As they’ve explained their impending departure from Barstool Sports, Bussin’ with the Boys co-hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan have made it clear they received an offer from a sponsor they couldn’t turn down.
We now know who that offer was from, with Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel reporting that the popular podcast is going independent by way of a new sponsorship with FanDuel.
“By all accounts, the deal was quite lavish,” Glasspiegel reports.
News of Bussin’ with the Boys’ new sponsorship comes amid weeks of speculation regarding the show’s next move, some of which has played out on Barstool Sports airwaves. Last week, Barstool founder and owner Dave Portnoy confirmed the podcast was heading elsewhere, despite making what he described as his “most aggressive move to keep them.”
“They got an offer that was so big, it’s like I can’t [match],” Portnoy said during The Unnamed Show.
Addressing their decision on this week’s episode of the podcast, Compton and Lewan made it clear that it was their preference to remain at Barstool. In the end, however, they received an offer that was too big to pass up, despite their willingness to take a “hometown discount” to stay with Portnoy’s company.
“We love being a part of the ecosystem. We love the guys there, the camaraderie, the locker room vibes,” Lewan explained. “Like, Barstool is truly a company — Dave said on The Unnamed Show — people don’t want to leave Barstool for a reason. We have, for whatever reason, positioned ourselves to where other people, other sponsors, want to be part of Bussin’ With the Boys in a big way.”
While there had been social media speculation that Compton and Lewan would be joining Underdog Fantasy’s growing roster of high profile talent, it appears that’s not the case. Per Glasspiegel, Compton and Lewan own BWTB‘s IP, allowing them to maintain their existing YouTube and RSS podcast feeds as they enter their new venture.
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.