Pat McAfee is not everyone’s cup of tea. And especially when it comes to people not used to his personality? It’s safe to assume things are only going to end up in a disaster. Well, true the broadcaster leaves no room for forgiveness on some occasions—cue the controversial Caitlin Clark comments. As for other instances, even an attempt at fun can end in a blowup. And that’s exactly what happened when the former punter arrived at Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks.

It’s no secret that McAfee has a special relationship with Indiana. With an NFL career standing as the biggest proof, perhaps what also intensifies that love is his wife’s Indiana-based background. So, when he was handed the mic during the fourth quarter on Tuesday night, he knew he had to defend his team’s honor. Riling up the crowd at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, McAfee began, “Indianapolis, Indiana, we’ve got some bigwigs from the big city in the building. Spike Lee is here. Ben Stiller is here. Timothée Chalamet is here. Let’s send these sons of b—-es back to New York with their ears ringing. Let’s turn this s–t up!” The “worst” part? Excited fans contributed equally with loud boos reverberating through the arena.

Describing the light-heartedness of the situation later, the player-turned-broadcaster explained on his show, “I did not know I was getting a microphone…We got about 30-45 seconds…I grew up watching Ben Stiller… It was just a cool moment…I was very clear on what I needed to do, what the assignment was…But would like to let them all know: Mad respect for coming out. Mad amount of respect for the love they’re showing the New York Knicks. And also, all love. The damage, however, was already, done.

A swift rebuttal hit X. In his post, Grammy Award-winning singer John Mellencamp pointedly wrote, “The Knicks/Pacers games have been very entertaining for anyone who likes basketball or sports. I attended Game 4 in Indianapolis. Hoosier Hospitality’ …I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don’t know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team — and in turn, support our team. The audience booed these people. I’d say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. One could only say it’s poor, poor sportsmanship.”

McAfee hit back just as swiftly. Taking a rather veiled approach, he wrote on X on May 28, “I am “somebody”.” And if that’s not all, even Ben Stiller joined in on the conversation with another of his own. “Yes. Weird. We were happy to be there and cheer our team, and other than that, Indy fans were awesome,” he replied to a fan comment in one tweet, while another response to a fan, who expressed anger at McAfee, read, “It’s ok. He must be playing around – if it’s an actual point of view, it seems a little anachronistic or cliche? Like we are ‘big city celebs’ and we shouldn’t be there in the heartland?” 

But what do the fans have to say about this?

Pat McAfee’s fans are biting back at John Mellencamp

On the night, the Pacers held their lead and walked away with a strong 3-1 edge in the series. But John Mellencamp exited the game with frustration in mind. He decided to slam Pat McAfee on social media without naming him. But while some offered support, some others stood against him, especially the ESPN analyst’s fans. For instance, one directly slammed the singer, saying, “I’m going to ask this for the second time, who the hell is John Mellencamp I refuse to use google,” one user wrote.

But the clap backs didn’t end there. Another one chimed in questioning Mellencamp’s ‘embarrassment’ note, “Since when did we get so sensitive about a GAME! It’s sports! It’s supposed to be competitive….supposed to be opposition. All within the confines of sport.” In addition, a fan wrote, “Clearly Mellencamp hasn’t been to a sporting event lately. We love @PatMcAfeeShow!” showing support to the former NFL punter.

Besides them, others too found Mellencamp’s comments ‘weird.’ One even questioned, “What are you supposed to do roll out a red carpet for the other team and their fans? This is the playoffs… On top of that it is the conference finals. Act like you want to win geez.” Well, the community has spoken. Whose side are you on?