In an idealistic world, every fan can pull up to spur on their team in the flesh. Be at the stadiums and arenas amongst your kin. But, depending on who the voices on the mic are, living the action vicariously through the telly is a fair alternative. The commentators in the booth during a broadcast make a lot of difference to the viewing experience. Every good movie needs a good narrator. However, not everyone’s Morgan Freeman. There are levels to this, and Pat McAfee just told Kirk Herbstreit where he stands in the hierarchy. 

Here’s an exercise: Visualize your favorite, most enthralling sports moment. It’s very likely a buzzer-beater from behind the arc in the NBA. Those are always extra special. If so, you can hear that “Bang!” by Mike Breen reverberating in the background. Nobody weaponizes onomatopoeia like that guy. Whether it’s Breen on the call or somebody else in general, the commentary is inseparable and goes hand in hand along with the greatest moments in sport. It becomes the soundtrack to a fan’s life. A lot of these folks have likely never taken to the hardwood or gridiron. However, they can permeate emotions from inside the building across the broadcast. It’s a hapless job at times, as important as it is. But Pat McAfee made sure to give a legend his flowers.

Jim Nantz is synonymous with sports commentary at this point. He’s been doing it for decades with the same vim and passion. Something that separates him from his peers is the fact that he can glide seamlessly across various sports. It’s second nature to him. Football fans are privy to his work within the NFL, including multiple Super Bowls. However, Nantz is especially relatable to the Masters. He’s an Augusta staple, and has been since ‘89. Over the “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast, the namesake host went as far as saying he sometimes goes to sleep listening to the soothing Jim Nantz vividly narrate the Masters. This triggered a response from his guest Pat McAfee, who concurs that Jim Nantz is the best in the business. But he may just have rained on his College GameDay co-panelist Kirk Herbstreit’s parade in the process!

In a segment that was straight out of a barbershop, Big Ben and McAfee discussed the chronicles and greatness of Jim Nantz during the podcast. McAfee said, “Him and [Mike] Tirico are, I think, the most smooth dudes on a microphone,” Tirico, of course, is a legend in his own right. Ben concurred with this, acknowledging the two as the top echelon. Roethlisberger then pivoted the conversation towards Herbstreit. “Those are my two guys,” he said. “I like Herbstreit too, but [they] can do multiple sports and do it with ease,” Following this, Pat McAfee made a statement that was meant to hoist Jim Nantz and Mike Tirico. But simultaneously minimized Kirk Herbstreit a tad bit. 

“Nantz, Tirico [and] Herbstreit- different worlds,” remarked McAfee. “[With] Herbstreit, obviously I enjoy his brain [and] the way he talks. But being the play-by-play [commentator], directing the ship like Tirico and Nantz are able to do? Phenomenal,” Kirk Herbstreit’s lane is that of a color commentator. The analyst who lends expertise and drops intricately detailed gems. But usually takes a backseat to the play-by-play guy. Listen, being ranked below Jim Nantz and Mike Tirico is no indictment. Herbstreit’s still a premier sportscaster. He’d probably appreciate the honesty from his colleague McAfee. As well as to invite the motivation to reach the levels those two senior statesmen have reached. Maybe even cross over into other sports himself, as daunting as that sounds.

Pat McAfee simultaneously finds himself on the receiving end of a lawsuit

Pat McAfee currently finds himself embroiled in some controversy. That’s nothing new for him, and his outspoken nature has landed him in trouble at various junctures within various circles. This time, however, things have gone up a notch. He’d possibly need to ditch the tank tops and put on a suit for a court date sometime down the line.

McAfee is being sued for defamation. This ordeal stems from the infamous incident, or lack thereof, at Ole Miss that made rounds on the airwaves. It involved a fabricated story about a student, Mary Kate Cornett, and her alleged boyfriend’s father. McAfee of course didn’t spawn the rumours, but he gave them a platform during an ESPN broadcast from the NFL Combine. Something which naturally didn’t go down too well when said rumors were busted.

The lawsuit includes “speaking falsehoods about an identifiable private person and harming their reputation with a reckless disregard for the truth.” Aring some dirty laundry, which turned out to be fallacious anyways, to a national audience was definitely an oversight. Although he did’t mean harm, he caused it. Well, maybe McAfee can learn a thing or two from more seasoned vets in the media realm, a la Kirk Herbstreit!