Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has shared some controversial opinions during the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
The USMNT are having a great tournament so far, winning 4-1 against Paraguay and 2-0 against Australia in the group stage.
Meanwhile, the American people are also enjoying the event, as they welcome fans from other countries to their cities.
Although Portnoy is among those with ‘World Cup fever’, he has not changed his mind about watching football matches.
The 49-year-old thinks football is a boring spectator sport and wants FIFA to introduce some new rules to make it more exciting.
Bigger goals and NFL tackles among Dave Portnoy’s World Cup suggestions
Even though NFL and MLB games are both notoriously slow spectacles, many Americans think soccer has an entertainment problem.
With hundreds of passes and only three goals per match on average, Portnoy believes football needs more excitement.
The Barstool owner has suggested several new ideas to FIFA, including allowing each team one NFL-style tackle once per half.
“I’m pro-soccer right now. I have World Cup fever; I’m watching all the games,” Portnoy explained.
“I have a couple of suggestions: Make the nets about 100 times bigger; have powerplays… a lot of things that soccer purists wouldn’t exactly love hearing me say.
“Once you get the ball past [the halfway line], you can go backwards. Throw ’em out if they go backwards. Like a half-court violation (in basketball), you lose the ball.
“I have a couple of tips to make this game a little more American. Maybe you get one full tackle per half, where you can just tackle the guy.”
While Portnoy’s suggestions were only half-serious, his comments reflected the opinions of thousands of Americans.
Even though it is the most popular sport on the planet, it will probably never be in the top three in the USA.
However, given that millions of people are already tuning in to watch the World Cup, FIFA does not need to change the rules.
Indeed, Portnoy’s takes may further damage the reputation of American sports fans worldwide.
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