Pat McAfee’s huge ESPN deal prompts angry staff reaction amid layoffs at Disney-owned company
ESPN employees are said to be “upset” about the announcement by The Walt Disney Co. of Pat McAfee as the latest big acquisition after the company’s massive layoffs, according to Sports front office.
The “global sports leader” is reportedly preparing for his second round of layoffs after Disney CEO Bob Iger expressed a desire to cut 7,000 jobs worldwide and $5.5 billion in costs.
“Too fast was the reaction I got from some friends. Some of those who have been fired are still working there until June,” a former ESPN employee told Front Office Sports.
‘You are processing your departure and then you see large sums signed. It’s not anti-McAfee… it’s your ex getting engaged a month after the breakup.”
According to reports, ESPN has given McAfee an eight-figure year contract after ending his four-year, $120 million contract with FanDuel and bringing his famous “The Pat McAfee Show” with him.
ESPN employees are ‘angry’ with eight-figure annual salary given to new employee Pat McAfee
McAfee is about to tear up his four-year, $120 million FanDuel contract, which he signed in 2021
ESPN’s parent company Walt Disney Co. is currently in the midst of thousands of layoffs
ESPN’s first wave of layoffs took place on April 24 and saw respected names like John Dahl, the executive producer of the famed documentary “The Last Dance,” as well as communications specialist Mike Soltys and Nate Silver.
Howie Schwab — who once hosted “Stump the Schwab” on ESPN — said his former colleagues have been keeping a close eye on the pay gap between the company’s hottest on-air talent and everyone else.
“There are people who are angry. The timing of it is curious. They pay [Troy] Aikman, [Joe] Buck, Stephen A. Smith and McAfee. And then you’re going to fire people? Kind of weird,” Schwab said.
“Nothing against Pat McAfee. Clearly, he’s bringing Aaron Rodgers to the table. He’s already there because he’s doing “College GameDay.” They are looking for another home run. Meanwhile, their batters are fired.’
Aikman earns $18 million, Smith and Buck both earn $15 million a year.
There would also be a lot of resentment towards Disney for the fact that they own 80 percent of ESPN and are the driving force behind the layoffs.
The next wave of layoffs would involve off-air members of the production and camera crew, along with highly paid executives.
Some employees would feel they are being forced to pay for former Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s bad decisions, which took place in Burbank, California, about 3,000 miles away from ESPN’s base of operations in Bristol, Connecticut.
Ex-ESPN personality Jemele Hill said behind-the-scenes workers are most affected
McAfee has been able to bring several big guys to his show, such as Jets QB Aaron Rodgers
Former employee Jemele Hill recently spoke about the layoffs when she noted not only how hard it was to say goodbye to some of her former colleagues, but how much harder they are for the employees behind the scenes compared to the much better paid on-air talent.
“A lot of them, especially at ESPN, have been working there for years because it’s one of those places that’s considered a destination job,” Hill said.
“So when these layoffs come, the people who will be most affected will be the people whose names you don’t know.”
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro had the honor of introducing McAfee when he said in a statement, “Pat is a proven talent. He and his team have made ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ one of the most compelling programs in sports and all media.”
ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro called The Pat McAfee Show “one of the most engaging programs in sports and all media”
Pitaro would also be in the running to succeed Iger as Disney’s next CEO.
Despite the obvious feelings of unease among the staff, ESPN allowed four different well-known on-air personalities to take home the 2023 Sports Emmy Awards. Peyton Manning, Ryan Clark, Mike Breen and Lisa Salters all took home prizes.
However, the four Sports Emmys probably only mean so much to the workers who are currently fearing for their jobs.
“Morale in general is terrible,” said one former talent.