ESPN lost an icon on Tuesday when the network’s co-founder, Bill Rasmussen, passed away at the age of 93. While Rasmussen may not be as well-known as some of the network’s on-air talent, he’s a legend who changed the media landscape.
As ESPN was remembering the late, great Rasmussen, the network cut off its own tribute to air “The Pat McAfee Show” instead. As you can imagine, the internet had its fair share of criticism for the network.
ESPN Interrupts Bill Rasmussen Tribute for Pat McAfee
There’s never a dull moment around ESPN, especially when involving Pat McAfee, who recently released his debut album (which Dan Orlovsky loves). This time, McAfee is at the center of controversy, but not even by his own doing.
At the end of ESPN’s “First Take,” when the analysts were paying their respects to Rasmussen, the network cut away to “The Pat McAfee Show” while Courtney Cronin was in the middle of remembering Rasmussen and stating that his “legacy lives on…”
ESPN’s tribute to Bill Rasmussen at the end of ‘First Take’ was cut off by the beginning of ‘The Pat McAfee Show’: pic.twitter.com/uM2oVNywXj
— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) August 18, 2026
It wasn’t an ideal look for the network, especially not when they were paying their respects. One commenter saw the clip as an overall sign of the “current state of affairs at ESPN.”
AKA: The current state of affairs at ESPN.
— Rob Hamilton (@roboverdrive) August 18, 2026
Another agreed, feeling like the clip perfectly summed up what ESPN was all about in 2026.
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“the state of espn in one video,” they wrote.
One user suggested it was the “single clearest metaphor for the current state of ESPN.”
Might be the single clearest metaphor for the current state of ESPN.
— Longfellow Deeds (@IPApapi) August 18, 2026
Another user simply found the network cutting off the Rasmussen tribute for ESPN’s new golden boy in McAfee as ironic.
“The irony!” they wrote.
The irony!
— Jiggy Jones 🇱🇷 (@jiggyjones__) August 18, 2026
One commenter was quite disgusted with the act, but felt it properly represented what the “network has turned into.”
“A fitting representation of what this dog [expletive] network has turned into,” they wrote.
The network has gotten criticism for prioritizing McAfee, one of its highest-paid sports personalities, over all else and building around him going forward, so it’s clear why social media found this fitting.
