Overview
- The Athletic’s latest reader survey reported 49.5% dislike McAfee on GameDay, with 31.6% in favor and 18.9% neutral from roughly 3,500 respondents.
- ESPN president of content Burke Magnus argued that viewers “vote with their remote controls,” noting three consecutive seasons of record audiences for the show.
- Senior vice president Mike Foss highlighted an average of about 2.7 million viewers per Saturday in 2025 and referenced McAfee’s roughly 500,000 daily reach.
- McAfee has become a focal point of the post–Lee Corso era with high-energy closing segments and a sponsor-backed field-goal contest that draws strong engagement.
- GameDay continues to rate strongly against competitors, with survey respondents favoring it over Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, and there is no indication McAfee plans to leave.