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As the college football regular season nears its very on-field end, the battle off it between YouTube and ESPN is just getting started. After Google, YT’s parent company, and ESPN couldn’t reach an updated agreement on terms. Fans are now struggling to access high-stakes games and their favorite ESPN College GameDay. But this temporary feud might turn into a mistake of a lifetime for ESPN, as this waiting time will cost them their dedicated fans. And that’s not the risk they are willing to take. So, last week during the Tulane vs. UTSA game, the blackout started. Still, many thought it was just a matter of time before ESPN returned to YouTube, but even after a whole week, they couldn’t access ESPN, ABC, or other Disney-owned channels. That means they are missing out on an entire weekend of college football and Monday Night Football. And for now, the negotiation hangs on a thin thread. Now, because of this delay, fans might realize they don’t need ESPN at all, and Pete Mundo didn’t mince words before pointing it out on X. “ESPN has to be careful here. I grew up on ESPN shows like PTI, Around the Horn, and SportsCenter. An entire generation behind me did not. Those shows are losing influence by the year, while one of them doesn’t even exist anymore. And giving them a reason to realize they don’t need ESPN broadly for their entertainment, other than the occasional game, could backfire dramatically.” ADVERTISEMENT ESPN holds the rights to the Tulane vs. Memphis game, which has significant playoff implications. The winner is likely to reach the ACC championship and may even remain in the race for a playoff spot. Therefore, finding an alternative for such games might ultimately impact ESPN’s standing. And then by the weekend, they might entirely lose their patience when they can’t watch games like BYU vs. Texas Tech, Texas A&M vs. Missouri, or LSU vs. Alabama. These are some of the biggest games of the year, and missing them might even force them to switch services, which is not good news for them. The timing couldn’t be worse for Disney either, as ESPN’s football coverage is one of its strongest points when it comes to cracking deals. Most YouTube TV subscribers are football fans who primarily use the service to access the NFL Sunday Ticket package and live sports channels. Now, if they lose ESPN during this time of the season, it will put more pressure on Disney and YouTube to come to a common ground. ADVERTISEMENT Things intensified to a point that even ESPN figures like Scott Van Pelt, Mike Greenberg, Kirk Herbstreit, and Laura Rutledge started a campaign on X, urging fans to pressure YouTube TV. But the move backfired as frustration grew among fans. With them now, even Pat McAfee is right there criticizing the entire thing. Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports ADVERTISEMENT Pat McAfee gets real on ESPN dispute The rift between ESPN and YouTube TV is worsening for fans, as they are losing their daily live sports. They can’t watch big moments like Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline and their favorite games. Things turned more frustrating when fans missed out on games like the Cardinals vs. Cowboys matchup on Monday night. That’s what pushed McAfee to hop in and address the entire issue on his show. He straightaway called out his ESPN coworkers who were posting videos online, telling viewers to visit a website to keep access to ESPN channels. “We’re all done with it. And also, if you’re on TV, stop telling people to go to a website to save a multi-billion-dollar deal. Nobody cares what you have to say. There will be nothing that we have to say or any website that will be visited. There are, and I don’t want to say the exact names, but these people (hands up high), let’s put our swords down. Let’s put our swords down for the good of sports,” McAfee said. Pat McAfee didn’t just stop there; he also criticized both companies for putting fans’ emotions at risk in their fight. “We need each other. A lot of people saying ‘greedy corporations.’ It’s like, yeah. We need each other, especially with where sports are right now. And we’re in the middle of it, so let’s get it done. And stop asking me to go to a website. I don’t want to do that, so stop,” he added. Now, it will be interesting to see if, when this money dispute is resolved, fans will regain access to their favorite shows.
