Dave Portnoy ambles into the Golden Gate Tap Room and heads past the stools before sinking into a black sofa at the back of the bar.
Super Bowl LX is only days away here in San Francisco and, after nearly a decade in exile – and more than a decade at war with the NFL – the founder of Barstool Sports has been allowed into the party once more. ‘It’s good to be back,’ he says. ‘It feels like old times.’ For Portnoy and for every other Patriots fan.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy was once part of the furniture in New England but it’s now been away for seven years.
The last time the Patriots made the Super Bowl, in February 2019, Portnoy spent the end of the game in a cell inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A few days earlier, he had snuck into an NFL media day – with a fake credential and fake moustache – before being kicked out and warned he would face arrest if he went to the game.
Portnoy didn’t listen and so, for years, Barstool and its founder were locked out of football’s end-of-season showpiece. But now that ban has been lifted.
So no wonder Portnoy is determined to enjoy this weekend. He has paid $450,000 for 10 seats inside a suite for Sunday’s showdown with the Seahawks. He has also planned a week of activities, including three episodes of a YouTube show, ‘Barstool Live’ at the Golden Gate Tap Room.
Portnoy arrives alongside his girlfriend Camryn D’Aloia, 26, wearing a Patriots cap and a Patriots jacket that falls open to reveal a thick medallion – carrying a glistening Patriots helmet – and a t-shirt outlining his love for the Patriots’ young quarterback: ‘Gay For [Drake] Maye.’
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy spoke to the Daily Mail ahead of Super Bowl LX
The media star, pictured in 2011, built Barstool Sports into an empire worth hundreds of millions
Portnoy took part in a live show at the Golden Gate Tap Room ahead of the Super Bowl
Some Barstool fans have already arrived but, before stepping on stage, Portnoy sits down with the Daily Mail in a dark corner of the bar.
And, for around 20 minutes, this pied piper – the bard of American bros – finds himself in unfamiliar territory: hidden from a camera’s lens and struggling to make himself heard. Here on the third floor, deafening music nearly drowns out ‘El Presidente’, one of the most divisive, brash and influential voices in sports media.
More than two decades have passed since Portnoy pondered creating a scouting agency or a warehouse for discarded college furniture. In the end, the now 48-year-old – a self-confessed gambling ‘degenerate’ – started a free newspaper in Boston.
His aim? ‘Make $60-70,000 and be happy working for myself,’ he says. For a while, however, Barstool Sports nearly ruined Portnoy. In 2004, he filed for bankruptcy aged 26, already riddled with gambling debts and IOUs.
Now? Barstool Sports is a behemoth with tentacles stretching across podcasts, streaming, social media, merchandise, betting and even live boxing. Back in 2023, Portnoy sold the company for $551million before buying it back for $1; last year, he claimed to have turned down a job in Donald Trump’s administration. ‘The whole story is like a fairy tale,’ Portnoy says. ‘It’s been an unbelievable ride.’ But a bumpy one, too.
Since launching Barstool in 2003, Portnoy has made enemies at almost every turn. Barstool has come under fire for – among other things – joking about rape and publishing naked pictures of Tom Brady’s two-year-old son. Its content was once described as ‘masturbatory, self-aggrandizing sexism.’
Portnoy has – among other things – been caught using the N-word and he also faced accusations of sexual misconduct. Portnoy has denied the claims and he is unapologetic about how Barstool has evolved. ‘It’s been an unbelievable ride and, really, I wouldn’t change much,‘ he says. He certainly doesn’t regret turning down the chance to work in Trump’s Department of Commerce.
Perhaps that is no surprise. He has built a rag-tag team including ex-NFL coach Jon Gruden and a streamer nicknamed ‘Hogdale’ who caught Portnoy’s eye while calling Red Sox games in his basement.
Portnoy is pictured alongside his young girlfriend Camryn D’Aloia at a Celtics game
Two early front covers of the Barstool Sports newspaper Portnoy would deliver by hand
Portnoy – and his dog, Miss Peaches – appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
But even Barstool’s harshest critics would struggle to argue that their viral content, centered loosely around sports, gambling, comedy and attractive women – ‘men’s interests,’ as Portnoy puts it – has tapped into a sizeable chunk of American society.
Barstool claims to have 66 million unique monthly users, with nearly half of ‘Stoolies’ being aged between 18 and 34. It has been nicknamed the ‘Bible of Bro Culture’ and Portnoy recently negotiated deals with Fox and Netflix to feature its content. The latter is said to be worth eight figures a year; Barstool’s founder claimed last year to have built a personal fortune of around $250million.
‘I used to say if I made enough money, you’d see a cloud of smoke and I’d be on a beach,’ he says. ‘That’s still the goal. Maybe one day.’ Not yet, though.
Portnoy cops a lot of hate – some openly antisemitic – and he admits there are times when he questions if it is all worth it. He already tries to shield Camryn from the ‘yo-yos and idiots.’
‘She’s rarely with me,’ Portnoy says. ‘People are nuts, so she doesn’t want to be in the middle of it, and I don’t want her in the middle of it.’ So why not walk away? ‘I have absolute morons who work for me and if I quit, I don’t know what they’re going to do,’ Portnoy says. He is not bothered about Barstool’s legacy.
‘I’m concerned about people have been with me for like 15 years and have absolutely no life skills. And if Barstool goes away, what happens to these people? Because they’re idiots.’ Portnoy makes it sound like he’s running a non-profit. ‘Some of our guys are charity cases, no doubt,’ he says.
But many are here in San Francisco and, on Sunday morning, the lucky ones will board a party bus to Levi’s Stadium. Portnoy has treated them to free tickets. ‘We’ve come a long way since I started,’ he says.
Portnoy interviewed Donald Trump in 2020 and says the president offered him a job last year
Portnoy made a rare appearance with D’Aloia at the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight
These days, almost every aspect of Portnoy’s life is captured on camera: his one-bite pizza reviews, his living room rants, his recent ‘poop race’ against a college football player, his appearances on Fox’s college football show ‘Big Noon Kickoff.’
At times, Barstool staff resemble stars in their own reality show, rather than media professionals. On Sunday, though, Portnoy promises the content will pause. ‘We’re just going to enjoy the game,’ he says.
That’s more than he managed at his last Super Bowl. Barstool’s feud with the NFL dates back to 2015, when Portnoy was arrested for protesting at the league’s New York City HQ over a suspension given to Brady. Four years later, Portnoy was in the crowd for the Patriots’ clash with the Rams.
‘I bought a ticket for $5,000,’ he recalls. ‘I really didn’t expect anything to happen and then I saw security circling.’ He claims he was thrown in jail, unaware whether his bet – $260,000 on the Patriots – was going to come in.
‘With about a minute left in the game, they put me in handcuffs and walked me about a mile outside the stadium,’ Portnoy recalls. Only then did they return his phone. ‘That’s when I got as nervous as I’ve been,’ he continues.
He learned New England had won 13-3; this weekend, Portnoy hopes to remain in his seat to witness another Patriots victory. More trouble would make for good content, though.
The Barstool founder met the Daily Mail hours after the Washington Post gutted its staff, scrapping its entire sports section. These are brutal times in sports media and it can be hard to make sense of Barstool’s success.
Their recruitment model, for instance, breeds chaos. ‘If we think somebody’s interesting, funny, and fits our mold, that’s all we care about,’ Portnoy says. ‘Then we let them run wild… that’s probably Barstool’s greatest trick: we pull from anywhere, and we’ve had a lot of success. People have become big stars.’
Their website currently lists more than 100 ‘personalities’ and around 70 podcasts. So who keeps this pirate ship on course day-to-day? ‘I have no f***ing idea,’ Portnoy says. ‘There’s a lot of screw ups.’ But? ‘If you screw up, we make content out of it.’
His role includes negotiating business deals, eating pizza, writing a book and ranting on social media. ‘I don’t know what a normal day is,’ Portnoy says. He sets only one alarm all week: Monday morning at 7.15am.
Portnoy’s wild social media rants have formed a key part of his online presence
The Barstool Sports founder is pictured alongside golf superstar Rory McIlroy in Miami
So how does it all come together? Or is Barstool simply Portnoy’s personal project? ‘It is pretty successful right now,’ the 48-year-old insists. ‘I’m certainly not funding it.’
Portnoy continues: ‘Traditional media can be wretched… whatever we’ve done works, and we just stick with it.’
A walk around Radio Row offers proof of Portnoy’s growing influence. Barstool alumni include Pat McAfee and the co-hosts of ‘Bussin’ With The Boys’ – ex-NFL stars Will Compton and Taylor Lewan – who interviewed Donald Trump. Portnoy also hired Alex Cooper who hosts ‘Call Her Daddy,’ said to be the most-listened to podcast by women.
‘Media has been moving towards Barstool for a long time,’ Portnoy says. ‘Our demo[graphic] (typically young men) didn’t really want to be lectured. They didn’t necessarily want old sports writers being crusty and negative. They wanted fan-based journalism. That’s really what we do.’
And, on current evidence, it works. Portnoy claims Barstool are constantly approached by wannabe collaborators, as well as celebrities and athletes wanting to start podcasts. ‘But I don’t think they know how difficult it is,’ he says.
College football legend Urban Meyer recently told the Daily Mail how different Portnoy is on camera to off it. And he is strikingly calmer and more considered than his viral antics suggest. So which is the real Dave Portnoy?
‘[They’re] pretty similar,’ he says. ‘I have a lot of respect for our readership and our viewership.’ And he believes they know when he is ‘laying it on.’
‘Intelligent people are in on the joke with me,’ he says. ‘But there’s a lot of people who take that seriously, like: ‘This guy stinks, he’s everything we hate.”
Blurred lines run through everything Portnoy does. To many, he fuels issues around toxic masculinity, misogyny and problem gambling. He can be merciless and professionally antagonistic. And yet?
During Covid, the Barstool Fund raised $41million for struggling companies, with Brady among those to join the cause. Portnoy also raised $500k for animal shelters. ‘I like helping small businesses, if I can, [and] dogs,’ he says.
The Barstool boss has previously raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for animal shelters
As for his constant beefs? Some, such as his feud with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, are rooted in sports rather than ‘real hatred.’
Others are more ‘personal’. ‘There are other people who have interfered with my life,’ Portnoy says. ‘Where I can’t wish enough ill-will.’
Most of his social media rants cover trivial topics such as the fortunes of the Patriots, the Red Sox and the Michigan Wolverines. Barely a day goes by without Portnoy sounding off about something. It seems an awfully draining existence.
‘I’m about animated about things I care about,’ he says. Including politics. ‘I try to stay away, but if something bursts out, that’s just me… do I want people showing up at my house harassing me? No. So you just have to do what you got to do in your heart.’
So what will pull at his strings next? Portnoy would like to work with Charles Barkley but he has no huge plans for Barstool. ‘I’m not some grand-vision guy,’ he insists. And, anyway, he has a show to present.
By the time Portnoy heads on stage, the bar is rammed with fans. Most are young men and within a few minutes, Portnoy’s face is turning red with rage. In his crosshairs this time? The referee in Barstool’s recent flag football tournament. How could they overturn that call?
