The golf world got a look at the future over the last month with the wildly successful Internet Invitational, and while Barstool Sports will surely celebrate its triumph, the company did so with a heavy heart.
Cody “Beef” Franke, who was part of Barstool’s “Fore Play” podcast and brand, died suddenly in late October at the age of 31. His tragic death came right before the Internet Invitational — a previously recorded golf tournament featuring 48 content creators, including Franke — went live. Barstool, in conjunction with co-producer Bob Does Sports, postponed the premiere.
After releasing new episodes over the three weeks since, the Internet Invitational finale aired Oct. 13. Coincidentally, Franke was part of the winning team that also featured Brad Dalke and Barstool’s Francis Ellis. Their prize? A cool $1 million.
How Barstool Sports Paid Tribute to “Beef” in Internet Invitational Finale
Unsurprisingly, the finale was an emotional one. Barstool paid tribute to Franke by dedicating the episode and the entire series to Franke. In the final episode, “Bob Does Sports” creator Robby Berger asked Franke what he’d do if he won the money.
“What would you do with that money, Beef?” Berger asked Franke.
Franke replied, “You gotta donate some to charity, (and) I think I’d pay off my parents’ house.”
A day after the finale aired, Barstool also announced the trophy would be named after Franke moving forward.
The Cody “Beef” Franke Memorial Trophy
Barstool, specifically the “Fore Play” podcast, also announced on Nov. 14 a new scholarship fund at Ferris State, where Franke studied at the PGA Golf Management program.
“Our friend Beef loved his time at (Ferris State),” they said in the announcement. “In his memory, we have worked with the university and Cody’s family to create a scholarship fund that will honor his kindness and love for the game, and will support in perpetuity students at Ferris State University, sculpting young leaders to carry themselves both professionally and personally as Beef did. With all class.”
Internet Invitational Surpasses Expectations
Barstool surely felt comfortable putting Franke’s name on the trophy, knowing it will be handed out again in the future. The first Internet Invitational was a smashing success by any metric. The finale had more than 1.4 million views just 17 hours after it was posted, and the entire series will exceed 20 million total views by the third week in November.
“As much as the ‘Internet Invitational’ sounds like some sort of late-90s cyber-conference, a throwback to the time before everything was the internet,” Dylan Dethier wrote for Golf.com, “you can never go more than a few scenes in this six-part, 16-hour, million-dollar mega-series before you’re reminded why its a fitting title: These are people who are trained by the internet, who live on the internet, who know its power — and its wrath.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy sure sounded happy with the product his team put out, too.
“Thank you to everybody who played in, filmed, edited, hosted or watched the (Internet Invitational),” he tweeted. “I think start to finish it’s one of the best things we’ve been a part of in 2 decades. All the credit to Fore Play and Bob Does Sports guys. Just an amazing event.”
How Barstool Honored Late Cody ‘Beef’ Franke With Internet Invitational