Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy recently sat down for an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition. While the discussion primarily focused on Barstool Sports and its talent’s role within the term “Barstool conservatism,” the conversation also touched on labor issues. Although Barstool holds home locations in New York City and Chicago, the topic of unions was raised by Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.
In response, Portnoy recalled a 2019 incident in which he threatened to fire Barstool Sports employees who discussed forming unions. This move prompted New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to publicly comment on the matter. Nevertheless, Portnoy reiterated his stance during the NPR interview, stating that he still does not believe Barstool Sports employees should form a union.
“We definitely shouldn’t have a union. You know what our union is? Talent,” said Portnoy to NPR. “We pay great and if you’re great. I look at us like an athletic team. If you are a great player, and we sign you a two-year contract, at the end you’ll have the option. You can go get more money, because we can’t pay you. You stay with us, and we pay you. Talent for us, we’re in a talent business, so talent pays. We pay well. We do well. If you look at the history of our company, almost nobody leaves. We don’t fire everybody. So, we absolutely do not need to have a union.”
Although Portnoy has faced criticism for his comments on unions—which he has insisted were intended as jokes—he maintains that the Barstool model has consistently worked in favor of its talent.
“Look at the people have come and gone. Alex Cooper left Barstool and made 70 million from Spotify. McAfee got about 100 million at ESPN. Bussin’ with the Boys, the podcast just got 60 million from FanDuel. I don’t fire people,” said Portnoy. “I find it interesting. All the companies that killed us for that debacle, they all have unions and their people all have been laid off and gone out of business. We haven’t. We’re thriving and have been for 20 years and people love working Barstool.”
Furthermore, Barstool Sports recently expanded its operations, moving to its Chicago content factory in November 2023, while also retaining its New York City office. The company currently employs over 1,000 people and ranks as the top influencer on social media among the 18–34 demographic.
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