i.e. Barack Obama

[@adanavitia06]

I was about to make that point

[@adanavitia06]

Obama and Biden built those cages

[@chadpinder6864]

Yes he did

[@zeekot4064]

He forgot to mention the video of those kids in cages were under Obama though.. this guy is a 🤡

[@justarandominternetdude2579]

It doesn’t fit his narrative.

[@josephhuman7390]

That is a fact, Obama built and used them to begin with. Trump just continued, doing it.

[@justarandominternetdude2579]

@@josephhuman7390yep

[@zeekot4064]

@@josephhuman7390 the videos were literally from Obama presidency that he’s talking about

[@Lewis-jn8ry]

Wait till he finds out about the drone program and how obama used it to go after a US citizens in Yemen.

[@scottlloyd4022]

Pat can go somewhere like spotify or rumble and make tens of millions of dollars a year. He doesn't need espn.

[@isaaccervantes5955]

Great interview yall !

[@petetyler1399]

Matt Barnes at the end 😂😂

[@mrmartywaring]

Love this!!

[@bonesdoes6142]

I loved your show and miss pappi! Glad I found your channel.

[@gboyega__]

Incredible interview

[@JP-jd8wr]

ALWAYS respected Dan 💯

[@michealking7999]

Dan was never close to the level pats on let’s be honest here

[@df3575]

😂😂😂 🧢

[@justarandominternetdude2579]

I’m not a fan of Dan, but that’s cap there was a point at espn dam near everything went through his show.

[@michealking7999]

@@justarandominternetdude2579 Yeah you guys are clowns pat was on a level by himself that Dan could never reach

[@justarandominternetdude2579]

@@michealking7999 you must of forgot what espn was like from 2010-2018.

[@michealking7999]

@@justarandominternetdude2579 yea cause no one besides senior citizens we’re watching it lmao 🤣

[@piquabear5702]

Journalists think they have a real job and Pat proved that they don't.

[@charlesbaker5724]

Truth will come to lite

[@1PrinceWilliam]

4:40 Fucking respect!!! He’s absolutely right about how they used he’s father - it’s was “cartoonish” comic relief. I knew he was being his authentic self but it felt like they were making or trying to make a caricature of him.

[@rickbird5523]

Dan is the epitome of TDS

[@rahimmiddleton2005]

His show was nothing like pats show

[@FM-su1vr]

Pal you weren’t close to make it big lol people are tired of all this analytical/agenda base bs. Pat saw this and made his show the opposite is why he is successful. It’s what is known as barbershop talk. Did Pat sellout maybe but without it we would never see Connor interview Tom Brady lol and I respect that.

[@Pyrogully]

Let’s be honest even if Pat stayed on KZbin he still could’ve gotten Tom on the show.

[@chiefgangmusic]

Dam! Dan needs a show. It seems like he’s been waiting forever to get all of this off his chest.

[@lewisjones3345]

He has a show. He’s the owner of his IP and has taken his show to the internet 🛜

[@chiefgangmusic]

@@lewisjones3345 lol I was being sarcastic. I know he has a show. Just saying by the way he was rambling, you’d think he didn’t.

[@lewisjones3345]

@@chiefgangmusic ohh my bad. Just hard to detect sarcasm on here

[@chiefgangmusic]

@@lewisjones3345 No worries at all and in all honesty, I appreciate the sensible response. With Dan having his show for so long now, you could’ve easily sent me a crazy response but you didn’t and I thank you for that. It’s actually refreshing to see some rare maturity in the comment section. Blessings to you!!

[@HeMadNice]

If you brought the same value as Pat they would give you everything he got.

[@nattydreadlocks1973]

Much respect to Dan!🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@noles9998]

So he wants a voice to speak politics on a Sports network? If I’m wrong, can someone please correct me thank you.

[@KK-pm7ud]

The sound is too low

[@edlocks5112]

Used to watch and love Dan's show back in my espn watching days...especially his bits with his pops but his views on politics has always been hard left....

[@Bigbot97]

Speak your truth, Dan!!

[@jakemcbride7049]

😂😂 yeah his truth not the truth

[@MisterGravelrama]

Dan leaving sets him up for his message to be even more powerful though. Instead of changing it from within the machine, he can go against them and take them down. Surely there are more people against hate than not. Right??...

[@Bdot1588]

Why is Dan also shocked to find out no one wants to hear his take on all the injustices in the world

[@djutpsu56]

You are bitter. For a reason. Too early and made mistakes Pat didn’t. And he’s not just a “punter”

[@josephhuman7390]

I Get 95 percent of my News , Sports, and Entertainment, from platforms or online spaces like this, Espn, and corporate media can kick rocks.

[@eatupsidedown]

Dan I go to espn to watch stats and highlights. Your job is to talk about events related to those things. I don’t watch because I want your opinion on something else. The point of having channels is to switch to what I want to see and hear. This delusional mindset is what happens when the mic is too powerful for the personality. They start to think the audience cares about everything they have to say.

[@romanbell5697]

...king A DUDE

[@JP-jd8wr]

❄️

[@cyberft]

100 agree. I was like, why does this dude look like he’s about to cry and why didn’t he have that same energy when the Obama admin started putting those kids in cages? Because he is uninformed on politics and has no business commentating on it on a national level. The bosses were right to shut him up as all he was doing was making a sports channel look dumb and dividing the country further in the process.

[@aldinbecic291]

Dan thinking he was close is funny

[@chrisramsden3114]

Pat lives in this dude’s head rent free. All the clips i see of him on yt are him talking about pat.

[@Nick-yk6lw]

Based on a quick read through of the comment section (which as usual range from insightful to obvious to somewhat wrong to really fucking stupid) I’d like to make 2 points: 1. Yes, maybe Dan’s thought of “I was so close to being able to change it all” isn’t quite as accurate as he thinks from his vantage point. It’s not an absurd take, but it’s definitely a bit overly idealistic considering the company we’re talking about, where they currently stand in the politics/sports landscape, and the major differences in the type of show Macafee does vs the type of show Dan does. 2. With that being said, if you have an actual problem with what Dan said here or the way in which he said it (i.e. showing human emotion) you might wanna rethink some shit. Dude literally said “Here’s what happened to me at ESPN, this is why it felt shitty, none of this is a shot at ESPN or Macafee in any way, this is how I feel about it now based on what I went through while working for the company and what I’ve seen happen there since we left.” Pretty straightforward and insightful.

[@CptGreenJeans]

Dan selling his victimhood is pathetic.

[@CactusJackIV]

Dan should have teamed with Pat when he was taking on Adam Cole.

[@Kyle22Hamilton]

If your job is to report sports… people want to hear about sports. There are other channels/ networks for politics. And Pat McAfee is the best sports media personality that has ever lived. I literally only care to watch his fun, exciting, and positive show which reports “sports”. I have been watching since inception, and have been in awe of his show every step of the way.

[@nicholaslamantia9597]

Pats show is about sports and the love of sports. That’s the difference. That’s why he’s winning.

[@romecatolico3549]

GREAT TO SEE YOU MATT BARNES MY HERO 🦸‍♂️ AND STEPHEN JACKSON

[@Biggmatt1977]

Dan talking Bout the cages . . Who set the cages up ? ? 🥸

[@Wahova007]

Thats tight

[@SF_BroDugg]

What’s up with Dan’s bell bottoms 😂

[@dyoung5690]

Dan tbh is getting to much credit in this comment section. His biggest issue was always looking at things through a filter, it comes off in his commentary non stop. You can feel the jealousy when brings up the PMS, he wanted to be that guy and he knows he'll never achieve that status. Comes off as bitter.

[@thlee3]

yeah. this video summed up everyone annoying about him

[@satchelgleason3719]

ESPN radio is embarrassingly bad. I drop in for updates and leave as soon as they pose some horrifically stupid question for us to ponder. Get people who can talk about sports for the love of God.

[@loganwhite6173]

The difference is Dan needed espn, but pat don't. That's why he can do what you couldn't

[@SF_BroDugg]

Bro my “ mentors son” got me mad enough to quit my job at ESPN? Wait what? Phat Cote ain’t worth it. He’d been better talking like this and making them suspend and fire him and build from that found than to quit outright. Bc the energy he had now seems to come from anger not legit a pov that’s relatable to me from where and his came from to now biting that same hand…

[@gc033]

ESPN knew that Pat would eventually take over….they knew they HAD to drop a bag on him to secure him and his crew….unfortunately there was a lot of collateral damage and I’m sad shows such as Jalen and Jacoby are no longer because of Pat….

[@stuartmccleary]

Everything he is saying is true, but ESPN doesn’t actually want to talk about politics AT ALL. They just wanna cover sports.

[@markkeller7974]

And it’s a sports channel so… their viewership went out the window when they brought politics into it. You can find that content on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News etc.

[@stuartmccleary]

@@markkeller7974 I’m not blaming the players per say but the sports world overlapped with politics for awhile they didn’t have much a choice

[@billh3998]

which might be the only thing i agree with ESPN about, I watch sports to escape that stuff, and stopped watching sports programming bc they became so intertwined, which is fine just not for me and I was the biggest ESPN stan from 5-20

[@2000itr1010]

Dan deserves everything that happened, we liked watching your sports talk keep politics out of it

[@thebigglow]

Nobody wants to hear about politics on a sports show. That’s why we are watching sports. To get away from that crap.

[@Plague_Doc22]

Everything has to do with race or negativity, cant ever avoid it....we dont always have to talk about negativity, it drags everyone down.

[@J.dot_84]

Let's not talk about racism because it bothers the privileged folk who refuse to acknowledge it because it drags them down.

[@Plague_Doc22]

@@J.dot_84 It drags everyone down, that's the point. There's a time and place where this is needed. Not in every aspect of life does it have to be the focus point. Sports is a mental escape from reality and shouldnt be about negative shit. Like Morgan Freeman said "Stop refering to me as a black man, and i'll stop refering to you as a white man. Stop talking about it"

[@matthewrutters6842]

@J.dot_84 yeah we don't want to upset black people

[@CptGreenJeans]

@@J.dot_84nah we just tired of all the constant victimhood

[@CLYMA1.5CHAINZ]

​@@matthewrutters6842 look who gets upset when this topic is being talked about...lol u ❄️

[@investorbettor505]

I’m so glad that the sports world is pioneering the push back against corporate propaganda machines like espn. I’d rather listen to real opinions and real feelings over screen puppets any day

[@DaBurghSteelers]

Thanks for showing us why ESPN should NEVER involve themselves into politics 😂

[@terrydizzydude4087]

Had to turn this off when Le Batard went off into TDS land.

[@Travel_Photography_Dude]

Like Pat said… be who you can afford to be

[@timframke43]

I believe O bama was the cage man

[@arkansaucev9310]

Shaht ahht

[@Rootytoot1]

Cry more Dan

[@jbmoney8962]

Sheeeshhhh Dan cooking

[@RunDMG916]

I don't need ESPN I sold my soul to the Devil himself

[@John-bu4ik]

I don't know Dan's stuff. But for him to say he was so close to pat is silly. It's obvious people didn't want all the political stuff which is why he got as far as he got. Pat did it for his own freedom which is why people like it

[@whowantstorunforpresident5531]

McAfee didn't break the machine. He is the new face of the machine.

[@azimwashington9354]

Exactly.zero politics.just moronic fake alpha sports takes from the Midwest.macafee is unwatchable if you have a brain and like sports.

[@DJ_BROBOT]

thats false. If you understand ESPN back when Dan was there, he had like 3 shows on ESPN. He was running ESPN. And they started suspending him over BS...and thats when they started suspending Jenelle Hill and Michael Smith over BS when they headed up Sportscaster at 6 and many other people of color for stuff. The diff is that Pat called out execs and other stuff and didnt get suspended one damn time...this is how he broke the machine because he did his show outside ESPN and had the upper hand. He is their money maker, and they know it

[@billh3998]

I don't think he has either because the rules that apply to him only apply to him but I don't think hes the face of the machine for that same reason, hes a one off and hopefully that leads to changing the machine

[@chrisramsden3114]

@@DJ_BROBOT he said it in the interview. “I cant talk about things unless someone in sports talks about it first.” We dont tune into espn and sportscenter to hear what msnbc fox news, cheddar, vice and any of the that stuff. We tune in to get away. This has been the gripe about espn and why ppl dont watch anymore.

[@thejayboroshow3994]

How about hiring athletes to work for ESPN and not journalist who have never played the sport before lol 😂

[@soggycerealman]

Dan is so jealous of Pat lol

[@liulbitew14]

Pat was better b4 espn they needed him more than he needed them as evident by the amount of layoffs they made to give him that deal

[@JP-jd8wr]

Right winger?

[@brentrideau144]

Not jealous, envious

[@tylersawyer4373]

I mean he’s straight up salting the roads right now hahah

[@joannebies3879]

💯 percent. I couldnt stand Dan’s radio show…. Stopped listening.. Dan wasn’t anywhere near Pat McAfee. My Irish grandmother would say, “Dan thinks a lot of himself doesn’t he?” In her prissy Irish way ha!.

[@NickMcD209]

espn was right to not want you to express your political opinion

[@ryancromer2110]

I dont know why everyone assumes you like Dan and also like pat or vice versa. I couldnt STAND the dan show, like even a little bit. I also watch pat every day. They werent the same, and dan sounds bitter. The final straw for him was when his show was thrown out and barely clings on

[@Biggmatt1977]

Then get a political show and talk on stuff . No place for it on a "sports show" Dan. We don't wanna hear it . There's lots other channels for that crap

[@woa7402]

Lebatard sounds bitter, like, do your own thing on KZbin then and stfu, but he can’t, which is why he’s bitter.

[@benblazin8627]

What this dude doesn’t realizes is no one tunes in to espn to hear shit about political bullshit

[@wheeler2816]

Dan is way too political. Nobody tuned into ESPN to hear his nonsense.

[@Wahova007]

Sports channel not politics go on your own network if you wanna talk politics

[@youngowns]

No matter what yall say on all these show even if you guys dont mean it all of you guys are coming off bitter to Pat show and espn now.

[@jjfraser2168]

@youngowns that's the vive I got of Dan, supportive or not

[@xelaander8429]

Lol, Dan thinks too highly of himself, he should calm down

[@bebocabrera6033]

Damn Amerikkka

[@Tobinski1620]

“Son of exiles” Victims. Every. Single. Time.

[@JJ1st506th]

Do your research. Those were obomas cages. No wonder you don't have a show

[@nprbiz]

Quite honestly.. I really don't want to be washed in social justice narratives when I'm watching sports. It's really that simple. Sports is the escape. It's like the wife coming in and putting up floral wallpaper in your man cave. Seriously.

[@sirf4ce]

Yeah but you SOUND bitter when you make the snide little cowboy hat remark. You can say "more power to him" and still sound bitter...and that's what you did.

[@arkansaucev9310]

Ahh. TDS.

[@KingFalsetto]

A disease that they have yet to find a cure for. 😂

[@shanewoods1980]

When you take up for AOC then you deserve whatever comes your way

[@brinsonfields1608]

FDT

[@Jaypocalypse]

FJB

[@brinsonfields1608]

@@Jaypocalypse Biden is your president

[@TheBlackSands]

He used aaron rodgers the drama queen who was on his damn show every other day fanboys .

[@amynpanjwani15]

Pat doesn’t care about using his platform for social justice. He wants to talk sports. The second try to bring your true opinion about real shit. They’ll shut u down.

[@amynpanjwani15]

And he’s white!

[@CarolCityCane305]

He looks like a trump supporter

[@CLYMA1.5CHAINZ]

ESPN wanted "Yes men" and Pat fits that role. You never hear him challenge Rodgers do ya? If he had Kaep on, you btches wud be so emotional..

[@crutopiarecords4874]

This dude a hater. They punished you cause you were a nobody on their network talking about things bigger than yourself. If they tried to punish Pat he would pull his show from ESPN so quick. Dan was never remotely close to achieving that.

[@reganhatcher1579]

I mean they should send her back though…. Lol

[@samscharp3367]

Le Batard was just not very funny. I for one do not miss him at ESPN at all. Plus it is sports, not politics. I change the channel when politics come up during my sports shows.

[@FrankRammatra]

Dan Lebatard is a really talented speaker. He is doing his talent a disservice by becoming the jaded ex employee who loves to cry about his espn experience.

[@jakeherrell9625]

I love watching pat. It has been the worst these two weeks.

[@davidbarnes4742]

Dan lost half his fan base when he went super woke and that’s all he talked about for 3 years

[@jesseroper8957]

Waaaaaah

[@edgarochoa3122]

Dan had a good show. Hes no mcafee, completely different audience, content, and delivery.. very surprising to hear him back AOC and those clowns. Tbh there are 50 news channels pumping that stuff, we go to sports to get away.

[@Jaypocalypse]

Too woke

[@michaelgant1956]

Lebaturd is ignorant

[@LosLobos24]

Bru it’s ESPN, we don’t wanna hear anyone’s political beliefs

[@J.dot_84]

McAfee talks about politics all the time but you don't recognize it as such because he's saying "god bless America, I love our troops..." What's more political than war?

[@RayD_19]

​@J.dot_84 you're just entirely too sensitive and like to pretend things are more deep than they are to fit your narrative. If you consistently watched pat and the boys for awhile then you'd realize anything remotely political is to be taken in comedic fashion and they tend to laugh at the "stooges" on both sides. I've heard Pat say a billion times they don't get into politics and avoid convos that he could easily get into. He has Rodgers on there once a week all season so he has plentyyy of opportunities lol you're just soft and he triggered you with a comment at some point and you've never been able to get over it because you're mentally weak and you're watching a show you clearly shouldn't be watching since you take everything personally. Get over yourself, princess. We don't care about you or your feelings, esp when it comes to a TV show that you could easily avoid... but then you couldn't play the victim, could you?

[@Gw19838]

Yes we do! Thats why ESPN is dying and these platforms are thriving. They talk about every aspect of life and how it correlates to sports and its participants.

[@JP-jd8wr]

Unless you agree with it you mean 😂

[@b.r3228]

​@@J.dot_84 saying you love this country and respect the troops has nothing to do with war. Just because you salute the troops doesn't mean you want WW3

[@eddieuardo]

Stephen Jackson is a beta

[@brad4231]

So what do you think about McAffee? Lebetard: Let me tell you my story which includes racism and Trump people. That’s why nobody listens to him anymore

[@tyrk1589]

Le Betard is a hack

[@michaelwalsh7652]

Obama built the cages do your homework Dan

[@adanavitia06]

Let’s not forget Obama and Biden administration built those cages