Pat McAfee aimed to engage Major League Baseball by inviting Derek Jeter for an Opening Day discussion on ESPN, but was reportedly thwarted by Fox. On Wednesday afternoon, The Pat McAfee Show teased a Thursday interview with Jeter to kick off the 2025 MLB season. However, during Thursday’s episode, adorned in Yankees gear, McAfee revealed that the interview was canceled, attributing the decision to Fox, where Jeter serves as an analyst.
I’ve got some bad news..@derekjeter will not be joining the progrum today#PMSLive https://t.co/9xRkebiJcl pic.twitter.com/7kmQe7NmNX
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 27, 2025
“I’ve got some bad news,” McAfee stated. “Derek Jeter was supposed to be on the show today. We promoted it, although we typically avoid such proclamations because if we announce, ‘Derek Jeter’s coming on the show on Opening Day!’ and everyone reacts positively, it can be frustrating if it doesn’t happen.” McAfee continued, explaining that it wasn’t Jeter’s fault, as he received a personal call from Jeter indicating there were network issues: “Hey, there’s broadcast stuff, networks are doing a thing. I’m not happy about it.”
In Fox’s defense, they do not have any games on Opening Day while ESPN features two, including the Yankees vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, with Joe Buck calling the action. It’s logical to speculate that Fox preferred not to allow one of its top analysts to appear on The Pat McAfee Show to promote ESPN’s coverage on their Opening Day. This decision followed MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s complaints about the lack of coverage that the sport receives on ESPN’s daytime shows. McAfee remarked, “There’s a lot of history between the networks,” and expressed understanding toward Fox, but acknowledged their disappointment.
Alternatively, it might not have been Fox that influenced the cancellation. Perhaps Jeter was deterred after witnessing Stephen A. Smith threaten to throw punches at LeBron James following a lengthy discussion on The Pat McAfee Show, leading the former Yankees captain to avoid any potential fallout.
