The American blogger and entrepreneur Dave “El Presidente” Portnoy founded the multi-million dollar media outlet Barstool Sports, turning him into a permanent fixture in conversations across the internet.
Thanks to his vast media presence, fans (and non-fans) know quite a lot about his career and personal life, including his rise to fame and net worth.
In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about El Presidente, like
Dave Portnoy’s height, career, controversies, and more.
Early Life
David Scott Portnoy was born on March 22, 1977, to father Michael Portnoy, who was a lawyer, and mother Linda Portnoy, who was a math teacher.
He grew up in the quaint town of Swampscott, Massachusetts, and attended Swampscott High School, the same high school his mother taught in. Not much is known about his sibling(s), apart from the fact that he has a sister as per his Twitter post.
Just got this text from my sister. pic.twitter.com/rPGhKMYCWs
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 30, 2019
By all accounts, Portnoy had a good childhood. He excelled in both football and baseball and performed decently as a student.
Portnoy’s time at Michigan University as a liberal arts student was nothing to write home about. He briefly joined a Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ) frat but didn’t stay longer than five minutes, attended college football games out of habit, and passed most of his exams. “I liked it, but I didn’t love it,” Portnoy admitted in a Barstool interview.
Things didn’t change much when Portnoy graduated in 1999. He moved to Boston and worked at an IT market research firm called Yankee Group.
His job, while simple, left him unfulfilled. In an effort to find a hobby to tide him over, he developed an interest in sports gambling. The thrill of gambling consumed much of his attention (and a decent chunk of his paycheck), but instead of letting his gambling habit consume him, he decided to take it to his advantage.
And this is where his real story begins.
Career
At the time, Dave Portnoy found no reliable publications about betting. He had to rely on shady offshore gambling websites that were bombarded with intrusive ads when researching the teams he was betting on.
Fed up by the constant pop-up of ads and unnavigable webpages, Portnoy decided to take matters into his own hands and launched the Barstool Sports newspaper.
Portnoy handed out four-page Barstool Sports newspaper copies on street corners and subway platforms in Boston. He wrote most of the content, but freelance writers like Todd McShay occasionally pitched in to write an article or two.
The Barstool Sports newspaper didn’t do so hot upon its launch. But that didn’t stop Portnoy from pursuing his business idea. The newspaper gradually gained traction in 2004, and by 2007, the newspaper had expanded to a website.
Portnoy’s writing was well-received among young men and those who rejected political correctness.
His writing was brash and unapologetic, the complete opposite of other sports publications. He frequently received criticism from readers and other publications, but Portnoy kept doing what he did best: produce no-nonsense content on sports and pop culture.
From there, business boomed. Today, the Barstool Sports newspaper receives over eight million unique visitors a month and more than 200 million global monthly page views. As of 2020, the publication has a valuation of $450 million.
Personal Life
As of April 2023, Portnoy is dating marketer, model, and social media personality Silvana Mojica. The couple made their first public appearance in March 2022 and have been together since.
Before that, he was married to equestrian Renee Satterthwaite. They met in college and got married in 2009, but later got divorced when it was discovered that Portnoy had an affair with social media star Jordyn Hamilton.
Height
Dave Portnoy’s height has been a hot topic of discussion for years. Those who have met him face-to-face claimed that he was no taller than 5’8″, while others state that he was over 6’0″ tall.
Dave Portnoy put the debate to rest in an interview that talked about his clothing choice and height, where he confirmed that was 5’10” tall—5’10” and a half, to be exact.
If you don’t like with my skinny jeans, that’s a you problem. Go to Italy one time for me #DDTG pic.twitter.com/rvv64anVTp
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) March 29, 2021
Non-believers immediately latched on the video, calling Portnoy a “liar” and saying that he was “5’6″ at best.”
A now-deleted Twitter video analyzed Portnoy’s height with pizza boxes and concluded that the Barstool founder was “30 pizza boxes tall.” One box of pizza is 1.75 inches, meaning that, according to the video, Portnoy was 4’3” tall.
Portney found the video humorous and retweeted the video. He later posted on the Barstool Sports blog, “I don’t care what this voodoo pizza box science says. I am not 4 feet tall. It’s rubbish and it’s garbage.”
Comments flooded the post, with some saying that “that’s exactly what a 4-foot tall person would say” and that he should “stop being a science denier.”
The comments were all in good fun, of course. No one really believes that Portnoy is 4 feet tall.
On July 23, 2020, Portnoy interviewed former President Donald Trump and stood by him multiple times. In the video, we can see that Portnoy is only several inches shorter than Trump, who’s 6’2″ inches tall.
Unless Portnoy was wearing heels or height-boosting shoes, this is conclusive evidence that he’s around 5’10” to 5’11” tall.
Details about Portnoy’s weight, blood type, and other identifying information are unknown.
Net Worth
At the time of writing, Dave Portnoy’s net worth stands at an impressive $120 million.
The American entrepreneur and sports media personality makes most of his money through his equity in Barstool Sports, as well as investments in stock, real estate, and cryptocurrency.
In 2020, Penn Entertainment bought a 36% stake in Barstool Sports for $163 million. Three years later, the sports entertainment company fully acquired Barstool Sports in a $388 million deal.
“Barstool is a powerful media brand with an authentic voice and a loyal following,” Penn Entertainment Inc. CEO Jay Snowden said in an interview with Fortune. Snowden believes that the acquisition opened new opportunities to grow the company’s interactive division.
In addition to equity, stocks, and cryptocurrency, Dave Portnoy also receives a decent chunk of profit from podcasts and TV shows he launched on Comedy Central and ESPN2. Some of his more well-known shows are as follows:
- The Dave Portnoy Show with Eddie & Co
- Barstool Stool Yak
- Call Her Daddy
- The Barstool College Football Show
- One Bite with Davey Pageviews
Portnet’s $120 million net worth also includes millions of dollars worth of real estate assets. He owns a three-bedroom, four-bathroom penthouse in Boston worth $5 million and a six-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion in Greenwich worth $2.5 million.
He likewise owns several investment properties across the US, including a $2 million loft in New York City and a $1.8 million condo in Miami Beach, Florida. His real estate portfolio is believed to be worth around $10 million.
Controversies
Dave Portnoy has his fair share of controversies, from arrests to social media outrage.
Dave Portnoy has been detained at least twice in NFL-related incidents. The first arrest occurred in May 2015, when he and three Barstool employees handcuffed themselves in NFL’s headquarters to protest Deflategate. The second happened in 2019 when he was caught creating fake passes to attend a Super Bowl LIII press event.
Some of Portnoy’s more serious crimes came to light in November 2021, when a Business Insider exposé claimed that Portnoy allegedly engaged in “aggressive and violent sexual encounters” with at least three young women, some of which he filmed without their consent.
Portnoy denied all claims, stating that Business Insider used the article as a “hit piece.”
In early 2022, Business Insider published a second article that talked of other women’s experiences with Portnoy, claiming that he sexually harassed and assaulted them on multiple occasions.
After the allegations were made, Portnoy allowed a lawsuit of defamation against the publication. The federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in November 2022, and Portnoy dropped his appeal in 2023.
On top of that, Portnoy had a history of misogynistic and racist behavior. He was seen using the N-word several times and made racist comments regarding Colin Kaepernick and his protest in 2016.
Final Thoughts
Dave Portnoy is one of the biggest names in the sports publication industry, boasting an estimated net worth of $120 million. The American blogger and Barstool founder started his business in 2004, where it eventually grew into a multi-million dollar empire.
Barstool was fully acquired by Penn Entertainment in 2023 but remained partial owner and head of creative of Barstool Sports.
Dave Portnoy confirmed in an interview that he was 5’10” (and a half), stating that those who called him 6’2″ were his “biggest fans.”
