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David Portnoy

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David Portnoy
Portnoy at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2019
Born (1977-03-22) March 22, 1977 (age 47)
Swampscott, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (BS)
EmployerBarstool Sports (2003–present)
Spouse
Renee Satherthwaite
​
​
(m. 2009; sep. 2017)​
Websitewww.barstoolsports.com

David Scott Portnoy (born March 22, 1977) is an American internet celebrity, blogger, and founder of the sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports.

Early life

Born to Jewish parents Michael and Linda (née Kaufman),[1][2][3] Portnoy grew up in Swampscott, Massachusetts, where he attended Swampscott High School. One of his classmates was ESPN's Todd McShay.[4] Portnoy began attending the University of Michigan in 1995, graduating with a degree in education.[5]

Career

Following graduation in 1999, Portnoy moved to Boston and began working at Yankee Group, an IT market research firm.[6]

Barstool Sports

After four years, Portnoy left the Yankee Group to begin what would eventually become Barstool Sports.[7] Peter Chernin's The Chernin Group purchased a majority stake of Barstool on January 7, 2016 and it was announced that the headquarters would move to New York City. In 2020, Penn National Gaming purchased a 36% stake in Barstool Sports from the founders for $163 million, including $135 million in cash and $28 million in Penn non-voting convertible preferred stock. Following the sale, The Chernin Group maintains a 36% stake in the company, while Portnoy continues to run the site and retains creative control over content.[8][9]

Persona

On the site, Portnoy gradually cultivated his persona as "El Presidente", a blunt and candid character.[10] His writing was well-received among young men and the publication subsequently became a mainstay of bro culture.[10] He became known for his unapologetic and brash attitude,[10] and has faced criticism over blog posts and disparaging comments towards women and others.[11][12]

Arrests

Portnoy has twice been detained in NFL-related incidents: first on May 12, 2015, when he was arrested by New York City police after he and three Barstool employees handcuffed one another on the floor of NFL headquarters to protest Deflategate,[13] and again in 2019 when he was placed in a holding cell at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a portion of Super Bowl LIII. In the latter incident, he had created fake passes to attend a press event the day prior and was prohibited from attending the game.[14][15]

Pizza reviews

One Bite with Davey Pageviews is an internet show that Portnoy created, which consists of him reviewing pizza. Portnoy began his goal of reviewing every pizza place in Manhattan in 2017.[16] While many videos include only Portnoy, celebrities and athletes often also appear as guests.[17]

Labor investigation

The National Labor Relations Board investigated Portnoy in 2019 for posts on Twitter on charges that he illegally threatened to fire his workers if they unionized.[18] That December, Portnoy reached an informal settlement with the Board, which required him to delete his threatening tweets and remove any potential anti-union material created by Barstool Sports. The settlement also noted that the Twitter account originally encouraging employees to unionize was actually owned by Barstool in an attempt to out labor organizers.[19]

Politics

2013 Boston mayoral campaign

In 2013, Portnoy launched an unsuccessful campaign to become the mayor of Boston following the retirement of Thomas Menino.[20] After raising over $17,000 in campaign contributions, he failed to submit enough nomination signatures to qualify for the election.[21] During the race, Portnoy identified as a libertarian.[22]

Personal life

Portnoy is Jewish.[23] He married Renee Satherthwaite in 2009, and the two separated in January 2017.[24] As of 2021, Portnoy is dating Silvana Mojica. In 2020, Portnoy donated $500,000 to The Barstool Fund, a relief effort for small business affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[25][26] The campaign raised over $39 million for 348 businesses as of May 2021.[27]

Sexual misconduct allegations

In November 2021, a Business Insider exposé alleged that Portnoy had engaged in violent and aggressive sexual encounters with three young women and, further, that he had filmed them without their consent.[28] Portnoy fractured the rib of one of these women during sex, which he admitted to. He admitted to causing the injuries, but denied that the sex was nonconsensual.[29] Portnoy called the article a "hit piece," arguing that Business Insider had tried to find evidence of wrongdoing from him for approximately eight months.[30]

In early February 2022, more sexual assault and harassment claims by young women were published in another Business Insider article.[31] After these new allegations were made, Portnoy subsequently announced a lawsuit against the publication. He continues to claim that the many reports were “false and defamatory.”[32]

References

  1. ^ Milton G. Kaufman – Obituary legacy.com
  2. ^ Obituary – Flora G Kaufman dignitymemorial.com
  3. ^ Eil, Philip (July 6, 2015). "Say Hello to the Internet's Biggest Jewish Stars". Jewish Daily Forward.
  4. ^ "Former Swampscott Baseball Player Calichman Named Big Blue Head Coach". Wicked Local. March 20, 2013.
  5. ^ "Timothy Burroughs: The President of Bros". The Michigan Daily. November 20, 2013.
  6. ^ "The Man Behind the 'Bible of Bro Culture'". msnbc.com. December 13, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  7. ^ "Barstool Biographies: Becoming El Pres Pt. 2". Barstool Sports. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  8. ^ Primack, Dan (January 8, 2016). "The Story of How Barstool Sports Got Sold". Fortune.
  9. ^ Palmeri, Christopher; Shaw, Lucas (January 29, 2020). "Barstool Sports to Sell 36% Stake to Penn National Gaming". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c "The Man Behind the 'Bible of Bro Culture'". msnbc.com. December 13, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  11. ^ Bogage, Jacob. "Barstool Sports founder says 20-year-old employee will be too ugly for camera in five years". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  12. ^ Moses, Lucia. "'It's just not fair': Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy defends his site against accusations of toxicity and misogyny". Business Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  13. ^ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (May 12, 2015). "Barstool Sports employees arrested during sit-in at NFL offices". Boston.com.
  14. ^ "Barstool Sports Stars Banned from Super Bowl Over Fake Press Passes". TMZ. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  15. ^ Prussman, Todd (February 4, 2019). "Video: Barstool Sports honcho David Portnoy hauled out of Super Bowl". Boston Herald. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  16. ^ McCormick, Luke (February 9, 2018). "Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy Has Eaten Pizza Daily for Two Years". Men's Journal. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  17. ^ Qualey, Erin (June 13, 2018). "The cast of Tag Movie goes hilariously unnoticed by fan during YouTube pizza review". Hidden Remote. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  18. ^ Porter, Jon (January 22, 2020). "Barstool Sports founder forced to delete tweet threatening to fire union supporters "on the spot"". The Verge. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  19. ^ McNamara, Audrey. "Barstool Sports co-founder David Portnoy settles over anti-union tweets". CBS News. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  20. ^ "Barstool Sports Founder in Mayors Race". NECN. February 27, 2014.
  21. ^ "Boston to face crowded ballot". The Boston Globe. June 14, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  22. ^ "Barstool Sports Founder in Mayors Race". NECN. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  23. ^ "Say Hello to the Internet's Biggest Jewish Stars". Forward. July 6, 2015.
  24. ^ "El Pres State of the Union". Barstool Sports. January 24, 2017.
  25. ^ "Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy kickstarts fundraiser for small businesses affected by COVID-19". www.phillyvoice.com. December 19, 2020. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  26. ^ "Love Him Or Hate Him, Dave Portnoy Is Saving American Small Business With The Barstool Fund". SportsHandle. January 6, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  27. ^ Conklin, Audrey (December 23, 2020). "Barstool's Dave Portnoy raises nearly $30M for 167 small businesses — and counting". FOXBusiness. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  28. ^ Black, Julia (November 4, 2021). "Young Women Say Sex With Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy Was Frightening". Business Insider. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  29. ^ "Dave Portnoy Sues Insider for 'Clickbait Defamation'". February 7, 2022.
  30. ^ Stabile, Angelica (November 9, 2021). "Dave Portnoy blasts Business Insider for 'sensational' hit piece on sex life: 'It's character assassination'". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021.
  31. ^ Licea, Julia Black, Melkorka. "3 more women say Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy filmed them without asking during sex". Business Insider. Retrieved March 4, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ "Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy sues over sexual assault claims in articles". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
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