After years of negotiating with the NFL, it appears that esports finally have their first big break. The Overwatch League will be broadcasted on television and online in a deal worth $90 million dollars over three years.
Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, is a fan of Pat McAfee. Dave Portnoy tweeted a “Thanks for leading the way, Cheers Boss” to Pat McAfee.
Pat McAfee, a former Indianapolis Colts punter, took a major risk when he left his lucrative NFL career in his prime to pursue something he loved more than football: sports broadcasting. That bet paid off this week. To keep his program continuing, he signed a $120 million ($30 million per year) partnership with FanDuel on Thursday. Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports, his former employer, tweeted a snide remark about the new deal. McAfee, on the other hand, remained elegant and above the battle, demonstrating why he’s grown so successful.
Pat McAfee, a punter for the Indianapolis Colts, retired at the age of 29. McAfee was selected to the Pro Bowl in the last year of his five-year, $14 million contract and was in line for a new multimillion-dollar deal.
Instead, he departed the NFL for a career in comedy/sports writing/podcasting that is yet unknown. He joined the bro-centric Barstool Sports, where he fit right in on the podcast and video platforms.
However, McAfee and Barstool’s friendship deteriorated after just two years. The former West Virginia Mountaineer announced his departure from Barstool Sports on Twitter on Aug. 18, 2018.
The choice was mostly based on economical considerations. Being situated in Indiana while Barstool’s business was taking place in New York, according to McAfee, created an issue. In his leaving announcement, the anchor wrote:
People I had never met were making financial choices for me, and transactions were being negotiated AND PULLED without my knowledge. Everything became opaque, and it was also prohibitively costly.
Pat McAfee discusses his departure from Barstool Sports
McAfee made it clear upon his departure from the firm that his departure had nothing to do with Barstool founder Dave “El Presidente” Portnoy or Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini.
When he departed, Portnoy praised McAfee, writing, “I love + respect Pat.” I pleaded with him to remain, but he must do what he believes is best for him. He’s a complicated individual who has deservedly lost the faith of several of our business associates.”
Over the previous three years, the relationship has remained openly friendly while the former punter established his own Pat McAfee Show into a sports media behemoth. However, once McAfee signed his first agreement with FanDuel in July 2020, Portnoy sent out a nasty tweet.
If I hadn’t taught @PatMcAfeeShow how to wager on sports a few years ago, I’d be a lot wealthier and @PatMcAfeeShow would be a lot poorer,” Portnoy tweeted. “I feel like I’m entitled to 9 of those bags for pushing my boundaries and then having him abandon me.”
After the $120 million FanDuel agreement was announced, McAfee replied wonderfully to Portnoy’s bitter grapes.
We’re fortunate to be among the wonderful group of people who have been given the chance to work with the Pirate Ship. Thank you for taking the initiative.
Thank you, boss.
December 9, 2021 — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow)
Pat McAfee revealed on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, that he has signed a new four-year megadeal with FanDuel for an estimated $30 million per year, with an opt-out after three years.
The presenter also said that he was making his parents “millionaires,” awarding $250,000 bonuses to each of his co-hosts and producers, and donating at least $6 million to charity.
It was an all-around happy day.
With the exception of Dave Portnoy. The media mogul used the occasion to make the day, as well as McAfee’s massive new agreement, about him and Barstool Sports. Portnoy said on Twitter:
This arrangement has come about because of us. Fanduel refused to make an offer on Barstool, despite the fact that they could have gotten me, pmt, Mcaffee, and everyone else for 100 million dollars. Our success has changed everyone’s value at Barstool.
P.S. – I taught Mcaffee how to place a wager.
Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, on Pat McAfee’s FanDuel agreement
Following Portnpy’s self-serving tweet, McAfee just maintained the positive sentiments of the day by responding with his characteristic positivity:
We’re fortunate to be among the wonderful group of people who have been given the chance to work with the Pirate Ship. Thank you for taking the initiative.
Thank you, boss.
Dave Portnoy’s answer to Pat McAfee
Both the gruff, contentious Portnoy and the perpetually upbeat bundle of energy, McAfee, were completely on-brand with their tweets. They also show why FanDuel chose the Pat McAfee Show over Barstool Sports in today’s media environment.
A new age of sports discussion has arrived.
Pat McAfee and Dave Portnoy (L-R) | Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; Tom Briglia/Getty Images
Dave Portnoy established Barstool Sports in the early 2000s, during the period of Maxim Magazine and Girls Gone Wild. The free Boston-based print publication grew into a multimedia behemoth and one of the most successful online businesses ever.
Barstool Sports courted controversy on and off the pages, led by “El Presidente” and fueled by either frat house culture or toxic masculinity (depending on your point of view). For years, this resulted in the outlet’s fast expansion. However, whenever Portnoy has been in the press recently, these problems have caused stock values to plummet.
Although Pat McAfee learned the online media industry from Portnoy and Barstool, he is a very different guy with a very different style than the majority of the Barstool world.
McAfee’s status as an ex-professional athlete provides him immediate credibility in the sports world. It also means he won’t have to depend on attention-getting antics. It also allows him to open up to current and past sportsmen without needing to be surprising.
On any given episode of the Pat McAfee Show, there are lots of f-bombs. Nonetheless, as the presenter said in his FanDuel partnership announcement video, he wants his co-hosts to “be upbeat and enthusiastic every single day and to bring energy,” and that is exactly what they do.
With his program, McAfee has evolved Barstool Sports into a kinder, gentler, and happier dude. One who is just here to have a nice time and not injure anybody while chatting about sports with his mates.
It’s clear what FanDuel sees in both the presenter and the event, which is why the firm spent so much money on McAfee’s suit rather than Portnoy’s.
As the world changes, so will the material that succeeds on the internet, and McAfee has been positioning himself to do precisely that for quite some time.
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RELATED: Pat McAfee Came Perilously Close to Starting as QB for an Injured Colts Team: ‘Whether you liked it or not, we were probably punting on first down.’
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The “thanks letter to boss for appreciation” is a formal letter that is written to express gratitude and appreciation. The author of the letter should thank their boss for leading the way in their career.
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