Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports are reportedly off FOX Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff. Portnoy blames Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day for the exit.
What We Know: According to The Athletic, Portnoy and Barstool will no longer appear on the show. Meanwhile, Portnoy claimed Ohio State threatened to deny FOX Sports personnel access if he appeared in Columbus last week. Still, he says his relationship with FOX remains strong, and Wake-Up Barstool continues airing weekdays on FS1. Starting Saturday in Minnesota, FOX will rely solely on its main desk, led by host Rob Stone.
What They Said: Dave Portnoy (via X): “Ohio State and Ryan Day bitched and moaned to the Big 10 and threatened Fox till they had no choice. Juice wasnt worth the squeeze amd frankly I dont blame them. Huge dollars at stake and you have Cryin Ryan throwing temper tantrums amd making threats every few days on something I said. I always knew Ryan Day was soft but holy s**t even I didnt realize he was this soft.”
What Remains Unclear: FOX Sports has not confirmed the removal of Portnoy from the program. It also remains unclear if his presence on Big Noon Kickoff also drew the ire of other Big Ten universities.
What It Means: Ultimately, FOX added Portnoy and Dan “Big Cat” Katz a little more than a year ago to represent the fans. Yet blending Barstool’s taunting style with a traditional show, alongside FOX’s Big Ten partnership, proved to be an experiment that some universities couldn’t work with. Consequently, the network chose stability over spectacle for its flagship pregame show.
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