Pat McAfee has strongly criticized the ESPYs for nominating Prince Harry for the prestigious Pat Tillman Award for Service. McAfee also expressed his frustration over the perceived exclusion of American candidates in the selection process. The award is meant to honor a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others, reflecting the legacy of former NFL player and US Army Ranger Pat Tillman.
During his Friday show on ESPN, McAfee didn't hold back in his criticism of the event's committee. He began by acknowledging Tillman's heroic legacy, saying, "A lot of conversation about Pat Tillman's name, American hero. Now there's an award named after him, as there should be in the sports world, because that's somebody who's the definition of selfless." However, he quickly turned his attention to the decision to nominate Prince Harry, quipping, "It's going to Prince Harry, who I don't even think is a prince anymore. He said, 'Don't call me that.'"
McAfee then bluntly questioned, "Why does the ESPY Awards do this?" His show co-host, Boston Connor, joined in the criticism, calling Prince Harry's nomination "probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever seen in my entire life." McAfee questioned the thoroughness of the ESPY Awards committee, implying that they may not have fully researched the candidates. He cited the awards selection process, which involves global online voting from candidates chosen by the ESPY nominating committee.
McAfee anticipated the negative reaction from sports fans and Americans, saying, "When you do something like this, you know the immediate reaction from humans and sports fans and people with common sense and brains is going to be like, 'Hey, don't be putting our effing guy with that guy.'" He acknowledged Prince Harry's founding of the Invictus Games and his service in the British Army but questioned whether the prince was aware of the backlash his nomination would generate. "Did his people know? Like, you publicly put me up for this award, you're just asking basically every person that considers themselves American and saying this is bull," McAfee pondered.
Reflecting on his experience with the ESPYs, McAfee mentioned his 2023 opening monologue at the awards show, suggesting that the decision-makers behind the event may not always have sports fans' best interests at heart. He argued, "We should celebrate sports. The worldwide leaders should celebrate sports, but doing something like this is obviously trying to piss people off." McAfee pointed to a trend of controversial decisions over the past decade, implying a lack of coherent leadership. "And I think it's just one person being put in charge of this entire thing. It's like, come on, bro," he lamented.
Another cast member, Ty Schmidt, also criticized the ESPYs, labeling the awards a gimmick. Schmidt argued, "It's like you couldn't find an active US military member or someone who can't serve anymore because of something they did while serving? There were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of people who they could have found who could have benefited from this award, but instead, let's give it to Prince Harry."
In response to Schmidt's comments, McAfee sarcastically suggested creating a new award specifically for Prince Harry. "How about it's like ESPY for royal family members who don't want to be called royal family members who love sports?" he proposed. McAfee and his co-hosts argued that there are many deserving individuals, particularly from the US military, who better embody the selfless spirit of Pat Tillman. This debate underscores the tension between celebrity influence and genuine service, questioning whether the ESPYs are staying true to the values that they aim to celebrate.
