Dana White predicts Barstool Sports doom with Dave Portnoy’s future uncertain
Sports
UFC president Dana White does not see a vibrant future for Barstool Sports right after becoming purchased out by Penn Entertainment earlier this year.
In the course of a Wednesday look on “The Pat McAfee Show,” White appeared to disapprove of Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy’s selection to sell the organization to Penn Entertainment and explained why bringing in corporate “suits” is terrible for business enterprise.
It came 1 day right after Portnoy revealed on “The Kirk Minihane Show” that his contract is up in 20 months, and he’s not positive if he will attain an extension with the parent organization.
“I would significantly rather do this show than any of the linear Television shows out there,” White mentioned of “The Pat McAfee Show,” which is moving to ESPN in a multimillion-dollar deal anticipated to start in the fall, The Post’s Andrew Marchand reported. “It’s significantly, significantly improved.
“Let me inform you what, as soon as you start off to get suits involved in your business enterprise and these f–king corporate guys who consider know what they’re f–king doing… and most of them do not know jack s–t.
UFC president Dana White on “The Pat McAfee Show” on May perhaps 24, 2023. Twitter
“… You are gonna see it with Barstool more than the subsequent couple of years also. They came in and they purchased it out, they purchased Portnoy out.
“I had a scenario yesterday with Barstool and it is turning into a corporate f–king s–t-show also. It is what occurs when you get these f–king suits involved in your business enterprise.”
White and his former business enterprise partners, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, sold UFC to Endeavor in 2016 and partnered with ESPN on a blockbuster Television deal in 2019.
Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports is noticed in attendance for the duration of the UFC 281 occasion at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2022 in New York City. Zuffa LLC
White’s comments sparked rumors that he ended his connection with Barstool Sports, and the UFC boss cleared the air for the duration of a press conference for his TBS competitors show, “Power Slap.”
“No, that is not correct,” White told reporters on Wednesday. “Listen, what I mentioned currently on Pat McAfee was not about Barstool Sports it was about Penn Gaming.
“Basically what I’m saying is, when you create a organization like Barstool Sports, the way that it was constructed with a guy like Dave Portnoy, as soon as you get a bunch of suits involved… it just modifications the dynamic of the complete issue. Ask Vice how that went.”
Dana White speaks with the press following the occasion at UFC Apex for UFC Vegas 73 – Dern vs Hill occasion on May perhaps 20, 2023, in Las Vegas, NV. Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures
Penn, a brick-and-mortar casino organization, acquired 36 % of Barstool Sports from The Chernin Group for $163 million in early 2020 and purchased the remainder of the organization for an extra $388 million in February 2023.
Prior to White’s Wednesday look on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Portnoy played coy about his future with Barstool Sports though discussing its parent organization.
“Who knows exactly where I’ll be in three-five years,” Portnoy mentioned. “I consider Dan [Katz], which I would say is quite superior for Barstool, is clearly locked in for a quite lengthy time. He’s building this substantial fantasy factory there. I consider it is excellent for Barstool.”
Portnoy mentioned he has no finish-date in thoughts for his time at Barstool, adding that his contract is up in 20 months from May perhaps.
“There’s been some speak about it. Like you mentioned [previously], who knows what they’re considering at this point,” he mentioned.
Portnoy — who founded Barstool Sports in 2003 as a absolutely free print tabloid for transit commuters in the Boston location — previously addressed backlash that he is a “sellout” following the controversial firing of host Ben Mintz for rapping a racial slur on a reside stream.
“So I got every single Tom, Dick and Harry because this Mintzy issue saying, ‘Pres, you are a sellout. Hey Pres, you sold out,’” Portnoy mentioned in a video on Twitter, admitting that is precisely what he did. “You’re just figuring that out? I began a organization and I f–king sold it the f–k out. Produced hundreds of millions, produced millions for everyone that grinded.
Warning: Explicit Language
“Yeah we sold the f–k out simply because that is what you do when you are an entrepreneur. You start off this small organization you dream 1 day and you sell it the f–k out. Still implies this selection sucks. I hate it, it tends to make me want to puke.
“But guess what, when I sold out, a couple words, a couple issues is quite clear: you say these issues, these choices are no longer mine. I can not safeguard you, you know why, simply because I sold out.”
Portnoy previously mentioned he disagreed with Penn CEO Jay Snowden about the selection to fire Mintz, adding that the move could be a “death blow” to Barstool’s reputation.
Load additional…
{{#isDisplay}}
{{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}}
{{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}}
{{/isSRVideo}}
https://nypost.com/2023/05/25/dana-white-predicts-barstool-sports-doom-with-dave-portnoys-future-uncertain/?utm_supply=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=web page%20buttons&utm_campaign=web page%20buttons
Copy the URL to share
