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McAfee & Portnoy Walk Into a Studio…

The looming college football face-off between Pat McAfee and Dave Portnoy is the latest, hugely expensive attempt by aging networks to build brand loyalty among young audiences raised on a diet of clips, viral moments, and highlight reels. It’s a good idea in theory, but will it work in practice?

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Dave Portnoy’s appearances on Big Noon Kickoff will put him head-to-head with Pat McAfee on ESPN, where the YouTube star’s College GameDay averaged some 2.2 million viewers last year. Photo-Illustration: Puck; Photos: Gary Gershoff/Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images
Julia Alexander
August 5, 2025

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Last month, Fox Sports announced a “wide-ranging” partnership with Barstool Sports and its founder, Dave Portnoy, that will inject some mad lad energy into its programming and make Portnoy a regular on its flagship Saturday college football pregame show, Big Noon Kickoff. The terms of the deal, which presumably includes a substantial fee, were undisclosed. But the arrangement was inevitable. Traditional sports networks, under pressure to appeal to younger viewers, have been racing to align with internet personalities and digital creators who can generate controversy and capture attention across platforms. Notably, Portnoy’s appearances on Big Noon Kickoff will put him head-to-head with Pat McAfee on ESPN, where the YouTube star’s College GameDay averaged some 2.2 million viewers last year.

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