How the Jester Became King: Dave Portnoy and the Real Story of Barstool Sports

The rags–to–riches tale of controversial media personality Dave Portnoy.

“17 years ago, I started a little gambling rag in my parents’ basement called Barstool Sports. I had no idea, nobody could predict, the wild ride that it would set my life on.” —Dave Portnoy, January 2020 

Dave Portnoy’s unpredictable rise to fame and fortune didn’t happen overnight. And as Barstool’s Kevin Clancy explained, “It’ll never happen again.” From handing out newspapers alone in a dirty subway station, to selling his digital media company for half a billion dollars, and then buying it back for $1, Portnoy’s 20-year, controversy-filled Barstool Sports adventure is one you have to read to believe.