Fox Sports and Dave Portnoy already had a common goal before they became partners: Sticking it to ESPN.
On Thursday, Fox Sports and Barstool Sports officially announced their new partnership, which will include owner Dave Portnoy joining Big Noon Kickoff and other Barstool content on FS1.
Friday, Portnoy joined Fox & Friends on Fox News to discuss the new arrangement, while also getting in some requisite shots at ESPN.
“It’s a totally new chapter for us,” said Portnoy. “We’ve never partnered with a network as big, [with] as many resources, as much talent as Fox Sports that is invested in us.”
Reading between the lines, Portnoy must’ve had ESPN in mind with his framing. Barstool and ESPN infamously partnered on a very short-lived talk show that was canceled after one episode due to internal pushback and criticism related to Barstool’s reputation and its history of disturbing comments.
We live in a very different world in 2025, and Barstool’s brand of sports coverage is very much en vogue. Portnoy seems more than happy to take a victory lap on ESPN for the way things went down now that he’ll be going head-to-head with the Worldwide Leader.
“When we did the ESPN deal, they looked like they had a sour taste in their mouth every time they looked at me,” Portnoy said when asked about the differences between the two deals. “They, at the time, wanted to get two of our talent, PFT Commenter and Big Cat… But they wanted nothing to do with Barstool.
“They’re embarrassed by it [Barstool Sports]. They didn’t want to touch it. They didn’t want to admit they were associated with it. Fox is the exact opposite. They’re embracing everything we do. They’re embracing why people like us. They’re basically gonna be a true partner.
“ESPN never wanted anything to do with us, publicly. Behind closed doors, ‘Hey, we want their audience, we want their people. But let’s pretend that we actually don’t like them.”
In case Portnoy’s feelings about ESPN weren’t obvious, he put a finer point on them.
“I never liked ESPN. I should have never done a deal with ESPN,” he said. “I hate ESPN. So, I’m very happy that we’re with Fox Sports.”
One thing we know for sure is that as much as Portnoy hates ESPN, Ohio State fans are about to hate him even more.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.