As the college football regular season nears its very on-field end, the battle off it between YouTube and ESPN is just getting started. After Google, YT’s parent company, and ESPN couldn’t reach an updated agreement on terms. Fans are now struggling to access high-stakes games and their favorite ESPN College GameDay. But this temporary feud might turn into a mistake of a lifetime for ESPN, as this waiting time will cost them their dedicated fans. And that’s not a risk they are willing to take.

So, last week during the Tulane vs. UTSA game, the blackout started. Still, many thought it was just a matter of time before ESPN returned to YouTube. But even after an entire week, they still could not access ESPN, ABC, or other Disney-owned channels. That means they are missing out on an entire weekend of college football and Monday Night Football. For now, the negotiation hangs by a thin thread.

Due to this delay, fans may realize they no longer need ESPN at all. It prompted Pete Mundo, who didn’t mince words before pointing it out on X. “ESPN has to be careful here. I grew up on ESPN shows like PTI, Around the Horn, and SportsCenter. An entire generation behind me did not. Those shows are losing influence by the year, while one of them doesn’t even exist anymore. And giving them a reason to realize they don’t need ESPN broadly for their entertainment, other than the occasional game, could backfire dramatically.”

Notably, ESPN holds the rights to the Tulane vs. Memphis game, which has significant implications for the playoff. The winner is likely to reach the ACC championship and may even remain in the race for a playoff spot. Therefore, finding an alternative for such games might ultimately impact ESPN’s standing. Then, by the weekend, they might entirely lose their patience when they can’t watch games like BYU vs. Texas Tech, Texas A&M vs. Missouri, or LSU vs. Alabama. These are some of the biggest games of the year, and missing them might even force them to switch services. Obviously, if that happens, all hell could break loose.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Disney either, as ESPN’s football coverage is one of its strongest points when it comes to cracking deals. Most YouTube TV subscribers are football fans. They primarily use the service to access the NFL Sunday Ticket package and live sports channels. Now, if they lose ESPN during this time of the season, it will put more pressure on Disney and YouTube to come to a common ground.

Things intensified to a point that even ESPN figures like Scott Van Pelt, Mike Greenberg, Kirk Herbstreit, and Laura Rutledge started a campaign on X, urging fans to pressure YouTube TV. But the move backfired as frustration grew among fans. With them now, even Pat McAfee is right there criticizing the entire debacle.

Pat McAfee gets real on ESPN dispute

On a weekend when fans sit together with popcorn to catch the game, the rift between ESPN and YouTube TV disappoints the fans. It’s never nice to lose access to our daily live sports. They can’t watch big moments like Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline and their favorite games. The situation turned more frustrating when fans missed out on games like the Cardinals vs. Cowboys matchup on Monday night. That’s what pushed McAfee to hop in and address the entire issue on his show.

He straightaway called out his ESPN coworkers who were posting videos online, telling viewers to visit a website to keep access to ESPN channels. “We’re all done with it. And also, if you’re on TV, stop telling people to go to a website to save a multi-billion-dollar deal. Nobody cares what you have to say. There will be nothing that we have to say or any website that will be visited. There are, and I don’t want to say the exact names, but these people (hands up high), let’s put our swords down. Let’s put our swords down for the good of sports,” McAfee said.

Pat McAfee didn’t just stop there; he also criticized both companies for putting fans’ emotions at risk in their fight. He wants unity among everyone and wants everybody to come together. He prioritized not going to the website, echoing the sentiments of every single fan out there. Now, it will be interesting to see if, when this money dispute gets resolved. Hopefully, fans will soon have access to their favorite sports.