David Portnoy

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

David Portnoy
Portnoy in 2015
Born (1977-03-22) March 22, 1977
Swampscott, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Michigan
EmployerBarstool Sports (2003–present)
Spouse(s)
Renee Satherthwaite
(m. 2009; separated 2017)
Websitewww.barstoolsports.com

Early life

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

Career

Following graduation in 1999, Portnoy moved to Boston and began working at Yankee Group, an IT market research firm.[5]

Barstool Sports

After four years, Portnoy left the company to begin what would eventually become Barstool Sports.[6] On January 7, 2016, Portnoy announced The Chernin Group had purchased a majority stake of Barstool and the headquarters would be moving to New York City. Portnoy continues to run the site and retains creative control over content.[7]

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.[8] While many videos include only Portnoy, celebrities and athletes often also appear as guests.[9]

Arrests

On May 12, 2015, Portnoy was arrested by New York City police after he and three Barstool employees handcuffed one another on the floor of NFL headquarters. The protest was a reaction to Deflategate.[10]

Portnoy was detained in a Mercedes-Benz Stadium holding cell for a portion of Super Bowl LIII. Portnoy was prohibited from attending the game after he created fake passes to attend a press event the day prior.[11][12]

Controversies

Labor investigation

In August 2019, the National Labor Relations Board commenced an investigation into Portnoy on charges that he illegally threatened to fire his workers if they unionize. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that if Portnoy tweets firing threats, he is breaking the law and can be sued.[13] In December 2019, Portnoy settled with the National Labor Relations Board. The informal settlement required Portnoy to delete his threatening tweets and remove anti-union material created by Barstool Sports.[14]

Mayoral bid

In 2013, Portnoy launched an unsuccessful campaign to become the Mayor of Boston following the retirement of Thomas Menino. After raising over $16,000 in campaign contributions, he failed to submit enough nomination signatures to qualify for the election.[15]

Personal life

Portnoy is Jewish.[16] He married Renee Satherthwaite in 2009. In January 2017, Portnoy separated from his wife.[17]

References
  1. Milton G. Kaufman - Obituary legacy.com
  2. OBITUARY - FLORA G KAUFMAN dignitymemorial.com
  3. "Former Swampscott Baseball Player Calichman Named Big Blue Head Coach". Wicked Local. 2013-03-20.
  4. "Timothy Burroughs: The President of Bros". The Michigan Daily. 2013-11-20.
  5. "The Man Behind the 'Bible of Bro Culture'". msnbc.com. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  6. "Barstool Biographies: Becoming El Pres Pt. 2". Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  7. "The Story of How Barstool Sports Got Sold". Fortune. 2016-01-08.
  8. "Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy Has Eaten Pizza Daily for Two Years". Men's Journal. 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  9. "The cast of Tag Movie goes hilariously unnoticed by fan during YouTube pizza review". Hidden Remote. 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  10. "Barstool Sports employees arrested during sit-in at NFL offices". Boston.com. 2015-05-12.
  11. "Barstool Sports Stars Banned from Super Bowl Over Fake Press Passes". TMZ. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  12. "Video: Barstool Sports honcho David Portnoy hauled out of Super Bowl". Boston Herald. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  13. "David Portnoy from Barstool Sports is investigated after he threatens to fire workers over unions". whatsnew2day. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  14. McNamara, Audrey. "Barstool Sports co-founder David Portnoy settles over anti-union tweets". CBS News. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  15. "Barstool Sports Founder in Mayors Race". NECN. 2014-02-27.
  16. "Say Hello to the Internet's Biggest Jewish Stars". Forward. 2015-07-06.
  17. "El Pres State of the Union". Barstool Sports. 2017-01-24.
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