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ESPN Did Their Own Founder Dirty After His Tragic Passing — And Pat McAfee Somehow Finds Himself In The Middle Of It [VIDEO]

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This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Pat McAfee on set.
Pat McAfee (Photo Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images)

ESPN faced heavy backlash Tuesday after cutting short a tribute to its late founder. Bill Rasmussen died at 93 from Parkinson’s disease.

First Take honored Rasmussen near the end of the show. Panelists shared reflections on his role in creating the network.

Host Courtney Cronin was still speaking when the feed switched. The Pat McAfee Show intro then took over the airwaves.

ESPN Draws Fire for Abrupt Transition

Somebody holding an ESPN microphone.
ESPN microphone (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

Rasmussen co-founded ESPN in 1979 with his son Scott. He pioneered the idea of 24-hour sports television.

The network issued a statement praising his vision and impact. Yet the on-air tribute never fully finished. Similar ESPN programming decisions often spark similar debates. The timing left little room for a complete send-off.

ESPN Faces Online Criticism Over Timing

ESPN logo.
ESPN logo. Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Fans and media voices quickly shared the clip. Criticism focused on the decision to prioritize the next show.

“The tribute for ESPN’s founder passing away being cut off by Pat McAfee sums up how ESPN is these days 😬,” one wrote.

“A tribute to someone who was around back when ESPN wasn’t trash, is cut off by the ‘obnoxious loud guy shills for sports betting sponsored by a sports betting company’ show. Perfection,” one added.

“this is a bit too on the nose,” one commented.

“AKA: The current state of affairs at ESPN,” someone wrote.

“Might be the single clearest metaphor for the current state of ESPN,” one said.

The moment quickly became a talking point across sports media. McAfee himself had no control over the switch. The hard out still left many viewers frustrated.

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