Fox Sports Close to Deal to Air Barstool Content After Wave of Cancellations — Will Add Dave Portnoy to ‘Big Noon Kickoff’: Report

Fox Sports is reportedly nearing a deal that would see Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy appear on the college football program Big Noon Kickoff.

Earlier in the week, Fox Sports’ TV lineup underwent a dramatic shake-up when it was revealed that three shows — Speak, Breakfast Ball, and The Facility — had been canceled. Longtime on-air personality Joy Taylor, who co-hosted Speak, also left the network as a result of the recent moves.

According to a Wednesday report from Front Office Sports, Fox is looking to Barstool to fill that gap to an extent. In addition to adding Portnoy to Big Noon Kickoff, the deal would also see Barstool content featured on the flagship channel Fox Sports 1.

The report continued:

The network is nearing an expansive deal with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy that would include him appearing on its college football pregame show. The deal would also involve Barstool content being featured on FS1, sources told Front Office Sports.

The deal has not been finalized, and a Fox Sports spokesperson declined to comment.

As noted in FOS’s report, the deal appears vaguely similar to the one ESPN struck with Pat McAfee. McAfee was already a fixture on the weekly show College GameDay, and his presence on the network grew exponentially when he signed a licensing agreement to air The Pat McAfee Show on both YouTube and ESPN. Like ESPN, Fox appears to be trying to tap into non-traditional sports media’s massive audience.