Barstool Sports has long been a brand that is deeply beloved by its supporters and hated by many others. But Brandon Walker believes that the recent deal between Barstool Sports and Fox represents a shift in culture in the United States that is largely for the better.
The deal will make Dave Portnoy one of the biggest names in the college football media space, as he is set to join the cast of Big Noon Kickoff this season. Additionally, there will be an FS1 daily show that airs from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. ET featuring a mix of Barstool personalities that will rotate hosting the show.
Fox is essentially ceding a portion of it’s programming to Barstool personalities, a decision that came shortly after the network announced a major shakeup with three shows getting cancelled earlier this week.
Some have been critical of the decision from Fox, calling it “safe” since the network is largely benefiting off of a brand that has proven to have a very specific and reliable audience. But for all of the critics, there is plenty of hope from Barstool fans that the company’s latest venture into traditional television will go far better than it’s last.
Speaking about the deal on Friday’s edition of Mostly Sports With Mark Titus & Brandon Walker, Walker expressed optimism, explaining how he has seen a shift in how strong personalities at Barstool, like Dave Portnoy, are perceived on a national level.
“I got here in 2019. I didn’t help build any of this,” said Walker. “This was built when I got here. Dan, Dave, Kevin, and all of those guys grinded for years and built it. So I am not apart of the building committee of Barstool Sports. I am simple riding a wave that everybody else built. But when I was here in 2020, 2021, and 2022, whenever anything good was getting announced like this for Barstool Sports, all of the naysayers out there and the haters, and the people who want to be offended with everything would speak up. And they would have power back then. They were loud and they had power. And it would drive a reaction.
“Those people had power. And whenever Dave’s name would come up, there would be these articles and these hit pieces. And now, in 2025, it finally feels like we have gotten to a place in our country where people aren’t listening to those guys anymore. People aren’t listening and they are kind of just telling them to shut up. I think that is so much better. Let people decide what they want to watch.”
To Walker’s point, Barstool’s last venture into traditional television was met with plenty of criticism. In 2017, ESPN famously attempted to introduce Barstool personalities Big Cat and PFT Commenter into the mainstream with the show Barstool Van Talk, which ended up being incredibly short-lived, lasting just one episode before getting canned.
Fox is certainly hoping that Walker ends up being right that Barstool personalities are seen in a better light today than they were eight years ago. But, as Walker explained, viewership of Big Noon Kickoff and the new Barstool daily show will ultimately show the truth behind how Barstool is seen today compared to in the past.