Meet Dave Portnoy, the controversial ‘bro culture’ don behind Barstool Sports and One Bite Pizza Reviews, who attacked Kim Kardashian and Colin Kaepernick, and just endorsed Donald Trump
- Barstool Sports has been described as ‘bible of bro culture’, and its founder has been accused of sexual misconduct, racism and homophobia after numerous antagonistic outbursts
- After selling the divisive platform Portney founded the One Bite Pizza Reviews YouTube channel and accumulated a US$150 million net worth; and on TikTok he threw his support behind Taylor Swift in that ancient Kanye West feud
Now he’s making more headlines for half-heartedly coming out in support of Trump’s re-election bid. So who is exactly Dave Portnoy, and how has he carved out a following within a certain corner of the internet?
Dave Portnoy founded Barstool Sports in 2003
Portnoy’s big fortune-making business venture started off as a sports betting newspaper for Boston bars, expanding over the years to include podcasts, videos and blogs about sports culture. The 46-year-old grew such a loyal fan base that supporters shell out on merchandise, and are highly invested in the platform’s personalities. In 2015, Barstool Sports had more than 250 million monthly visits and a market value of US$15 million, reports El País.
Dave Portnoy has a net worth of US$150 million
In February 2023, sports and gambling company Penn Entertainment bought out Barstool for US$388 million; per Fortune, the deal was preceded by an earlier purchase of 36 per cent stake in the company, for an estimated US$163 million in 2020. These deals made Portnoy a very rich man, with the businessman spending US$42 million on a house on Nantucket, per Nantucket Current.
“I went from being able to afford renting for a day to a weekend, to a week to a month, to renting for the entire summer, to buying a house to now buying a house beyond even my wildest imaginations,” wrote Portnoy on X. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Portnoy has an estimated net worth of around US$150 million.
Per Hollywood Reporter, Portnoy has regained control of Barstool Sports in a deal that saw him pay a token of US$1 for the company. The contract, however, did make provision for other exchanges between Portnoy and Penn in the future.