If there’s one thing Pat McAfee knows how to do, it’s turning an ordinary College GameDay broadcast into a spectacle. The ESPN personality has built a reputation for his boundless energy, unpredictable antics, and, of course, taking his shirt off mid-show. Fans have seen it, critics have questioned it, but it has become something of a trademark. Yet, that familiar McAfee moment appears to be missing in the latest GameDay.
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ESPN’s College GameDay has descended on South Bend, Indiana, as Notre Dame prepares to host the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes in a blockbuster showdown. And, as always, McAfee brought his energy to the broadcast, cracking jokes, sharing his takes, and keeping everyone entertained. However, something was noticeably missing from the usual spectacle. This time, McAfee didn’t take off his shirt!
Throughout the season, the ESPN broadcaster made a ritual of taking off his shirt during live shows. It started as a hilarious ritual and quickly turned into a broadcasting controversy. Some fans started questioning whether such antics belonged on national television.
Things escalated following the Utah Utes-Houston Cougars clash. Fans called for McAfee to take off his shirt. He initially refused, but soon he gave in. However, during GameDay, McAfee took issue with a video uploaded by the university’s official social media handle. It showed students calling him “creepy” and “corny” over his antics, something that certainly would have stung McAfee.
It wasn’t the students’ comments that upset McAfee; he was disturbed by the fact that the university encouraged such a thing by sharing it on its official account.
It seems the criticism took its toll on McAfee this weekend. Fans and media members pointed out how subdued he was during Saturday’s episode of College GameDay. Jono Barnes, the Saints content creator, pointed out that McAfee has discontinued the ritual of taking off his shirt for two weeks now.
Before the Notre Dame-Miami game, McAfee predicted the Irish win over Miami without the shirt-ripping celebration that has become his signature on his shows and broadcasts, and fans are rather upset about it.
Ohio Divided pointed out, “Pat McAfee takes the Irish but doesn’t take his shirt off Sad.”
The disappointment went further than that. “Why didn’t Pat McAfee take his shirt off and shotgun a beer Worst college gameday ending i’ve seen this whole season,” one fan wrote, making clear that they were let down by his decision to keep his shirt on. Another pointed out, “McAfee is acting real different today.”
One fan blamed the criticism, saying the critics of his antics had taken away one of the show’s most entertaining traditions: “Two weeks in a row Pat McAfee has not taken off his shirt. Imagine yall bullying Stone Cold to stop drinking beer after matches or The Rock to not say “If ya smellllllll”. That’s what yall have robbed College GameDay of!”
A fourth fan took a lighter approach, joking about how the change had spoiled what they expected to be a special day: “I thought today was gonna be special. Then Pat McAfee kept his shirt on. No double shot of whisky for me.”
McAfee also appears more cautious about what he says on recent broadcasts than he was last week. The next few broadcasts will show whether McAfee is changing his approach for good or only for the moment.