Age, Biography, and Wiki
Dave Portnoy was born on March 22, 1977, which makes him 48 years old as of 2025. He is an American sports media figure and internet entrepreneur. Born in Massachusetts, Portnoy is widely recognized for transforming Barstool Sports into a global media brand. His wiki page provides extensive information about his life and career, including his early beginnings and the rise of Barstool Sports.
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 22 March 1977 |
| Age | 48 Years |
| Birth Place | Swampscott, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is limited public information available about Dave Portnoy's height, weight, and other body measurements. However, his larger-than-life personality and charismatic presence are well-documented.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Information about Dave Portnoy's current relationship status is not widely discussed in public forums. His focus on career and entrepreneurship often overshadows personal life details.
In 2004, Portnoy filed for bankruptcy protection after large gambling losses. He owed $59,000 to credit card companies and $18,000 to his father. In January 2020, a tax lien for $11,795 was filed against Portnoy by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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| Husband | Renee Portnoy (m. 2009-2017) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of early 2025, Dave Portnoy's net worth is estimated to be approximately $150 million, according to various sources like Celebrity Net Worth. His wealth primarily stems from the sale of his stake in Barstool Sports to Penn Entertainment in multiple transactions. In 2020, Penn initially acquired 36% of Barstool for $163 million, and later bought the remaining stake for $388 million in 2023.
In April 2025, Portnoy criticized tariffs in the second Trump administration saying "Welcome to Orange Monday," on his apolitical "Davey Day Trader" financial livestream after immediately losing $20 million or 15 percent of his net worth in the aftermath of Liberation Day. However, Portnoy said that he plans to keep supporting Trump calling him "a smart guy." and added "I think they’re smarter than me when it comes to these tariffs. I also think he’s playing a high-stakes game here, I'm gonna roll with him for a couple days, a couple weeks, see how this pans out."
Career, Business, and Investments
Portnoy's career skyrocketed with the launch of Barstool Sports, which began as a free print newspaper in Boston. Over the years, it evolved into a digital media powerhouse covering sports, entertainment, and lifestyle content. He is also known for his pizza reviews and stock investing strategies, which he shares on platforms like YouTube through his channel "Davey Day Trader".
In addition to his media ventures, Portnoy is active in stock trading and real estate investments. He often shares his financial insights and experiences with his followers, providing them with a glimpse into his business acumen.
After college, Portnoy moved to Boston and began working at Yankee Group, an IT market research firm. In 2004, Portnoy left the Yankee Group and founded Barstool Sports. The early iteration of Barstool was a four-page sports newspaper that Portnoy handed out on subway platforms and street corners in Boston. The paper was meant to appeal to young men and rejected political correctness. Early advertisers in the newspaper included offshore betting websites such as partypoker, which was operating in the United States illegally. The contents of the newspaper was originally solely written by Portnoy, but freelance writers, including Todd McShay, joined the paper. At first, the paper struggled, but gained traction in 2004 when Portnoy began placing photos of women in bikinis on the front page of the newspaper. In 2007, Barstool expanded to a blog.
Portnoy gradually cultivated his persona as "El Presidente", a blunt and candid character. His writing was well-received among young men and the publication subsequently became a mainstay of bro culture. Peter Chernin's The Chernin Group purchased a majority stake of Barstool in January 2016. In 2020, Penn Entertainment purchased a 36% stake in Barstool Sports for $163 million, including $135 million in cash and $28 million in Penn non-voting convertible preferred stock. Penn acquired the remainder of the company in February 2023 for $388 million. Portnoy re-purchased Barstool in August 2023 for one dollar, non-compete agreements in the gambling space, and a clause that if Barstool were to be sold again Penn Entertainment would take 50%.
In 2020, multiple videos of Portnoy surfaced that showed him using the N-word or joking about blackface. Business Insider reported that Portnoy had made multiple "unprovoked, personal attacks online", including frequent "sexually harassing comments" toward Deadspin 's Laura Wagner. Portnoy has defended himself from allegations of sexism, saying: "I gave two girls their own radio show. We have hired girl after girl. They say it's a great place to work."
In November 2021, a Business Insider exposé alleged that Portnoy had engaged in violent and aggressive sexual encounters with three women and that he had filmed the women without their consent. He claimed the sex was consensual. Portnoy called the article a "hit piece", claiming that Business Insider tried to find evidence of wrongdoing by him for approximately eight months. In February 2022, more sexual assault and harassment claims by young women were published in a second Business Insider article.
On February 7, 2022, Portnoy announced a lawsuit against Business Insider and several of its employees. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in November. Portnoy filed an appeal of the dismissal. In February 2023, he dropped his appeal.
Social Network
Dave Portnoy maintains a strong presence on social media platforms, including Twitter (now known as X) and YouTube. He uses these platforms to engage with his audience, share updates about his investments, and discuss current events.
David Scott Portnoy (born March 22, 1977) is an American businessman and social media personality. He is the founder and owner of sports and popular culture company Barstool Sports.
In 2019, in response to employees of The Ringer (website) trying to start a union, Portnoy satirically tweeted a threat to fire any employee at his blogging company who sought advice on forming a union. No employees were actually trying to form a union, but the New York State Department of Labor took his joke seriously and released a statement saying, "We say no way, no how to intimidation, threats and union busting. It is illegal to take any unfavorable action—including termination—against employees for union-related activities under the National Labor Relations Act. New York is a proud union state." U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez tweeted in response to Portnoy, "If you're a boss tweeting firing threats to employees trying to unionize, you are likely breaking the law & can be sued, in your words, 'on the spot.' ALL workers in the US have the protected freedom to organize for better conditions." The National Labor Relations Board investigated Portnoy in 2019 for threatening to fire his workers if they unionized. 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. Portnoy also released a T-shirt with his face on it that read "Union Buster".
Portnoy began his show with the goal of reviewing every pizza place in Manhattan in 2017. In addition to Portnoy, some reviews feature celebrity guests. Portnoy rarely ranks a pizza above 9.0, but some of those he praised have experienced a transformative growth in popularity, going "viral, becoming a can't-miss attraction for legions of young, loud, and often inebriated Barstool diehards." In October 2023, The New York Times called Portnoy "one of the most influential people in the world of food social media," with the ability to "change the fate of a pizzeria with a single utterance."
In a 2015 blog post, Portnoy said: "I am voting for Donald Trump. I don't care if he's a joke. I don't care if he's racist. I don't care if he's sexist. I don't care about any of it. I hope he stays in the race and I hope he wins. Why? Because I love the fact that he is making other politicians squirm. I love the fact he says shit nobody else will say, regardless of how ridiculous it is." He endorsed Trump for the 2016 Presidential election. In 2020, Portnoy interviewed Trump at the White House. In 2024, he supported and voted for Donald Trump for president.
Critics allege that comments posted on Barstool Sports by Portnoy and others normalize rape culture. Comments that have sparked debate include a post on a 2010 blog in which Portnoy said though I never condone rape if you're a size 6 and you're wearing skinny jeans you kind of deserve to be raped right?" When confronted with his statement by Lisa Guerrero of Inside Edition, Portnoy said: "Correct. I stand by that. I think it's a funny joke." Guerrero asked, "Do you know how offensive that is?" He responded, "No, I obviously don't."
Education
Dave Portnoy attended the University of Michigan, where he graduated with a degree in education. However, his entrepreneurial spirit led him away from traditional teaching roles into the world of media and sports journalism.
In summary, Dave Portnoy is a multifaceted entrepreneur whose success is rooted in his innovative approach to media and his ability to connect with a wide audience. His net worth reflects his strategic business moves and his influence in the sports media landscape.
He is Jewish. After attending Swampscott High School, where one of his classmates was ESPN's Todd McShay, Portnoy graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in education. While at Michigan, Portnoy founded thegamblingman.com, a website where he published his sports betting picks.
