This week’s news that Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers Badan is leaving the company came as a surprise to many.
Not, however, to Dave Portnoy.
“I wasn’t caught off guard by it. I knew it was coming,” the Barstool Sports founder told Barstool Radio‘s Kelly Keegs and Francis Ellis on Wednesday. “So I’ve been doing more work for the past couple months.”
As for what that work has entailed, Portnoy says that he has been more involved with Barstool’s business dealings since repurchasing the company he founded from Penn Entertainment for $1 last year. That has included working more closely with employees like lawyers and HR reps, which has admittedly been a change of pace for all involved.
“I like the people that I’m dealing with. And I had no real interaction with the finance guy, Aaron, or like the lawyer, Paul, or Kim in HR. But I’ve become far more acquainted with them recently and I like all of them,” Portnoy said. “They’ve all adjusted to me yelling and hanging up on them or whatever it may be pretty good. So that’s a positive. If I don’t hire you and you’re not familiar with me, you may not love the way that I communicate all the time. But they seem all to be in very good spirits with it and used to it. I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
Even without Ayers Badan’s impending departure, it would stand to reason that Portnoy would be more involved in Barstool’s finances after buying his company back last year. In the time since, “El Presidente” has been open about the financial issues that the company faces, which resulted in a round of layoffs shortly after the sale.
As for Ayers Badan’s exit, both she and the company have made it clear that it’s coming on good terms. It’s unclear, however, whether Barstool will hire a new CEO to replace her or if Portnoy will continue to serve as both the company’s owner and de facto top executive.
