Barstool hosted the Barstool Sports Invitational on Wednesday evening, a college basketball event at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena, pitting the FAU Owls against the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers in one game, and the Arizona State Sun Devils against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the other.
The event was streamed exclusively on Barstool TV and featured Barstool Sports personalities Dave Portnoy and Dan Katz on the call.
The games themselves were largely unremarkable, FAU won by 13 and Mississippi State won by 15. However, the tone of the broadcast leaned heavily on gambling, which drew a mixed reaction across social media.
CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone was first to bring it to everyone’s attention, and from there, the reactions poured in.
Part of an actual broadcast of a Division I basketball game last night pic.twitter.com/z8KQJJURNy
— Kyle Boone (@kyletheboone) November 9, 2023
While On3’s Andy Staples argued it wasn’t necessarily a big deal and that, “when the majority of viewers have action on it, give them action,” plenty of people disagreed with him.
If you watched the half-asleep CBS Sports Network broadcast of Bowling Green-Kent State — a game some poor schmuck lost $1 million on last night — then you’d know this broadcast is infinitely more enjoyable.
When the majority of viewers have action on it, give them action. https://t.co/3rPCsHRPtB
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) November 9, 2023
College basketball reporter Jeff Goodman called it, “unwatchable.”
Unwatchable.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) November 9, 2023
Another user brought up that the game was mostly about the Barstool personalities and not about the players, which is unfortunate.
Worst part about this broadcast is how they make it about them and not the actual game and players playing the game. Never seen a broadcast with a camera on the broadcasters for a majority of the game
— Jordan Alexander (@jordanrulesTSP) November 9, 2023
Concerns about the long-term ramifications of gambling in sports being talked about so openly were also brought up.
This shit is so gross man. The normalization of sports gambling and integrating it with leagues, teams, media, and broadcasters is insanely horrible longterm. I cannot even begin to describe how much I hate this. https://t.co/L57vhYW13B
— B1G_Ryan (@B1G_Ryan) November 9, 2023
Others noted how Katz or Portnoy were able to call two big-time college basketball games ahead of other aspiring announcers in the industry.
https://twitter.com/morrisoncrying/status/1722718161181761680
First I’m seeing this because I obviously chose not to view this last night, but this is beyond infuriating. Makes a mockery of the profession. That organization continues to be a stain on sports journalism as an industry. https://t.co/SV2Cbl1ZOY
— Adam Busack (@Kingbus5) November 9, 2023
Matt Brown of Extra Points coincided that while he also doesn’t like it, this is likely going to be the new normal.
I don't like it, but it feels futile to complain about over-the-top gambling influences on broadcasts and coverage anymore. They won! We're probably moving towards a world where everybody else becomes *more* like the Barstools, not less. https://t.co/e0RwqRn9zE
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) November 9, 2023
The entire industry has become more gambling-friendly in recent years, even though no major network has gone as far as Barstool, which may be ironic given the company won’t have a sportsbook anymore with Penn shifting to ESPN Bet.
