Who had Pat McAfee vs. John Mellencamp on their list of sports feuds in 2025?
Somehow, we ended up there this past week after McAfee fired up the Indiana crowd during Game 4 between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, calling out celebrity Knicks fans like Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, and Timothée Chalamet and urging the home crowd to send them back to New York with their ears bleeding.
While the Pacers crowd ate it up, longtime fan John Mellencamp did not.
The “Jack & Diane” singer-songwriter said he was disappointed in the lack of Hoosier Hospitality shown in that moment.
“One could say it’s poor, poor sportsmanship,” Mellencamp wrote in a social media post. “I was not proud to be a Hoosier, and I lived here my entire life. On behalf of most Hoosiers, I would like to apologize for our poor behavior. I’m sure the Pacers had nothing to do with this smackdown.”
McAfee responded with even less Hoosier Hospitality, telling the 73-year-old Indiana native to “suck it up” and “shut the f*ck up!” He also turned down a friendly offer from Stiller to attend Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
McAfee might have a lot of local cred, having played for the Indianapolis Colts, but he’s no match for Pacers legend Reggie Miler in that department. And Miller, who is calling the series for TNT, made it clear that he’s #TeamMellencamp all the way.
“Only real Hoosiers know what this man means to Indiana,” wrote Miller in an Instagram post featuring he and Mellencamp meeting before Game 4. “Honored to call @johnmellencamp a true friend. From dinners, video shoots, tour bus jumping, to singing on stage, I’ve done it all with him. Nothing but unconditional ❤️ for him and his family, thank you for always being there for some of those late night calls to vent about basketball back in the day..”
It doesn’t seem like Miller was posting this in response to McAfee, but it serves as a reminder of who will be showing up on which side of the battle if this mini-feud continues. Given McAfee’s fragile ego, especially around being appreciated in Indianapolis, we imagine there’s more to come.