Stephen A. Smith has offered a fresh explanation for why Pat McAfee operates differently at ESPN. The two personalities are major ESPN sports voices. McAfee’s daily show is independently owned and licensed to ESPN, unlike First Take, which Smith says ESPN owns. Smith says that distinction gives McAfee a level of independence he never had.
His comments came as McAfee’s ESPN footprint continues to expand. McAfee appears on College GameDay and joined Monday Night Countdown for the 2026 NFL season. Smith’s explanation centers on the different ownership and business arrangements behind their roles at ESPN.
Smith says ownership changes the equation
Smith made the comments during an interview with Matt Iseman for Front Office Sports Tonight. He said McAfee has “a level of independence I’ve never had,” pointing to McAfee’s ownership of the platforms behind his show.
ESPN licenses The Pat McAfee Show from McAfee’s independent media operation, while Smith says ESPN owns First Take. Smith said the different arrangements mean McAfee is subject to a different set of obligations from ESPN employees and described McAfee as working for himself while licensing his show to the network.
McAfee built the platform before ESPN
McAfee’s current position is rooted in a media operation he developed independently after his NFL career. The current daily version of The Pat McAfee Show launched in 2019, building an audience before ESPN brought the program into its lineup.
The 2023 agreement brought the show to ESPN through a licensing arrangement. McAfee’s independent media operation retained ownership and control of the underlying intellectual property, production operation, and related platform while ESPN carried the program.
That structure helps explain why McAfee’s relationship with ESPN differs from the arrangements used for many network personalities. ESPN licenses the program while McAfee retains ownership of his independent media enterprise.
Smith has negotiated more freedom, too
Smith’s 2025 ESPN agreement is a five-year contract worth more than $100 million. The deal includes flexibility for Smith to pursue projects outside ESPN, while he remains an ESPN employee and continues as a prominent First Take personality.
Smith has also developed independent media projects through Straight Shooter, his production company. His arrangement gives him contractual freedom beyond his ESPN duties, but he does not own First Take.
McAfee’s ESPN presence keeps growing
McAfee’s ESPN role has expanded beyond his daily program. He remains an analyst on College GameDay and joined Monday Night Countdown for the 2026 NFL season.
His College GameDay kicking contest also returned in 2026 with a new payout structure. On September 12, Texas freshman Connor Kecena-Merrell won $1.2 million after making a 33-yard field goal on his second attempt. McAfee’s licensing arrangement with ESPN allows the network to carry his show while he retains ownership of his independent media enterprise.
Fun fact: Pat McAfee exclusively funded more than $6 million in prize and charity money for the kicking contest during its first three seasons. In 2026, Home Depot joined the contest as a matching sponsor, matching the amount McAfee offers each week.
ESPN uses two different star models
Smith and McAfee represent two distinct approaches to building a sports-media franchise. Smith became a central ESPN personality through First Take, a network-owned program, while McAfee arrived with an established independent show that ESPN licensed.
That difference can affect production, creative control, and the obligations attached to each role. It also explains why Smith rejects the idea that the two careers can be compared simply because both personalities are major ESPN stars.
Smith said he has “freedoms that the average person doesn’t have in this business.” At the same time, he described his arrangement with McAfee as “an entirely different world,” reinforcing that the difference comes from the underlying business structure.
The arrangement reflects McAfee’s leverage
McAfee’s leverage comes from the audience and brand he developed before ESPN became his broadcast partner. That history allowed him to enter the network without surrendering ownership of the program that established his identity in sports media.
Smith acknowledged that achievement rather than presenting McAfee’s treatment as an unexplained exception. He said McAfee “deserves a lot of respect and a lot of credit” for building a business that gave him this level of independence.
The comments also place ESPN’s relationship with top talent in a broader context. As sports networks compete for recognizable personalities, ownership and licensing can become as important as salary when determining how much control a star retains.
What Smith’s comments reveal about ESPN
Smith’s explanation provides a clearer picture of why ESPN can treat two major personalities differently without using identical contracts. McAfee brought an independent media property to the network, while Smith’s flagship program was already part of ESPN’s portfolio.
That distinction has become especially relevant as McAfee’s ESPN presence expands. His show, College GameDay role and Monday Night Countdown position give the network multiple ways to use his personality without owning the core daily program.
For Smith, the comparison ultimately comes down to who owns the platform. His assessment is that McAfee’s ability to control his own show is the central reason he can operate under rules that differ from those governing ESPN employees.
The comparison also highlights how modern sports television increasingly depends on personalities with audiences that extend beyond traditional network programming. ESPN’s relationship with McAfee shows how an independent creator can become a major part of a national sports operation without giving up ownership of the original show.
TL;DR
- Stephen A. Smith says Pat McAfee has greater independence because McAfee owns his media platforms and licenses The Pat McAfee Show to ESPN.
- Smith remains an ESPN employee and a First Take personality, while McAfee operates an independent media enterprise.
- McAfee’s ESPN role includes The Pat McAfee Show, College GameDay, and Monday Night Countdown.
- Smith credits McAfee with building a business that gives him a different level of independence at ESPN.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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