Pat McAfee is the undisputed king of the post-cable sports media landscape, having effectively conquered and reshaped ESPN in his frat-boy, tank-top-wearing image to the tune of a reported new deal worth $60 million to $65 million annually. (Meanwhile, ESPN just announced another round of layoffs, parting ways with several longtime personalities.)
Now, McAfee apparently has his sights set on a new domain: music. He will launch his recording career on August 14th with the release of his debut album, The Diary of a Polarizing Figure. The project features “verses, choruses, and songs” he has been writing over the past two decades, which he recently recorded in Nashville with help from ERNEST and other collaborators. He released the first single, a 90-second country-rocker called “Dookie,” in December.
“For as long as I can remember my mere existence has made people hate my guts.. literally since elementary school. Teachers, administrators, other parents, you name it.. I didn’t understand it as a child but throughout my life I’ve come to realize that this is just how it’s gonna be,” McAfee wrote in an Instagram post announcing the project.
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“I’ve been writing songs about it all for 20yrs. It’s time to let them aht.. There’s A LOT of headlines & narratives about me.. if I was to die, I’d like my kids to know exactly who and what their dad is.”
But what really sells the project is the album’s cover, which is either AI slop or just a really poorly done design: From a a missing closing quotation mark to awkward shadows on the watch dial, a weirdly taped-and-slotted photo, and a stray line behind the ‘FE’ of his last name, the cover is littered with weird design anomalies. I guess $60 million doesn’t go as far as it used to in this economy.
