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Dave Portnoy on running ‘Barstool Sports’ like ‘SNL’

▶ Watch Video: Full Interview: Dave Portnoy

Dave Portnoy has built a business empire on his viral pizza reviews and brash social media personality. Now, the “Barstool Sports” creator is looking back on his journey to the top in his new memoir, “Cancel Me If You Can.” 

Long before he started ranking pizzas across the country, Portnoy decided to quit a sales job he hated and start his own media enterprise. That project was the early iteration of “Barstool Sports.” At the time, the publication was a four-page sports newspaper, which Portnoy passed out for free. 

“I didn’t care if I was working, you know, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; it was better than doing what I was doing,” Portnoy told “CBS Saturday Morning.” “Every day, I felt like we were making tiny steps. They may be (a) reader one day, and we went to two the next.” 

The goal of “Barstool Sports,” then and now, is to “be honest and authentic to readers,” Portnoy said. To build the company that did that, Portnoy hired talented people and let them run wild. One of those hires was Alex Cooper, who would go on to create the hit podcast “Call Her Daddy.” 

Portnoy said he wanted “Barstool Sports” to be like “Saturday Night Live” — a place where great talent could be established and developed. 

WNBA: JUL 15 Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun
Dave Portnoy, attends a WNBA game on July 15, 2025, at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“I wanted young comedians, talent, to apply to Barstool, and then hopefully they become superstars and some of them may leave,” Portnoy said. So we sign you for a contract and the hope is that you explode and get big, and we monetize you during that time and then at the end of that contract, we can either re-sign you if we can afford you … or you can go to great success.” 

“Barstool Sports” is now more than just a publication. The Barstool Fund, started in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, helped over 400 businesses pay their bills and keep their doors open. 

Portnoy has also begun to dip his toes into the political waters. He openly considered running for mayor in New York City, and has endorsed politicians, including current President Trump. He told “CBS Saturday Morning” that he sees engaging in politics as a “civic duty.” 

“I actually am like, up at night on some of the things that’s going on in politics,” Portnoy said. “That’s what would drive me to do it.” 

He wants readers to know that “Cancel Me If You Can” isn’t him asking to be understood. 

“I don’t think I’m ever going to be understood by people who don’t like me. I’ve kind of come to that conclusion,” Portnoy said. “People like me will always like me. People who don’t, won’t. I could give somebody who hates my guts like $100 for free and they’d want $200.” 

Though he appreciated the chance to create “a record” of the founding of “Barstool Sports,” Portnoy said he doesn’t plan on writing another book. 

“When this was pitched to me, the idea of seeing my book, like in an airport walking by, I was like, ‘That’s really cool,'” Portnoy said. “I’m super happy it’s over, and I’m glad I did it, but I would never do it again.” 

Millions of Americans with untreated high blood pressure should be taking medication

By CNN
Nearly 1 in 3 adults in the United States with untreated high blood pressure would benefit from treatment and are not getting it, according to a new study.That’s because nearly 10 million Americans now meet newly updated guidelines by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology that redefine an adult’s risk for cardiovascular disease.“We estimated that approximately 200,900 all-cause deaths and 162,600 cardiovascular deaths could be prevented over the next 10 years,” said lead study author Dr. Mustafa Al-Jarshawi, a cardiologist at Keele University in England.Ideally, doctors want blood pressure to fall below 120 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic. If blood pressure is around 130/80, doctors have typically advised people to make changes to their lifestyle, such as increasing exercise.If doctors use the American Heart Association’s new PREVENT tool, which considers blood sugar, kidney function and a person’s decade-long risk for heart disease as well as blood pressure, some 81 million Americans would be eligible for blood pressure medications.“What this is saying is that people who have traditionally not been at very high risk are now eligible to be treated with medications more aggressively,” said cardiologist Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver.“Generally, I think when people have additional risk, blood pressure is really the silent killer,” said Freeman, who was not involved with the study.Expanding treatment could save livesThe study, published July 29 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2009 to 2018. Newer data is available, but the most up-to-date version of the survey hasn’t been around long enough for researchers to know participants’ cause and time of death.The study examines how death rates might be lower if the 2025 hypertension guidelines were implemented during those years, Al-Jarshawi said.Among 81 million adults with high blood pressure and no cardiovascular disease, nearly 23 million may be newly eligible under the new guidelines. Of those 23 million, 9.7 million were untreated.Becoming eligible to receive blood pressure medication was associated with a 23% lower risk of dying compared with no treatment. When it comes to the chances of dying from a heart-related issue, risk dropped by 50%. The study also found that adults with diabetes would benefit most from treatment. This is because diabetes and high blood pressure often occur together, significantly increasing cardiovascular risk, Al-Jarshawi said.Treatment is more than a medicationAny eligible person shouldn’t hesitate to start taking medication in addition to making lifestyle changes to reduce long-term risks, Al-Jarshawi said.Controlling high blood pressure is a long-term commitment to health, CNN contributor Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University, told CNN in a previous article. She recommended looking into a key inventory of five daily habits: level of physical activity, diet, substance use including alcohol and marijuana, stress levels, and a healthy weight.“You don’t have to do everything perfectly to make a difference in your health,” Wen said. She suggests starting with small lifestyle changes. Many people can’t easily reduce stress in their lives, but maybe they can more easily start eating more fruits and vegetables.”The findings of the new study highlight the importance of controlling high blood pressure, Freeman said.“The western world is ailing from a variety of cardiometabolic, kidney diseases,” Freeman said. “High blood pressure amplifies a lot of risk, and we have to do whatever we can to get that risk down and being aggressive about blood pressure is very low-hanging fruit.”However, medication only works when it’s inside the person, and not sitting in the bottle unused, Freeman said. About half of adults in the US with high blood pressure don’t regularly take their prescribed medication, according to a July 2025 study published in the journal JAMA Cardiology.Freeman recommends trying to form a habit, such as keeping your pillbox next to an alarm or toothbrush. That way, when set an alarm for the morning or brush your teeth, you remember to also take the pills.“There’s a way to cue yourself and remind,” Freeman said. “For those people that forget, consider having a small supply in your purse or your wallet or your car, just so you can always remember to take it.”The study’s findings also highlight the need for physicians to be alert to early signs of disease and consider blood pressure treatment, even in younger people, according to Freeman.“We’re seeing a lot more young people now who have chronic disease and diabetes and other things that may be relatively mild, but still at risk, and we need to be even more aggressive,” Freeman said.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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