Dave Portnoy talking Dallas Cowboys on Wake Up Barstool
Credit: FS1
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ESPN’s obsession with the Dallas Cowboys has become a running punchline, and, according to Dave Portnoy, Fox wants in on the joke.
Portnoy woke up for Wake Up Barstool and saw the show sheet suggesting they lead with the Dallas Cowboys losing to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. After admitting he slept through most of the game, Portnoy still started with the Cowboys, saying that’s what the suits at Fox want.
“We get notes from the big boys at Fox, ‘you can never talk enough about the Cowboys’… Why?!” -Dave Portnoy https://t.co/3O0m4XxjSC
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 19, 2026
“We get even notes from Big Fox, the big boys at Fox,” Portnoy said. “You can never talk enough about the Dallas Cowboys. ‘Talk more about the Cowboys. Cowboys put butts in seats. Everyone wants to hear about the Cowboys.’ Why?”
“The big wigs, the suits, ‘Talk Cowboys.’ They get on their bat phone, the red phone, and that’s how it works. For all the people out there, ‘Do networks tell me what to talk about or what you can’t talk about in some situations?’ Yeah,” Portnoy admitted. “A direct quote: ‘You can never have enough Cowboys talk and never enough LeBron talk.’ Swear to God.”
ESPN is often mocked for its ability to make a Cowboys or LeBron James discussion out of nothing, with First Take often leading the way. First Take even found a way of talking about the Cowboys while previewing the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks live from the site of Super Bowl LX last season. ESPN has proved no conversation is safe from the Cowboys, a content strategy Portnoy doesn’t quite agree with.
Portnoy sounded a little annoyed that Fox wanted more Cowboys talk. This coming on the heels of Fox recently breaking up with Portnoy on Big Noon Kickoff.
Fox bringing Portnoy to Big Noon Kickoff was seen as an answer to ESPN finding success with Pat McAfee on College GameDay in terms of ratings and recruiting a younger audience. It didn’t work quite the same for Big Noon Kickoff, with Fox ultimately choosing to take Portnoy off its premier college football show less than halfway through their second season together. But now Fox is seeking to follow the ESPN model again. With ESPN continuing to find ratings success on its daytime studio shows by talking about the Cowboys, it’s asking Portnoy and Wake Up Barstool to do the same.
Dave Portnoy and Jon Gruden on Wake Up Barstool
Dave Portnoy and Jon Gruden on Wake Up Barstool