Pat McAfee has always been a colorful character, on and off the football field. His next chapter of antics began with a simple round of Mario Kart racing with an actual racer driver.
A few months ago, as McAfee was in the early stages of growing his popularity on Snapchat, he filmed a short video of him playing Mario Kart with Conor Daly, an up-and-coming IndyCar driver who hails from the state of Indiana.
Related Story: Pat McAfee begins comedy tour
In the months since taking time out to play some Ninentendo, McAfee has kept up with his daily check-ins on social media, including his now famous Snapchat videos.
Also, McAfee hit the road to tour the state of Indiana for his own personal stand up comedy shows. McAfee, a Pittsburgh native and West Virginia University alumnus, has taken a liking to his new home state of Indiana.
The punter, now in his sixth year with the Indianapolis Colts, has acclimated himself nicely to the Midwest. That includes giving back in a way that some charities would never think of.
McAfee, sponsored Daly’s car in last weekend’s Indianapolis 500. On top of that, he parlayed his motive into brining his company, ShirtsForAmerica.com, to the limelight.
"“Myself and my team saw this as an opportunity not only to get an Indianapolis kid in the 100th running, a legendary Indy 500, but a chance to raise some money for some military families,” McAfee said."
This weekend at the historic race, McAfee again took to Snapchat to show his viewers what his personal experience was like in Indianapolis. He made sure to scout out those in attendance who who wearing one of his original ShirtsForAmerica t-shirts.
Daly, who is just 24 years old, didn’t exactly have the kind of raced he had hoped for on Sunday. He crashed with Mikhail Aleshin in Turn 1 of Lap 115.
When it was all said and done, Daly didn’t take himself or his misfortunate too seriously. Like his sponsor, Daly exuded a true sense of pride and patriotism.
"“I’d like to thank Christopher Columbus for coming over here and discovering this great place,” Daly said. “And I’d like to thank George Washington for establishing such a wonderful country.”"
In an “old boys club” of benefactors surrounding the Indianapolis 500, Daly certainly made a name for himself while making his country proud.
As for McAfee, it seems like football is secondary to him these days, in a good way. He is always looking to give back and he truly takes the time to show his fans that he cares about them.
More than that, McAfee is certainly in good hands when his football career eventually comes to an end. His ability to make friends and gain partnerships certainly gives him a chance to have a career in broadcasting, charity or more stand up comedy when he retires from the NFL.