Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports are nearing a deal to join Fox Sports.
Dave Portnoy And Barstool To Fox Sports
EXCLUSIVE: Fox Sports is nearing an expansive deal with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy that would include him appearing on Big Noon Kickoff, sources told FOS.
The deal would also involve Barstool content being featured on FS1.
Story by @sportsrapport ⬇️
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 16, 2025
Fox Sports is betting on Portnoy and Barstool to grow their brand.
Per Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, Fox Sports is negotiating a deal with Portnoy that would allow him to appear on Big Noon Kickoff, the network’s college football pregame show.
The deal would also include Barstool content being featured on FS1.
Portnoy (“Stool Presidente”) is one of the most recognizable personalities on the internet. In 2004, the polarizing figure founded Barstool Sports, a media company that focused on sports, gambling, and entertainment.
In the two decades since, Portnoy has turned Barstool into a prominent business, with a valuation of over $550 million.
Now, Fox wants to insert Portnoy into its college football coverage for its most important game of the week, Big Noon Kickoff. Fox’s Saturday morning pregame show rivals ESPN’s College GameDay. Adding Portnoy to Big Noon Kickoff could be Fox’s version of how College GameDay added Pat McAfee, who got his start in media at Barstool.
The gamble has worked, as Fox’s noon ET football game on Saturdays has become a lucrative timeslot for the Big Ten and Big 12 game of the week.
If finalized, Portnoy would join the pregame show that includes host Rob Stone and analysts Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn, Mark Ingram, Chris “The Bear” Fallica, and Urban Meyer. Charles Woodson has appeared on the program during special occasions.
Portnoy, a Michigan graduate, would certainly generate important social media impressions from his interactions with Meyer, the former Ohio State football coach.
Portnoy has a history with Fox, having appeared on several Fox News and Fox Business Network shows since 2020.
Barstool Sports Shows Could Land At FS1
I'm told that the Fox suits are looking at Barstool personalities to replace at least one of the FS1 shows that got canceled today. This same source told me that Skip Bayless was out at Fox a week before it was announced, so do with this information what you will.
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) July 15, 2025
FS1 needs a new programming strategy.
Earlier this week, FS1 canceled three daily shows: Speak, Breakfast Ball, and The Facility.
As first suggested by Funhouse and then reported by FOS, Barstool content is expected to air on FS1. It would likely come via a licensing agreement.
What Barstool shows would air on the network is unknown. However, it’s a good bet that Barstool’s top podcast, Pardon My Take, would be one of the programs licensed to FS1.
An FS1 licensing deal would be Barstool’s second major attempt at television. Barstool partnered with ESPN in 2017 for Barstool Van Talk, a half-hour show hosted by Pardon My Take’s Big Cat and PFT. The show was canceled after one episode due to internal pressure from top ESPN personalities and social media backlash.
