Barstool Sports personality Brandon Walker is not shy about critiquing major networks, and on Monday’s edition of Mostly Sports, he turned his attention squarely toward NBC Sports over its handling of Sunday night programming during a crowded sports calendar that included both the NBA All-Star Game and ongoing coverage of the Winter Olympics.
Walker questioned NBC’s decision to preserve Olympic programming in primetime while shifting other marquee properties earlier in the day. Albeit the NBA announced the game time would shift due to their network agreement with NBC this season, Walker framed the move as a deliberate.
“NBC owns the world. NBC has everything,” Walker said. “NBC had the Super Bowl in the middle of the Olympics. Then had the NBA All Star game in the middle of the Olympics. But they’re not going to stop having the Olympics. They still want their Olympics prime time, so they moved everything up.”
His comments suggest that NBC’s scheduling strategy reflects a long-held belief. The network views Olympic coverage as having a distinct primetime identity. It appears reluctant to dilute that brand. That remains true even when competing properties could draw significant viewership in the same window.
Walker then sharpened his tone by contrasting the NBA’s exhibition showcase with NBC’s personality-driven Olympic features. He specifically highlighted the prominent role of Snoop Dogg within the broadcast.
“We could watch the NBA All Star game on Sunday Night prime time or we could watch Snoop Dogg find out what speed skating is in real time,” Walker joked. “We can watch him go to somebody’s training facility and be like, wow, what are you what are you doing? That’s crazy, and that’s what we that’s what the Olympics are these days.”
NBC has leaned heavily into celebrity integrations throughout its recent Olympic presentations, often pairing athletes with entertainers to create shareable moments designed to resonate beyond traditional sports audiences.
Walker, however, argued that the approach risks overshadowing the athletes themselves when the storytelling centers too frequently on a celebrity’s reactions.
“I don’t think they [NBC Sports] have what they think they have,” Walker said. “I think they believe America wants to view the Olympics through Snoop Dogg’s eyes. I don’t think that’s the case. I’m as entertained by the guy as the next guy. Give me twice an Olympics, that’s plenty. But every night. Whoever the medal hopeful is for America, they go to an interview with Snoop Dogg where he’s just mystified by the fact they can stand up on skates.”
NBC has consistently defended its broader Olympic strategy as an effort to expand reach and modernize presentation for evolving audiences, emphasizing cross-platform accessibility and entertainment value alongside competition. Still, Walker’s critique highlights an ongoing debate about whether celebrity-driven features enhance Olympic storytelling or gradually shift the spotlight away from the competitors whose performances anchor the Games. Also the events that drive interest annually being less valuable to networks than the Games themselves.
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