027: Who the Hell is Dave Portnoy? feat. Robert Silverman

Dave Portnoy has leveraged his digital media empire — Barstool Sports — to amass so much political influence that there’s a term for it: "Barstool Conservatism." This episode retraces the story of Portnoy’s life and career to explain how he made millions combining sports entertainment, reactionary politics, and pizza reviews. It also reflects on Portnoy’s influence within the broader MAGA movement and “manosphere.”

Mike and Jared are joined by Robert Silverman, a feature writer who has covered Portnoy and his media empire at excruciating length. Practically everything you’ll hear on this episode comes directly from his reporting. (Listeners will remember Silverman from April’s “Who the Hell is Tim Pool?” episode.)

Links to Robert’s reporting:

* Inside Barstool Sports’ Culture of Online Hate: ‘They Treat Sexual Harassment and Cyberbullying as a Game’ (The Daily Beast, 2018)

* Barstool Sports ‘Hemorrhaging Money,’ Top Editor Flips Out at Writers (The Daily Beast, 2020)

* How Barstool Built an Empire by Swiping Sports Highlights (The Daily Beast, 2023)

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Transition Music: “Sports” by Viagra Boys