Sports
UFC president Dana White does not see a vibrant future for Barstool Sports following getting purchased out by Penn Entertainment earlier this year.
For the duration of a Wednesday look on “The Pat McAfee Show,” White appeared to disapprove of Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy’s choice to sell the business to Penn Entertainment and explained why bringing in corporate “suits” is poor for company.
It came 1 day following Portnoy revealed on “The Kirk Minihane Show” that his contract is up in 20 months, and he’s not confident if he will attain an extension with the parent business.
“I would substantially rather do this show than any of the linear Television shows out there,” White stated of “The Pat McAfee Show,” which is moving to ESPN in a multimillion-dollar deal anticipated to start in the fall, The Post’s Andrew Marchand reported. “It’s substantially, substantially greater.
“Let me inform you what, as soon as you get started to get suits involved in your company and these f–king corporate guys who believe know what they’re f–king doing… and most of them do not know jack s–t.
UFC president Dana White on “The Pat McAfee Show” on May perhaps 24, 2023. Twitter
“… You are gonna see it with Barstool more than the subsequent couple of years as well. They came in and they purchased it out, they purchased Portnoy out.
“I had a circumstance yesterday with Barstool and it is turning into a corporate f–king s–t-show as well. It is what occurs when you get these f–king suits involved in your company.”
White and his former company partners, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, sold UFC to Endeavor in 2016 and partnered with ESPN on a blockbuster Television deal in 2019.
Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports is noticed in attendance in the course of the UFC 281 occasion at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2022 in New York City. Zuffa LLC
White’s comments sparked rumors that he ended his connection with Barstool Sports, and the UFC boss cleared the air in the course of a press conference for his TBS competitors show, “Power Slap.”
“No, that is not accurate,” White told reporters on Wednesday. “Listen, what I stated these days on Pat McAfee was not about Barstool Sports it was about Penn Gaming.
“Basically what I’m saying is, when you create a business like Barstool Sports, the way that it was constructed with a guy like Dave Portnoy, as soon as you get a bunch of suits involved… it just adjustments the dynamic of the entire issue. Ask Vice how that went.”
Dana White speaks with the press following the occasion at UFC Apex for UFC Vegas 73 – Dern vs Hill occasion on May perhaps 20, 2023, in Las Vegas, NV. Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures
Penn, a brick-and-mortar casino business, acquired 36 % of Barstool Sports from The Chernin Group for $163 million in early 2020 and purchased the remainder of the business for an further $388 million in February 2023.
Prior to White’s Wednesday look on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Portnoy played coy about his future with Barstool Sports even though discussing its parent business.
“Who knows exactly where I’ll be in three-five years,” Portnoy stated. “I believe Dan [Katz], which I would say is really fantastic for Barstool, is clearly locked in for a really extended time. He’s making this big fantasy factory there. I believe it is terrific for Barstool.”
Portnoy stated he has no finish-date in thoughts for his time at Barstool, adding that his contract is up in 20 months from May perhaps.
“There’s been some speak about it. Like you stated [previously], who knows what they’re considering at this point,” he stated.
Portnoy — who founded Barstool Sports in 2003 as a absolutely free print tabloid for transit commuters in the Boston location — previously addressed backlash that he is a “sellout” following the controversial firing of host Ben Mintz for rapping a racial slur on a reside stream.
“So I got each and every Tom, Dick and Harry because this Mintzy issue saying, ‘Pres, you are a sellout. Hey Pres, you sold out,’” Portnoy stated in a video on Twitter, admitting that is precisely what he did. “You’re just figuring that out? I began a business and I f–king sold it the f–k out. Produced hundreds of millions, created millions for everyone that grinded.
Warning: Explicit Language
“Yeah we sold the f–k out due to the fact that is what you do when you are an entrepreneur. You get started this small business you dream 1 day and you sell it the f–k out. Still indicates this choice sucks. I hate it, it tends to make me want to puke.
“But guess what, when I sold out, a couple words, a couple issues is really clear: you say these issues, these choices are no longer mine. I cannot guard you, you know why, due to the fact I sold out.”
Portnoy previously stated he disagreed with Penn CEO Jay Snowden about the choice to fire Mintz, adding that the move could be a “death blow” to Barstool’s reputation.
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