Here's ESPN's Solution to Pat McAfee Dropping F-Bombs

One of the initial concerns that arose upon receiving the news that the Pat McAfee Show would be broadcast on ESPN is how McAfee's occasionally R-rated content would be handled by Disney. It's nothing wild but cursing is commonplace on the show from not just McAfee but everyone involved, including his interview subjects. In the aftermath of the deal McAfee said he agreed to tone it down but didn't want to force anyone to change completely because authenticity is part of the brand and all that.

Today was McAfee's first show on the Worldwide Leader's airwaves. It had been reported yesterday that the network planned to air the show on a delay to censor any language, and he joked it throughout. Near the end of his two-hour block, though, he got into a flow and dropped his first f-bomb on ESPN. More interesting than that is we found out how the producers plan on handling that-- by muting the entire show for nearly 10 seconds.

It is a little jarring and brings attention to the fact that McAfee said something he shouldn't, but I bet ESPN will get the mute time down. Once McAfee stops caring enough about the possbility of swearing that he doesn't interrupt what he was saying to comment on it, muting the show for as long as they did will trip up the audience trying to follow along. It does not help that the Pat McAfee Show bounces from subject to subject more willy-nilly than many of its counterparts.

Regardless, they caught it with time to spare and that makes McAfee's first show a success for the four-letter network.