Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Pat McAfee has released a 14-track country album, and critics are absolutely unloading on the ESPN star’s attempt at “Special Teams Bro Country.” The music arrives as McAfee grows increasingly comfortable alongside Trump-branded sports events, including the Patriot Games, while ESPN reportedly discusses a contract that could pay him as much as $65 million a year. Between the brutal reviews, awkward lyrics, and a network eager to promote the project on College GameDay, McAfee’s transformation from sports personality into full-scale celebrity brand may have finally produced its masterpiece of unintentional comedy. Ring of Fire's Josh G. explains.
Yahoo/PFN - NFL fans mock McAfee's country album - sports.yahoo.com/articles/couldn-t-pay-listen-nfl-173251400.html
Yahoo/The Spun - McAfee accused of being secretly MAGA - sports.yahoo.com/articles/espns-pat-mcafee-accused-being-152223886.html
SB Nation - Album review - sbnation.com/nfl/1125008/pat-mcafee-album-review-the-diary-of-a-polarizing-figure
Steven Hyden - Ask a Music Critic - stevenhyden.substack.com/p/ask-a-music-critic-can-you-please
Reddit r/billsimmons - fan reaction thread - reddit.com/r/billsimmons/comments/1vpip9i/pat_mcafee_when_his_album_is_so_bad_that_people
Genius - Pat McAfee artist page and lyrics - genius.com/artists/Pat-mcafee
Awful Announcing - album review with lyric breakdowns - awfulannouncing.com/espn/diary-polarizing-figure-pat-mcafee-rich-death-coming-for-us.html
Consequence - McAfee's album is too boring to be polarizing - consequence.net/2026/08/pat-mcafee-diary-polarizing-figure-review
Crossing Broad - What if Jelly Roll was somehow worse? - crossingbroad.com/news/trending/music-review-pat-mcafees-debut-album-finally-answers-the-question-what-if-jelly-roll-was-somehow-worse
Higher Learning - Van Lathan on McAfee (1:16:35) - youtu.be/bduIJ_JC67I
Album track - youtube.com/watch?v=ccjv3HfGx7s
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Pat McAfee has released a 14-track country album, and critics are absolutely unloading on the ESPN star’s attempt at “Special Teams Bro Country.” The music arrives as McAfee grows increasingly comfortable alongside Trump-branded sports events, including the Patriot Games, while ESPN reportedly discusses a contract that could pay him as much as $65 million a year. Between the brutal reviews, awkward lyrics, and a network eager to promote the project on College GameDay, McAfee’s transformation from sports personality into full-scale celebrity brand may have finally produced its masterpiece of unintentional comedy. Ring of Fire's Josh G. explains.
Yahoo/PFN - NFL fans mock McAfee's country album - sports.yahoo.com/articles/couldn-t-pay-listen-nfl-173251400.html
Yahoo/The Spun - McAfee accused of being secretly MAGA - sports.yahoo.com/articles/espns-pat-mcafee-accused-being-152223886.html
SB Nation - Album review - sbnation.com/nfl/1125008/pat-mcafee-album-review-the-diary-of-a-polarizing-figure
Steven Hyden - Ask a Music Critic - stevenhyden.substack.com/p/ask-a-music-critic-can-you-please
Reddit r/billsimmons - fan reaction thread - reddit.com/r/billsimmons/comments/1vpip9i/pat_mcafee_when_his_album_is_so_bad_that_people
Genius - Pat McAfee artist page and lyrics - genius.com/artists/Pat-mcafee
Awful Announcing - album review with lyric breakdowns - awfulannouncing.com/espn/diary-polarizing-figure-pat-mcafee-rich-death-coming-for-us.html
Consequence - McAfee's album is too boring to be polarizing - consequence.net/2026/08/pat-mcafee-diary-polarizing-figure-review
Crossing Broad - What if Jelly Roll was somehow worse? - crossingbroad.com/news/trending/music-review-pat-mcafees-debut-album-finally-answers-the-question-what-if-jelly-roll-was-somehow-worse
Higher Learning - Van Lathan on McAfee (1:16:35) - youtu.be/bduIJ_JC67I
Album track - youtube.com/watch?v=ccjv3HfGx7s
Subscribe to stay connected to our stories: youtube.com/theringoffire
Support us by becoming a member on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCYWIEbibRcZav6xMLo9qWWw/join
Find us on social media!
Facebook: facebook.com/RingofFireRadio
Twitter: twitter.com/RingofFireMedia
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