Dave Portnoy has more money now, but he admits that he had more freedom in the early days of Barstool. The company’s founder talked about the changing times for the company on the new edition of KFC Radio and said that he used to be more genuine both on and offline.
“We’re so much bigger,” he said. “I’m pretty careful about what I say and who I say it to.”
PENN Entertainment recently closed on the acquisition of the remaining shares of Barstool that it did not already own. Appearing last week on the company’s Bussin’ With the Boys podcast, Portnoy swears the $388 million deal will not change anything about the site’s content.
While Dave Portnoy will no longer own the company, he will still be a major part of it. He says that there is a special level of scrutiny that comes with being the name and face most associated with Barstool.
“I think I’m the only person in one of the few companies actually, what I say ricochets across everybody,” he said. “So if I do something, it becomes all of Barstool. I’m at the stage where I don’t want to f*** things up. I’m doing a lot less.”
Dave Portnoy said that is what he considers when he approaches social media. He knows he can never fully avoid controversy. All he can do is avoid making it easier for his and Barstool’s critics.
KFC challenged Portnoy. He said that thinking twice about what makes it to social media is “a slippery slope” to the company losing its edge and becoming overly safe. Portnoy challenged by saying that he has already received a payout from PENN Entertainment. His motivation isn’t about protecting himself.
“It doesn’t affect me. For me personally, people know who I am and it is what it is. It’s gonna hurt other people more than it’s gonna help me, so I would rather let other people do it.”
