Following the news of Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy’s reported ban from the football field at Ohio State, Dan Le Batard weighed in on what he considers a brewing rivalry between FOX Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s College GameDay. He framing the battle as a generational clash amplified by controversy surrounding Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.
“When you talk about the games that we’re headed into this weekend, already FOX and Big Noon is getting exactly what they want out of Dave Portnoy and Barstool,” Le Batard said. “It seems all of this would be orchestrated in order to create noise and controversy, and I believe Portnoy and Barstool will be good about attracting attention, particularly of young people, to rival Lee Corso’s departure on ESPN.”
Reports emerged late Monday night that Portnoy would be barred from participating in the end-of-show segment on the field at Ohio State. While Ohio State’s athletic director said early Tuesday the move was in part because of Portnoy’s role on the FOX Sports show, the Barstool Sports founder disputed that claim later on Tuesday.
This sparked speculation by Le Batard about whether the move was a ban or part of a larger marketing strategy. Le Batard suggested the attention generated by the story was exactly what Fox and Barstool were hoping for.
“I don’t believe creatures like [Dave] Portnoy have ever existed in the history of these shows,” he explained. “A network that is struggling with its sports programming. This is how they get into the game by trying to do something different finally. I’ve been so frustrated with FOX because they’re just doing a crappy copied version of whatever has been the norm. Now they’re just going to upset everything and they’re just going to create noise and chaos and controversy.”
He described the situation as a calculated publicity maneuver benefiting both the network and Portnoy.
Le Batard also placed the FOX-ESPN rivalry in the context of generational shifts in sports media consumption. He highlighted the challenges both networks face in capturing younger audiences amid changing viewing habits. He contrasted the modern FOX Sports approach with ESPN’s reliance on legacy personalities.
“ESPN will get week one, even though that’s a giant game with Arch Manning. But symbolically, this is a changing of the guard that FOX is trying to go after… while ESPN is trying to sell you its past,” Le Batard said.
The debut of Big Noon Kickoff on FOX Sports Saturday from Columbus, Ohio marks the start of a content partnership between FOX Sports and Barstool Sports announced in July.
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