The Michigan-Ohio State game is a touchy subject in the Barstool Sports universe. Owner Dave Portnoy is a well-known Michigan Man and avowed Buckeye hater, which is at odds with several notable Barstool personalities who are passionate OSU fans.
As the latest entry in The Game approaches, the internal rivalry seems to have boiled over after Portnoy said that noted Ohio State fan Barstool Tate cannot attend a livestream to watch the game together.
On Tuesday, Portnoy announced he would livestream the Ohio State-Michigan game alongside OSU fan Evan “Big Ev” McDowell. When asked if he was also inviting “Barstool Tate” Moore to the livestream, he offered a curt “No.”
The next day, Portnoy was asked if there was any chance Tate could join the event, to which the Barstool owner doubled down.
“He’s a psychopath, you know?” said Portnoy. “There’s certain people that you come across, like ‘I don’t know if this guy even knows where a joke or a line in the sand [is], he’s a true lunatic. So I don’t want him in my orbit.”
He then shared an anecdote about a time Tate was mad at him because he perceived that Portnoy was trying to ruin his relationship.
“He’s someone I could see burning down someone’s house,” Portnoy added.
Wednesday afternoon, Tate responded on X.
“Everyone knows the reason I’m not invited is because I’ll fight back,” he wrote. “Putting an asterisk on this stream like the asterisk on Michigan’s national title*.”
“Not true,” responded Portnoy shortly after. “It was your nonsensical rant in the NY office when you said I was trying to get your girlfriend (who I didn’t even know you had) to break up with you or something like that. I don’t like you and I’m too old to spend time with people I don’t like.”
Tate then shared a video of the purported comments, which show Portnoy alluding to Tate’s refusal to travel because of his girlfriend.
We can see there’s a lot more to this drama than we are aware of as non-Stoolies, but we don’t have the time or energy to dig into it. What we do know is that emotions will be high with this year’s version of The Game. If Ohio State wins, its fans will go nuts after four consecutive losses. If Michigan wins, both fanbases might lose their minds.
It sounds like petty and personal grievances are the least of anyone’s concerns with this game.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.