We’ve got drama at the College World Series, and it has nothing to do with baseball.
Pat McAfee has waged war with Rocco’s — the famous Omaha-based bar known for its Jell-O shot challenge during the 12-day tournament.
And by “war,” I mean McAfee stuffed the GM in a locker during a heated segment on his ESPN and YouTube show Friday afternoon.
“It was nowhere near what I thought it was going to be like,” McAfee said of the crew’s experience at the bar earlier this week. “I did contribute. But it was very much like a, ‘You’re lucky to be giving us this money to do this,’ as opposed to a celebration.”
Rocco’s in the crosshairs after Pat McAfee rips them
So, here’s the backstory for those who don’t want to sit through McAfee’s entire three-minute rant.
Rocco’s has become a household name in recent years for the challenge, which, on paper, seems like a great thing. Launched in 2019, the bar basically has fans pick a school to support when ordering a Jell-O shot to see which fan base can drink the most.
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A general view of Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina before a game at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on June 18, 2025. (Steven Branscombe/Imagn Images)
The proceeds are then divided among a food pantry near the school ($1), a local food pantry in Omaha ($0.50) and the bar itself ($3.50).
“Incredible gimmick to kind of publicly force people who are the boosters for other schools to come compete for this,” McAfee said.
In recent years, some have argued that the challenge has basically just turned into which school’s booster club has the deepest pockets. Like the college game itself, it’s lost some authenticity.
Pat McAfee of College GameDay smiles before the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Mississippi Rebels at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Oct. 18, 2025. (Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos)
McAfee, of course, made a giant donation. He’s arguably West Virginia’s most famous alum right now, and the Mountaineers are in Omaha for the first time ever.
However, when the former WVU star took his crew to Rocco’s earlier this week, the vibes weren’t great. For starters, the general manager, according to McAfee, was NOT happy he did not call ahead.
Things spiraled from there.
“Did not know we were supposed to do that,” he added. “We were just happy to come and do this entire thing. So then I start asking questions. I go, ‘How’s this work? Do I write a check?’ The guy goes, ‘Yours would bounce I think,’ and then just kept walking. It wasn’t a joke or anything. This was the general manager.”
The two then squabbled for a bit over how McAfee would ultimately pay for the shots, and then he was put in a separate room where they started unloading boxes of premade shots.
“It was very much a, ‘You’re lucky to be giving us this money to do this entire thing,’ as opposed to a celebration. And I think they were treating everybody like that,” McAfee said.
The scoreboard shows Rocco’s Jello Shot Challenge before the game between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on June 22, 2025. (Steven Branscombe/Imagn Images)
Yikes. Not great!
I’m not a PR guru, but this can’t be great for Rocco’s. As always, there are two sides to every story. However, Pat McAfee is a media machine. He’s everywhere. Millions of people watch and listen to him every single week. Maybe more.
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You don’t want to be on his bad side, especially during your biggest week of the year.
About an hour after this rant went viral, the CWS Jello Shot Counter account on Twitter updated the leaderboard with a special shout-out to McAfee for leaving the “largest tip Rocco’s has ever seen.”
Probably just a coincidence!
