NBC’s John Fanta explains why he passed up ‘tempting’ offer to join Barstool

Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

As John Fanta made a name for himself in recent years as a strong voice on college basketball, multiple suitors sprang up for his talents.

Fanta came up as an announcer on Big East men’s basketball games, taking on more assignments over time for Fox Sports. Along the way, he also became a go-to commentator at outlets like Field of 68 and other college basketball shows, as well as on his personal social media platforms.

Fanta was quite popular among sports fans before he jumped to NBC Sports last year, taking on a new role that sees him cover college football and the NBA in addition to college basketball. Because of Fanta’s versatility and strong perspective, he also caught the eye of Barstool boss Dave Portnoy.

But in a new interview with Zach Gelb, Fanta revealed why he ultimately turned down a “tempting” offer from Portnoy to join Barstool.

“What Dave does is pretty incredible. What he’s built at Barstool is remarkable. And he’s got a tempting quality to him,” Fanta explained. “There’s no question that what they do and him offering me a job was flattering and humbling. For me, I wanted to continue to grow the linear television profile.”

While Fanta acknowledged he could have potentially had a role on Barstool’s FS1 television show Wake Up Barstool, he believes Barstool is doing just fine without him — and he without them.

“I look at it [from the standpoint of], everyone can bring something different to the table, and do you bring a uniqueness to what you do?” Fanta said.

“So I was humbled and flattered that Dave has offered me a job, and we remain friendly … his ability to touch all sports and be innovative has been really cool to watch. It was tempting. But I’m where I want to be.”

Fanta added that NBC Sports is a far more viable long-term home for him, given his interest in calling and covering top live sports events rather than solely doing content and commentary.