UFC president Dana White is one of the few men responsible for turning the promotion into the giant behemoth that it is today. However, during the process, the 53-year-old has made several enemies, whether knowingly or unknowingly. And based on his recent rant, it feels like Barstool Sports might have not made it to his good books in recent times.
The MMA world knows the history of White going out of his way to help athletes and journalists in the past. But if one ruffles his feathers and he might just put them behind him once and for all. In the past, the UFC head honcho has given numerous interviews to Barstool Sports, most notably to Robbie Fox. White even invited the 22-year-old journalist for an exclusive tour of his office in the past.
However, White’s recent comments on The Pat McAfee Show earlier insinuate things have changed between him and the media company. In what appears to be a fiery rant, Dana said, “Once you start to get suits involved in your business, and these f*cking corporate guys, who think they know what they’re f*cking doing. And most of them don’t know jack s*it, okay? I’ll tell you, you’re gonna see it with Barstool [Sports] over the next couple of years too.”
He continued, “They came in and they bought it out, They bought [Dave] Portnoy out. I had a situation yesterday with Barstool, you know? and it’s turning into a corporate f*cking s*itshow too. It’s what happens when you get these f*king suits involved in your business.”
@RobbieBarstool 👀 pic.twitter.com/9PMvfQDbcz
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 24, 2023
Fortunately for the New York-based media powerhouse, Dana doesn’t intend to end his relationship with them anytime soon. Hours after Dana’s rant, Robbie Fox himself asked White at a Power Slap presser to clarify his comments.
Dana White comments on the rumors that he has ended his friendship with Barstool Sports pic.twitter.com/a4KZQdPUoF
— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) May 25, 2023
Dana said, “Listen, what I said today on Pat McAfee [show] was not about Barstool Sports. It was about PENN Gaming.” For people unaware, Dave Portnoy was the previous owner as well as the founder of Barstool Sports. PENN Entertainment, Inc. completed its acquisition of the company in February of this year, wholly owning it ever since.
How much did Barstool Sports sell for?
Dave Portnoy founded Barstool Sports in 2003 as a free gambling and sports newspaper. Over the last two decades, it has evolved into a leading digital horse in sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. The company boasts 200 million loyal followers, as it continues to create unmatched sports and comedic content. It has a network of over 100 shows involving 90+ personalities.
As per pennnationalgaming.gcs-web.com, PENN Entertainment, Inc. is the leading provider of integrated entertainment, sports content, and casino gaming experiences in North America. In January 2020, Barstool Sports and PENN initially announced an exclusive sports betting and Casino partnership. The Pennsylvania-based company closed on an initial stage of 36% in Barstool the next month.
The deal came in at $163 million in hopes of creating an exceptional sports betting brand. Out of the said amount, $135 million was paid in cash and $28 million in non-voting convertible preferred stock. This initial agreement consisted of a path for PENN Entertainment, Inc. to gain full control and ownership of the New York-based company.
Three years later, in February 2023, PENN announced its complete acquisition of Barstool Sports. It paid around $388 million for the remaining stake in Barstool Sports that it didn’t own previously. While the brand struggles against the current sports betting leaders, PENN has remained confident of its takeover and the potential of Barstool.
As per a report by PENN, Barstool has grown its audience by 194% since the initial announcement in 2020. Along with the audience growth, PENN also mentioned sales of 5 million units of merchandise. It also touted 1.6 billion podcast downloads across its 30+ shows. The audience growth has helped increase ad sales by 160%.
