ESPN's Pat McAfee used a Mississippi National Guard flyover to deliver a blunt tribute to the American military on College GameDay, and critics on social media immediately accused the broadcast of turning into right-wing propaganda.
The moment came Saturday morning on the Ole Miss campus, where McAfee and fellow host Rece Davis were calling the pregame show as National Guard aircraft roared overhead. Davis played the scene for laughs, telling viewers the flyover was "only for pageantry." McAfee did not keep it light.
"We certainly appreciate the h*** out of the American military," McAfee said on air. "And if you're not the United States of America and you hear that sound, your a** better run."
Davis followed with a conciliatory line: "That's the one thing the two sides here can agree on, for sure." But the two sides, it turned out, could not agree on much. Within minutes, anonymous users on X were calling the segment everything from "jingoistic" to "blatant propaganda."
The backlash, such as it was, came from a handful of unnamed accounts. One user wrote that GameDay was "quickly becoming Fox News Sports. Embarrassing." Another complained: "Kinda sad I don't look forward to College Gameday because of blatant propaganda pushing like this."
A third was more direct, as OutKick reported: "Lose me with this jingoistic, macho bulls***."
None of the critics were identified by name or verified status. Their complaints amounted to the position that a sports broadcaster expressing gratitude for the military on a college football broadcast constitutes political messaging. That framing says more about the critics than it does about McAfee.
The OutKick article's author noted he could not determine whether McAfee intended his remark as a reference to illegal immigration, foreign adversaries, or simply a broad statement of American strength. "Whether it was an overt statement regarding illegal immigration, I do not know," the author wrote. McAfee was not available for comment at the time the piece was published.
The dustup fits a pattern. McAfee has built his reputation at ESPN by saying things the network's corporate leadership would rather smooth over. He is described as the most prominent and influential personality in sports media, a status that has, by some accounts, eclipsed even Stephen A. Smith as the face of the network.
That willingness to break from the ESPN mold showed clearly in 2024, when McAfee publicly criticized his own employer for awarding Prince Harry the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPYs. McAfee called the decision an attempt to provoke audiences. "When you do something like this, you know the immediate reaction from humans and from sports fans and from people with common sense and brains," McAfee told his audience at the time. His co-host Boston Connor called the choice "the most embarrassing thing I've seen in my entire life." The show's panel argued the honor should go to an American.
ESPN's College GameDay has also drawn heat for hosting Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, to discuss the Protect College Sports Act, a legislative push whose details were not elaborated on during the broadcast. That appearance alone was enough to put the show "in hot water" with progressive viewers who apparently believe a sitting U.S. senator discussing legislation on a national platform counts as partisan overreach.
Strip away the social media noise and the episode is simple. A military flyover happened at a college football game. A broadcaster said he appreciated the people who serve. A few anonymous accounts decided that appreciation was offensive.
Davis seemed to sense the moment correctly when he said both sides should be able to agree on supporting the military. The fact that some viewers could not even clear that bar tells you how far the cultural goalposts have moved.
When thanking the troops on a Saturday morning football broadcast qualifies as controversial, the problem is not with the broadcaster.
