Business owners across New York City are well-documented in their opposition to Democratic Socialist mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s likely win on Tuesday night, and it’s time to add Dave Portnoy to that list.
The Barstool Sports owner voiced his extreme opposition to Mamdani’s potential tenure as New York City mayor in a YouTube stream on Oct. 25, revealing that he has had conversations with Barstool’s financial leaders about moving the company to neighboring New Jersey.
“Honestly, I’ve given that a lot of thought — he’s definitely going to win — going to Hoboken or Jersey City or something,” Portnoy said. “I don’t want to f*cking have an office (in Manhattan). But then we have all those people who, like, that f*cks up their life because I hate the guy … so it’s a Catch-22.”
Portnoy acknowledged that as a prominent media company, it is essential to have a presence in America’s biggest city. Throughout its history, stars like Alex Cooper, Big Cat, and PFT Commenter have thrived out of the company’s Manhattan offices.
More recently, Barstool moved the bulk of its operations to Chicago, where popular shows like Pardon My Take, Mostly Sports, and the company’s new FS1 television show Wake Up Barstool shoot.
So Portnoy has apparently given serious thought to moving out of New York City. However, the move would seemingly be less about Portnoy’s concerns over the city’s economy under a Mamdani administration and more due to Portnoy’s personal political beliefs.
“I can’t stand the thought of (Mamdani) running New York City. I can’t stand it,” Portnoy said during a stream in which he watched the Michigan-Michigan State game off-screen, mispronouncing the Democratic nominee’s name.
“Then a part of me is like, how much will actually change? But I really have given it thought. I told our finance guys to start looking around for property, no joke. Take a principled stand. Thirty-something-year-old Communist running New York City who’s never had a job in his life, hates America, doesn’t seem like the best.”
Nearly all of the prominent sports media figures to speak up about the New York City mayoral race have come out against Mamdani’s candidacy. Just last week, Stephen A. Smith hosted a lengthy sitdown with Mamdani’s most prominent opponent, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in which Cuomo spent most of the interview ripping Mamdani as unqualified and radical.
On First Take in July, Paul Finebaum said he didn’t “want anything to do” with Mamdani.
Portnoy previously bashed Mamdani in a July Fox News interview.
None of these three hosts actually lives in New York, of course. Smith moved to Florida early this year, citing high taxes, when the Mamdani campaign was still in its infancy and Democrat Eric Adams was (and is) mayor.
Still, Portnoy’s decisions as a prominent right-leaning commentator and media executive are important as a cultural story as New York and the country respond to Mamdani’s rise.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.