Regular listeners of Barstool’s Pardon My Take are well-acquainted with Dan “Big Cat” Katz and his often-painful recounting of life as a Chicago Bears fan. Over the years, Katz has become the face of tortured fandom, endlessly lamenting the Bears’ missteps.
But on Wednesday, a new guest took that fandom to a whole new level — by testing it.
Ben Johnson, the newly minted head coach of the Bears, made his debut on the show. Johnson took the reins in January after three years as the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, where he helped turn the Lions’ offense into one of the league’s most dynamic.
Big Cat, naturally, was eager to speak with the man now tasked with salvaging his beloved Bears. With the 2025 season in his sights, Katz was hoping to get a glimpse into Johnson’s vision for a team that’s been in perpetual rebuilding mode.
But just as Katz was gearing up to ask his first question, Johnson flipped the script. Instead of talking about his plans for the Bears, he wanted to know about Big Cat’s past as a Patriots fan. Specifically, Johnson asked where Katz’s loyalty would lie in a potential Super Bowl matchup between his former team, the Patriots, and the Bears.
“Can I start with a first question for you first? Super Bowl scenario,” said Johnson. “Chicago Bears versus New England Patriots. Who are you rooting for?”
Right away, Big Cat definitely declared that he would root for the Bears in this scenario.
“Oh, Bears,” said Katz. “Bears. Bears. Bears. Bears all day!”
“Okay, we got that one out of the way,” replied Johnson.
This, of course, comes after Big Cat publicly admitted for the first time during an episode of PMT last month that he actually grew up as a fan of Boston sports teams first and Chicago sports teams secondarily. Big Cat outlined how he only switched to mainly a Bears allegiance upon starting at Barstool in 2012.
So clearly, Johnson must have been paying attention to this revelation.
To some, swapping allegiances as a sports fan can be seen as a big no-no. This is especially true for a diehard fanbase like the Bears, which has gone through countless years of heartache without much success recently.
Regardless, this answer should further clarify that Big Cat seemingly has no plans of having any favorite team other than the Bears for the foreseeable future, which is, at the very least, enough for Johnson to welcome in his support with open arms.
