Dana White Takes Shots At Penn Gaming, Barstool Gets Stuck In The Crossfire
I know, what a headline–and in the middle of it all is none other than the king of sports media himself: Pat McAfee.
On yesterday’s episode of the Pat McAfee show, the former Indianapolis Colts punter and sports personality extraordinaire had UFC President Dana White on to talk about Slap League. If you’re wondering what Slap League is, it’s about as self-explanatory as a stop sign. It’s two people, standing across from each other, slapping one another in an attempt to knock each other out.
I know, how exciting.
But my roast of slap league will come at a later date. For now, we’re going to focus on the choice words that Dana White had for Penn National Gaming, who recently acquired Barstool Sports in an almost $600 million buyout.
White Takes Jabs At Penn
While the interview started with talk about White’s Slap League, things quickly shifted over to the subject of ownership. McAfee, who recently announced a deal with ESPN, spoke with White about all the ‘hate’ he has been receiving, with people calling him a ‘sell-out.’ White responded by taking shots at the ‘suits,’ saying:
“Once you start to get suits involved in your business and these f***ing corporate guys who think know what they're f***ing doing… and most of them don't know jack s***. You're gonna see it with Barstool over the next couple of years too. They came in and they bought it out, they bought Portnoy out.”
These comments took many people by surprise because White seemingly has a great relationship with Barstool. He was even asked about it at the Slap League press conference, clarifying on his statements by saying:
“Listen, what I said today on Pat McAfee was not about Barstool Sports it was about Penn Gaming… Basically what I'm saying is, when you build a company like Barstool Sports, the way that it was built with a guy like Dave Portnoy, once you get a bunch of suits involved… it just changes the dynamic of the whole thing. Ask Vice how that went.”
The Future Of Barstool Sports
I’d be lying if I told you I KNOW what will happen to Barstool Sports. However, I’m afraid that Dana White has some great points. The thing that made Barstool BARSTOOL was that it was by the common man, for the common man. Once you start to get suits involved and everyone is a multi-millionaire, that changes the narrative a bit.
However, if one thing is for sure, Barstool is certainly not hurting on the gambling side of things. Once they were acquired by Penn National Gaming, they were able to launch their own sportsbook, The Barstool Sportsbook.
Sure, it is just one of many online sportsbooks legal throughout the country, but it is proving to be very profitable.
At the end of 2022, it was projected that the book would LOSE money, thanks to Mattress Mack’s $75 MILLION win due to the Astros World Series win. However, the book somehow ended the year on a high note, turning profits despite that big setback.
