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How David Portnoy Achieved a Net Worth of $120 Million

David Portnoy

David Portnoy has made his name as a blogger and Internet celebrity. He is best known as the founder of Barstool Sports, a sports and pop culture blog. His online activities have put him in an excellent position financially, as he is now a wealthy man. It is estimated that David Portnoy's net worth is $120 million. Here is how the Internet personality accrued his wealth.

Early Life

David Portnoy was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts, on March 22, 1977. His parents are Michael and Linda Portnoy, and they brought him up in the Jewish faith. Portnoy attended Swampscott High School, which was also attended by Todd McShay, a football television analyst and commentator. In 1995, Portnoy began studying at the University of Michigan. He graduated in 1999 with a degree in education, although he never pursued a career in this field.

David Portnoy's Career

After graduating from university in 1999, Portnoy decided to move to Boston. While living in Boston, Portnoy worked for an IT market research company called the Yankee Group. After four years working for the company, Portnoy decided to leave the Yankee Group to pursue his own ventures. In 2003, David Portnoy launched the blog that eventually became Barstool Sports. Portnoy originally launched his company as a print publication that was released in the Boston metro area. The publication originally featured sports coverage, gaming ads, and fantasy sports predictions. In the early days, it was common for Portnay to work ten or more hours a day to get his business off the ground. He also regularly worked weekends. While he single-handedly ran the business in the early days, it is now a much larger operation with many writers, photographers, and commentators contributing to the published content. It wasn't until 2007 that Barstool Sports became a website. The content of the website is predominantly based on the commentary of sporting events.

There are also interviews with athletes from various sports. However, there is also written and video content on the site about other popular culture topics. Another facet of the site is photographs of and features about attractive women. The Chernin Group purchased a majority stake in Barstool Sports in 2016. This led to the headquarters of the blog moving to New York City. Four years later, Penn National Gaming bought a 36 percent stake in the company. They paid a total of $163 million for the stake, including $28 million in Penn non-voting convertible preferred stock and the remaining $135 million in cash. Following this move, both The Chernin Group and Penn National Gaming own 36 percent stakes in the company. However, Portnoy continues to run the website. He has also retained creative control of the content published on the site. Portnoy has become known for his blunt and candid personality, evident in his blogs and his vlogs. His style predominantly appeals to young men, who constitute a large proportion of Barstool Sports' readers and viewers. The site has become known as a major publication in the 'bro' culture genre. While Barstool Sports has a huge following, there are many who have criticized the style and content of the site, and some people have found some sections offensive. The site has faced criticism for its disparaging comments about women.

Pizza Reviews

Although David Portnoy is best known for his sports blogging, he decided to diversify in 2017. As a fan of eating pizza while watching sports, he decided to start writing and vlogging pizza reviews. His aim was to review every establishment that sold pizza in Manhattan by the end of 2017. He decided to call his vlog One Bite with Davey Pageviews. Some of the video reviews only feature Portnoy. However, some have guest reviewers, including celebrities and athletes. After completing reviews of every pizza joint in Manhattan, Portnoy extended his reviews to elsewhere in New York City and then to Boston. His website also has pages of pizza reviews from fans and guest bloggers.

David Portnoy's Net Worth

David Portnoy's career means he has become a very rich man. According to The Sun, David Portnoy's net worth is estimated at $120 million. He has predominantly made his money through his sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports. Initially, his website earned him money through advertisements and promotions. However, Portnoy saw a significant increase in his bank balance after selling a majority share of Barstool Sports. Portnoy has also earned money from the sales of products on his website.

His Relationships and Personal Life

David Portnoy was married to Renee Satterthwaite. The former couple married in 2009 but separated in 2017 after eight years of marriage. They did not have any children from their marriage. In 2021, David Portnoy bought a luxurious mansion in Miami, says The Real Deal. The property is in the city's Morningside neighborhood, and it cost Portnoy $14 million. However, this is only a drop in the ocean for someone with a net worth of $120 million. It is a 6,100-square-foot property that sits on a one-acre lot that includes the pool. The mansion boasts nine bedrooms and 8.5-bathrooms. It is not the first time the multimillionaire has splashed out huge sums of money for a property. Immediately before buying his new Miami home, he rented a stunning home in Miami Beach that boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. owned. The businessman was paying a whopping $200,000 a month to live in the property. Portnoy continues to rent a spacious apartment in Manhattan to have a base for when he is working from New York. The Internet entrepreneur also owns another property in Nantucket. Furthermore, Portnoy owns a gorgeous home with ocean views and an inground swimming pool in Montauk in the Hamptons. He paid $9.75 million for the Montauk property, which he reportedly uses as his summer house.

Allen Lee

Written by Allen Lee

Allen Lee is a Toronto-based freelance writer who studied business in school but has since turned to other pursuits. He spends more time than is perhaps wise with his eyes fixed on a screen either reading history books, keeping up with international news, or playing the latest releases on the Steam platform, which serve as the subject matter for much of his writing output. Currently, Lee is practicing the smidgen of Chinese that he picked up while visiting the Chinese mainland in hopes of someday being able to read certain historical texts in their original language.

Read more posts by Allen Lee

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