Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy relaxes by the pool to celebrate the end of Deadspin after the popular sports blogger laid off his entire staff after its parent company was acquired by a European startup. I opened a bottle of champagne.
On Monday, Portnoy responded to a social media post by former Deadspin editor-in-chief Julie DiCaro, saying that staffers had “given 30 minutes notice that Deadspin was being sold to a European start-up and no staff would be hired.” I received it before.”
“Listen, even I’m confused,” Portnoy said in a video posted to his social media account X, showing himself floating in a pool.
“How many times can you open the same company bottle?” How many times can you beat Deadspin? How many times can Julie DiCaro lose her job? It seems endless! ”
“I have not seen the video, but I have no interest in Dave Portnoy’s actions,” DiCaro said in an email to The Post.
According to DiCaro’s LinkedIn page, she worked full-time at Deadspin from May 2020 until this week, when the magazine ceased publication.
Deadspin has criticized Portnoy and his company, Barstool Sports, for maintaining a culture that some say is racist and sexist.
In August, Deadspin published an article titled “Why Dave Portnoy Is Bad for Business.” This is an important article detailing how he bought his company back from PENN Entertainment.
Portnoy took advantage of that opportunity and dunked inside the site on Monday.
“But here we are again. A new bottle of champagne…going out of business, being bought out, everyone being fired for the 90th time in a row!” Portnoy said.
“This is just kicking a dead dog! But you know what? I’m not above that.”
Mr. Penn acquired a 36% stake in Barstool Sports in February 2020 for approximately $163 million, and then acquired the remaining stake in February 2023 for approximately $388 million.
Neither Penn nor Portnoy disclosed the terms of the sale agreement.
Last summer, Penn paid ESPN $1.5 billion for the exclusive rights to rebrand its sports betting app as ESPN Bet.
Deadspin has shut down just months after the magazine was forced to apologize for unfairly accusing a young Kansas City Chiefs fan of wearing “blackface.”
Jim Spanfeller, CEO of parent company G/O Media, announced the layoffs and news of Deadspin’s sale to Lineup Publishing in a memo to shocked staff. Announced. The latest part of the company’s crumbling empire will be thrown into the midst of a wave of uproarious layoffs. Entire industry.
Lineup “will not be replacing the site’s existing staff, but will instead build a new team more aligned with the brand’s editorial vision,” Spanfeller wrote.
“The new owners intend to honor Deadpin’s unique voice, but will take a different content approach when it comes to sports coverage across the site.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Eleven staff members across the company’s New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago offices lost their jobs.
