Describing himself as a “great leader” and “leader of men,” Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is hitting back at “poor people” who criticize him for charging $9.99 for a pay-per-view event.
“I would never complain about nine bucks, damn poor people,” Portnoy said in a self-shot video.
As Portnoy explained, he originally wanted to air his reality show “Surviving Barstool” for free on the website's YouTube channel. But when YouTube decided the content could incite violence, his team was given three hours to remove the offensive material from previous episodes or risk being banned from the platform.
“I had absolutely no intention of editing Surviving Barstool,” the 46-year-old Swampscott, Massachusetts, resident said in what he described as an “emergency press conference.”
The decision was made to remove the content from YouTube, so to recoup some lost advertising revenue, Portnoy initially decided to put the footage on PPV and charge $9.99.
Portnoy hit back at 'poor people' who criticized him for charging $9.99 for pay-per-view event
This is the third season of “Surviving Barstool,” which Portnoy had planned to air for free
'I thought our audience was going to run down the street with knives and swords, saying, 'F*** YouTube! Well done, Dave!'
“Maybe I misjudged,” Portnoy acknowledged.
“There are people who say I'm a 'con man,' 'bait and switch,' 'I won't pay nine dollars.' Blah blah blah.”
“Listen, I think anyone who complains about $9.99 – a cup of coffee – are poor people,” he continued. “And I would have said this when I was living in Abington, Massachusetts, with not a dime to my name…I couldn't afford a hamburger. I would never complain about nine bucks, damn poor people.
“But as a great leader and leader of men, I feel like I know when there's more than just a few assholes saying that. … I'm not just going to ignore it.”
Portnoy doesn't know what his next step is.
'Do we just do it for free and lose the damn money?
He also acknowledged that his days as a “brave underdog” are over now that he is rich.
“Now, yeah, I'm damn rich,” he said.
“I just donated 375,000 of my own money to our producers and social (media) people to give them a bonus. I pay more. It comes out of my own damn pocket. I've been saying that since day one.'
Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, has confirmed his divorce from Silvana Mojica (left).
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy reportedly spent $42 million on a waterfront complex in Nantucket (pictured)
However, his wealth doesn't matter, according to Portnoy, who recently dropped a reported $42 million on Nantucket real estate.
The controversial Barstool founder highlighted the costs associated with making a major production – even if it's a reality show.
“How much do you think Surviving Barstool costs?” Portnoy asked rhetorically. “Think about it: all the people flying into New York, hotels, production, outside crew. It's a seven-figure production. So yes, we are trying to recoup some of the money.”
The bottom line is that Portnoy is still weighing his options, including airing the episodes for free on X.
“I don't know what I'm going to do,” he said. 'Great leaders sometimes have to read the wind and the tea leaves. And even though I think it's fucking crazy that people complain about nine dollars…
“I don't guarantee it will be free. I want it to be free. I think about what to do. I'm thinking about what to do.'