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Sports betting is pretty much impossible to avoid these days.
Whether it’s a commercial, an in-game plug or a player talking about a new partnership, the reality is it’s just part of the larger sports culture these days.
But things jump shark a bit on Thursday night during Barstool Sports’ broadcast of its own season-opening college basketball tournament, the Barstool Invitational.
The event began and returned this season.
It is a four-team invitational that is entirely organized, operated and broadcasted by Barstool Sports.
This year, returning Final Four particpant Florida Atlantic University took on Loyola-Chicago, while Arizona State squared off with Mississippi State.
The games themselves were fine. But what happened on the broadcast had fans in disbelief.
Barstool personalities Dan “Big Cat” Katz and Dave Portnoy spent much of the broadcast discussing the bets they made on the games.
Mind you, these are (in part) the event organizers.
At one point, Katz and Portnoy even yell at players in the game to shoot the ball.
— Kyle Boone (@kyletheboone) November 9, 2023
Fans were a mix of surprised and disgusted by the commentary.
“Even putting aside all of the barstool baggage or the dangers of sports media cozying up with gambling interests, this is just a horrid product. Yes, can I please have the broadcast equivalent of sitting next to the guy at the bar who won’t shut up about his bets,” tweeted @AlexxLawson.
“I know I’m not a 22-year-old NFT bro who can’t watch a game without betting on it or whatever, but *everyone* should hate this crap. If you’re heckling a college kid from the broadcast table—and so loudly he turns around to glare at you? You should not be allowed near a court,” said @TySchalter.
“Barstool chuds screaming a players to do things to benefit their bets. This is genetically engineered in a lab to be the most annoying media ever conceived,” @BrianByrdman wrote.
Gambling in college sports isn’t going away. But maybe we shouldn’t have people in official capacities yelling at players?
Just a thought.