Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy revealed that he passed on the opportunity to sign Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and Summer House personality West Wilson to a podcast deal — a show that ultimately found a home at Colin Cowherd’s The Volume. On a recent episode of The Unnamed Show, Portnoy explained that while the idea initially had promise, the deal unraveled after concerns over commitment, marketing weight, and agent involvement surfaced.
“They did a test podcast, these two, in our New York office,” Portnoy said. “It wasn’t so much about her. Anytime I have to deal with agents, it’s hard. I really thought we would be carrying so much of the weight with marketing and all this s**t. Her focus wasn’t going to be the podcast.”
According to Portnoy, the sticking point was the level of focus Cunningham, a standout for the Indiana Fever, could realistically dedicate to the show. With multiple off-court ventures already in motion — including branded content, on-camera appearances, and playing in the WNBA — Portnoy worried the podcast would not be her primary focus.
“It felt like we were getting screwed. We were ready to sign it, but at the end I’m not interested anymore,” explained Portnoy.
Portnoy also voiced hesitation about giving Cunningham a financial guarantee without a firm commitment that the show would be exclusive to Barstool.
“She was gonna do the podcast with us. Then she could start another podcast talking about something else, with ads being sold by other people,” Portnoy said. “We were gonna give her a guarantee. The thing that I always get uneasy, the amount of value get from our marketing machine is kind of like priceless.”
While Barstool had a full promotional infrastructure in place — including social support and dedicated personnel — Portnoy said it didn’t make sense to invest that effort in a talent who didn’t view the opportunity as a top priority.
“If I don’t feel that podcaster is focused — because you have to be all-in on making the thing huge — it’s not worth it,” said Portnoy. “I’d rather spend all that time energy on somebody’s like, this is my dream spot where I want to be.”
Cunningham and Wilson, lifelong friends from Columbia, Missouri, officially launched Show Me Something this week through The Volume. The show aims to blend sports, pop culture, and personal storytelling — a format that has seen success across the platform’s growing talent roster.
Despite wishing them well, Portnoy admitted with a grin, “I like her, but I’m kind of rooting against it.”
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