Dave Portnoy Fires Back at Critics With Furious Message About Selling Out Accusation

Dave Portnoy, the founder and owner of Barstool Sports, struck back at critics who accused him of selling out following the announcement of the new partnership between his company and Netflix.

The sports media mogul went on social media on Wednesday, sending a direct message to those who doubt his commitment to the independence of Barstool. This came at a time when news broke that Netflix acquired the exclusive video rights to three of the biggest podcasts on Barstool.

In August 2023, Portnoy purchased the full ownership of Barstool Sports from Penn Entertainment for just $1, only two years after the gaming company spent $551 million to buy the entire business.

Penn invested initially in a 36% stake in February 2020 for approximately $163 million before acquiring the entire company in February 2023. The awkward breakup occurred as Penn negotiated an enormous partnership deal with ESPN to rebrand its Barstool Sportsbook into the ESPN Bet brand, making it impossible for Portnoy’s brand to coexist in the highly regulated industry.

His message came on the same day that Barstool Sports announced a multi-year deal with Netflix. This deal will give the giant streaming service exclusive rights to the video versions of “Pardon My Take,” “The Ryen Russillo Podcast,” and “Spittin’ Chiclets” starting in early 2026, according to Variety.

Founder of Barstool Sports responds to a decade of criticism concerning the direction and deals of the company.

The frustration of Portnoy with the accusations was evident in the video that he posted on X. “Listen, I got to say something. I am so sick and tired of people saying I f—— sold out, Barstool sold out,” he said. “It’s all I’ve heard. All I’ve heard for the last like 10 years. Barstool sold out Barstool sold out.”

He went on to draw a clear line about what constitutes selling out. “You will know I’m sold out when I’m sitting on my own private beach in one of my mansions down in Florida Keys in the afternoon with not a care in the world,” Portnoy said. “Until f——- then I promise you we’re f—— grinding and I resent the accusation.”

The Netflix deal is the latest big step for Barstool since Portnoy took back control. The agreement means that the video-forms of the three podcasts will no longer be available on YouTube, where they have huge audiences.

However, the audio editions will still be available on all podcast platforms. According to Lauren Smith, Netflix’s VP of Content Licensing and Programming Strategy, the collaboration provides subscribers with what viewers want. They want authentic commentary.

Portnoy insists that he will never sell Barstool again. In fact, the current ownership structure has a provision that if he were to sell, Penn Entertainment would be entitled to 50% of the gross proceeds for any future monetization of the business. This is still in place from the 2023 buyback agreement.