| Net Worth | $128 million |
|---|---|
| Source Of Wealth | Barstool |
| Born | 22nd March 1977 |
| Birth Name | David Portnoy |
| Height | ft 6in (198cm) |
Portnoy owns three different luxury homes - one in Miami, one in the Hamptons, and one in Nantucket.
While Barstool had been gaining popularity for quite some time, Portnoy's big payday came when a majority stake in Barstool Sports was sold to The Chernin Group while retaining Portnoy as the company's sole chief of content.
Dave Portnoy's net worth has skyrocketed since then after further acquisitions by Penn Entertainment.
Dave Portnoy's Early Life
Portnoy was born on March 22nd, 1977 in Swampscott, Massachusetts. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Michigan where he earned - of all things - a degree in education.
Portnoy's career then took a drastic turn after moving back to Massachusetts. He joined an IT marketing research company for four years until deciding that he wanted to pursue a career in sports journalism and mass media.
Early Days of Barstool Sports and Portnoy's Career
Because of his experience with Yankee Group and his deep love of sports, gambling, and all things in between, Dave Portnoy began publishing Barstool Sports in 2003 as a local fantasy sports and gambling newspaper. Dave even got a bunch of his buddies to write articles for the paper using multiple pseudonyms to give the appearance that Barstool was well-staffed with experts.
After four years of grinding, Dave took Barstool online. This proved to be a monumentally great decision as Barstool Sports immediately began growing in popularity on a national, and later global, scale.
Marketing Strategy
Dave Portnoy has become an icon to college kids (especially "bros") nationwide. He has engaged in bold and outlandish stunts (which we'll touch on below), speaks his mind openly and he's apologized publicly maybe as many times as you can count on one hand.
It's a brazen, bull-in-a-china-shop strategy, but it has clearly worked. He has the ultimate self-confidence and it shows.
One of the most (in)famous stunts that Portnoy has perpetrated is handcuffing himself to several of his Barstool compatriots and sitting in the NFL headquarters in New York City to protest the so-called "DeflateGate" controversy involving the New England Patriots.
Portnoy continued the high-profile antics when he showed up at Mercedes-Benz Field for the Super Bowl pitting the Patriots vs. the Falcons. Because of his long-running (and very genuine) feud with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he was told that he would not be welcome to the competition despite paying an untold amount of dollars to attend.
As you might've guessed, Dave Portnoy showed up anyway. Donning a mustache and a terribly obvious disguise, he was there to watch the Pats catch a beatdown and then was escorted out of the stadium before New England rallied from a 28-3 deficit to win.
It's safe to say that he has made a career out of big, bold moves and they have certainly paid off when it comes to Dave Portnoy's net worth.
Dave Portnoy Relationship
Dave was married to Renee Satherthwaite from 2003 until their official separation in 2017. Details of the split have been kept confidential and neither party has commented publicly about the reason for the split.
Despite being a middle-aged man, Dave Portnoy has maintained a certain ability to attract women due to his celebrity on the college and party circuit. His wealth doesn't hurt his chances, either.
One Bite, Everyone Knows the Rules
The "One Bite" pizza reviews that Dave Portnoy is so committed to have also elevated him to a pop culture phenomenon. Who knew that something as simple as eating a slice of cheese pizza on camera could become so wildly popular? Dave's personality and frank reviews about how he's going to "try one until I try them all" in Manhattan have drawn tens of millions of views.
They have been so incredibly successful that El Presidente has nearly run out of pizza joints worth reviewing in New York City. Yes, you read that right. The guy has eaten a slice of pie from every pizza kitchen in New York City worth its weight in cheese. From dollar slices to gourmet pies, Dave Portnoy has tried it.
With the continued expansion of the Barstool Sports franchise, Dave Portnoy's career as a pizza reviewer took another hard left turn - he started going to college towns all across the United States to promote the Barstool brand and gambling (in states where it is legal) and took advantage of that opportunity.
While out on assignment, Dave uses his social media clout to sniff out the pizza places that the local college kids swear by. He drops hints on social media about which pizza joints he's going to hit and almost makes it a "Where's Waldo" game. While trying each pizza, he's often interrupted by eccentric people strolling the streets.
With Dave Portnoy's personality, he's able to take it in stride even whilst on camera. From homeless folks to college girls on the walk of shame, Dave takes the time to acknowledge everyone that approaches him. Sometimes he even gives them a slice!
The "One Bite" App
Dave Portnoy's career shouldn't be defined by pizza reviews, but the idea certainly hasn't hurt the Barstool Sports brand.
After trying every pizza joint in Manhattan and going on a tour of American pizza joints (the guy even tried gas station pizza in Oklahoma), Barstool Sports launched the "One Bite" app. The app works a lot like Yelp or TripAdvisor but focuses on local pizza places.
It features reviews that are generated from local customers to make up a Portnoy-esque score (round numbers are for rookies) and specifically points out places that Dave Portnoy has personally sampled. This allows Barstool Sports fans to participate in the fun.
To recap, this guy eats cheese pizza on the internet and has built an internet giant out of it. Then he turned around and built a successful pizza review application around the same principle.
El Presidente Vs. The Pandemic
In true Davey Pageviews fashion, Dave Portnoy's career would not be derailed by something as fickle as a worldwide pandemic.
Despite the fact that he lives in New York City - the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in America, he was still able to find creative and productive ways to promote the brand. The man is an expert at turning bad situations into money.
He did so in epic fashion by doing nothing other than being himself. Since he couldn't get out on the streets of New York to sample pizza, he invited frozen pizza makers from across the nation to send him their version of the perfect frozen cheese pie.
In a glorious turn of events, small businesses everywhere began sending Portnoy their merchandise, if for no other reason than to get it on camera during one of the single most popular viral channels out there.
This trend spawned yet another series of videos that drew attention to Barstool Sports. A daily "unboxing" video of Dave Portnoy unwrapping and reviewing the random materials that were sent to him from small businesses throughout the United States. He received everything from pizza ovens to goldfish.
The online stunt gained even more viewers and drove them toward Barstool Sports' content. It was truly a thing a behold.
The McAfee Acquisition
Arguably the most popular punter in NFL history, Pat McAfee of the Indianapolis Colts announced his retirement in 2017. Soon after, Portnoy announced that Pat would be heading up the satellite station of Barstool Sports in Indianapolis - Barstool Heartland.
McAfee enthusiastically confirmed the report and began embracing the Barstool brand. After citing injury concerns and his desire to branch out, McAfee thanked the Colts organization and began work at Barstool Heartland.
Dave Portnoy FAQ
Some quick hit frequently asked questions include:
Other than Barstool Sports, is Dave Portnoy involved in other businesses?
Yes. Portnoy recently released his own line of frozen pizzas, he owns minority stakes in several horseracing tracks, and he developed the One Bite app. These are a few examples of his entrepreneurship.
Dave Portnoy's Net Worth
While it's not possible (or legal) to check Dave's pocketbook, there are some hints online about Dave Portnoy's net worth. Taking into account Dave's business deals and the money that he acquired from the sale of Barstool Sports, he's worth a pretty penny.
Dave Portnoy's net worth is currently estimated somewhere in the ballpark of $128,000,000! He still owns a minority share of Barstool Sports and is in charge of all the content released by the company.
After working 10-hour days and taking the "fake it until you make it" approach, Dave Portnoy is now a celebrity. A very rich celebrity, at that.
Portnoy is evidence that if you work hard at what you love, you can be very successful.
Check Back Here Often
Because of the unpredictable nature of Dave Portnoy's business endeavors, you'll want to check back here often. Dave is infamous for his impulsive and expensive spending style. For example, in 2020, Dave made an announcement that he would be day trading live on Twitter every day until he could leave quarantine.
It was last reported that this idea cost him an estimated $750,000. Some decisions that Dave Portnoy makes may seem reckless, but he has a track record and bank account to back it up. Dave might like his pizza with cheese only, but it has made him a lot of green for his wallet.
If you like this article, check out some of our other celebrity net worth guides. As mentioned above, come back often to check on Dave Portnoy's net worth - it changes faster than the nametags on Barstool Sports interns.
Our net worths are for entertainment purposes only. We do our best to provide accurate figures, but we cannot guarantee their accuracy. The figures are based on public information and estimates, and may not reflect the true value of assets or liabilities.
