Jersey Jerry Barstool Sports Golf Challenge Screen grab: Barstool Sports
By Ben Axelrod on

Earlier this week, Barstool Sports made headlines when Dan “Big Cat” Katz revealed that the company was likely done sponsoring bowl games.

“Don’t think so unless something drastic changes,” Katz replied to somebody asking if Barstool would return as the sponsor of the Arizona Bowl next season. “Was a lot of fun doing it but unless the financials drastically change on doing it that’s probably it.”

When coupled with founder Dave Portnoy announcing the end of college basketball’s Barstool Invitational, Katz’s revelation seemed to signal the end of Barstool’s time in the live sports business. And yet, come Thursday morning, most of the sports world was seemingly locked into a Barstool-sponsored event — not a bowl game or basketball tournament, but rather, Jersey Jerry on a golf simulator.

For the uninitiated, Gerard “Jersey Jerry” Gilfone hosts Barstool Sports’ Jerry After Dark, a live stream show in which he regularly participates in challenges. This week, Jersey Jerry opted to play a golf simulator until he hit a hole in one — a challenge that began on Tuesday night.

Come Thursday morning, the challenge was still ongoing and receiving attention from the likes of Tom Brady, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and the PGA Tour.

 

Just after 11 a.m. ET, Jersey Jerry finally sank his shot, following 2,627 strokes over the course of more than 37 hours.

Almost instantly, Barstool Sports released merchandise to commemorate the challenge, which resulted in more than 2 million views on YouTube alone. Nearly an hour later, “LegenJerry” was the top trend on X (formerly Twitter).

Viral golf videos are nothing new, but Jersey Jerry’s hole-in-one challenge seemed to tap into something new. In addition to the feat itself, the challenge was just as much about the comradery of the occasion, with several Barstool employees — including Katz — cheering Jerry on.

Giving a look behind the scenes in a reality TV-like manner has long been a part of Barstool’s strategy, perhaps best exemplified by its Surviving Barstool series. The “Coach Duggs” video game streams took off during the pandemic — but not like this. As Barstool seemingly brings an end to its sports sponsorships, the success of Jersey Jerry’s livestream may have provided a blueprint for the company to remain front and center when it comes to live sports.

[Barstool Sports]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

View all posts by Ben Axelrod