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.”
.@John_Fanta says @stoolpresidente’s offer to join @barstoolsports was tempting. pic.twitter.com/uaQedHfXZQ
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.
“I believe I’m at a place that I want to be for a very long time, because they’ve got unbelievable people, they’ve got people that believe in their people, and they’re taking on different and new properties,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing at NBC Sports. And it’s a team. It really is a team atmosphere.”
Fanta also complimented Mike Tirico, who he said sets a tone as the network’s lead announcer, as well as new colleagues Noah Eagle and Jason Benetti.
“Your company says a lot, the company you keep,” he said. “When you are surrounded by those people and those people are your colleagues at your place, why would I want to be anywhere else? Dave’s offer was tempting, but NBC’s my home.”
The decision Fanta made is not unlike that of Jake Marsh, a former Barstool personality known for his time on Pardon My Take, who left the company in 2024 to pursue an announcing career. Since leaving Barstool, Marsh has taken assignments calling college basketball games across multiple networks.
Many broadcasters, like Fanta, start producing other types of sports content while they pursue play-by-play work. Fortunately for Fanta, he stood out enough on play-by-play and reporting that he had a choice between Barstool and NBC Sports. But the decision is not easy, as young announcers navigate an evolving industry.
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