How the Jester Became King: Dave Portnoy and the Unauthorized Real Story of Barstool Sports

by Charlie Stanton

The rags-to-riches tale of controversial media personality Dave Portnoy.

“17 years ago, I started a little gambling rag in my parents’ basement called Barstool Sports. I had no idea, nobody could predict, the wild ride that it would set my life on.” —Dave Portnoy, January 2020

Dave Portnoy’s unpredictable rise to fame and fortune didn’t happen overnight. And as Barstool’s Kevin Clancy explained, “It’ll never happen again.” From handing out newspapers alone in a dirty subway station, to selling his digital media company for half a billion dollars, and then buying it back for $1, Portnoy’s 20-year, controversy-filled Barstool Sports adventure is one you have to read to believe.

432 pages, Paperback

Published December 17, 2024

Reviews

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

NO JEST, I am an unabashed Dave Portnoy fan and was elated when I was approved for an ARC of "How the Jester Became King".

NO JEST #2, when requesting this title, I misread the cover and did not see the 2-point type "Unauthorized Real Story" disclaimer.

Instead, I saw Dave's name under the title and assumed this was a memoir penned by Dave.

Although the book was well-written and meticulously researched, it lacked Dave's swagger and charismatic gift of storytelling.

NO JEST #3, nobody "tells it like it is" like Dave Portnoy.

I listened to the audiobook read by George Newbern, one of my favorite narrators.

This is the first nonfiction book I have listened to narrated by George Newbern and I was disappointed.

George seemed tired and bored when robotically rehashing the intricate and intimate details of Dave's life.

As the book progressed, I started getting tired and bored, too. 🥱🤭💤💤

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Expletives, expletives, and more expletives.

[Luke Verrochi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read through a book that fast in a long time. Dave Portnoy and Barstool are obviously very polarizing and much of what is written about them is either trying to take them down or glorifying them; this is neither. This unauthorized account is a very well-written and non-biased view into the rise of Dave and Barstool. This book is a page-turning story for anyone interested in Barstool’s origins to the explosion of growth the company has seen in just the past few years as well as all the ugliness that has come with it along the way. Highly recommended!

[Emily Giammarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable, entertaining story. 5⭐️

[John Giammarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wildly entertaining history of the rise of Barstool and El Pres. As a Barstool reader/follower since 2010, it was a great reminder of the ebbs and flows of the company, personalities, and stories. Found myself digging through old hilarious clips of some of the early content (I.e Pres vs Hank wine tasting). Extremely well researched.

[Aidan D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read and a phenomenal debut from Charlie Stanton. Can’t wait for his next.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like this is the author’s first book. If it is, what an impressive, fun first book to start with. It must have been entertaining to research this book by reading old Barstool blogs, watching videos, and listening to podcasts like the Dave Portnoy Show. This book is an r/barstoolsports redditor’s dream. As someone who became a fan of Dave Portnoy and Barstool later around 2019, this book helped explain some gaps in my understanding of Barstool’s early history. The author was unbiased in writing about Barstool’s various “scandals.” This book was not exactly a puff piece on Portnoy as it devoted a large part to the Business Insider hit piece. It explained the point of view of Portnoy’s many critics while also noting Portnoy’s defenses of himself. I wish the book devoted more time to the pizza reviews. I also think Kirk Minihane should have been mentioned more (only mentioned once in the entire book). On that note, a good follow-up for the author would be a book about Kirk.

[Tabathareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars

As a fan of Dave Portnoy, I was excited to check this out. He’s a born storyteller and always fun to listen to. I wish Dave had been directly involved in this, but that’s certainly not the author’s fault. Where it fell a little flat for me was the length—it felt like it could have been more concise without losing its impact. Overall, it was an interesting listen, but I think a tighter edit would have made it even better.

Thank you, NetGalley & RBmedia, for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Peter Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me of days past

At one time I was a big stoolie. I read the blog daily and drifted around 2015 or so. A lot of my time during high school and college years were spent following the stool. This book did such a great job jogging my memory through the various stunts and scandals. I also found the more recent years very fascinating. The writing seemed very cautious of a lawsuit. All in all a very good read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the opening was great, funny, brash and interesting buuuut I didn’t love this book.
It felt too long and kind of boring in the middle, getting lost in the weeds of things and my attention would drift off elsewhere.
Dave Portnoy is certainly an interesting character but even chronicling his highs and lows here it all just fell a little…. flat.
I loved the narrator but it sounded like even he was getting bored and just listing things off.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun look behind the scenes of Barstool Sports and Dave Portnoy’s rise to fame. I loved how the author included quotes and real life scenes to give us a look into Dave’s world. The book was very well written and I enjoyed it.

[Ed Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was well put together but had zero info that was not already public

[Hunter Amoruso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and unbiased account on the rise of Portnoy and Barstool. Not a bad read!

[james mahoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pizza

Too much about gambling,pizza sTories are better
Love the pres but book was a bit of a bore fest honestly

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting read that contextualizes a lot of the controversies.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Dave Portnoy for a few years now. I have been picking up bits and pieces of his past through posts and it is so interesting. As the author states, Dave didn’t want to be a part of this book. This book tells Dave’s story and highlights who he really is. I think at first glance or maybe a first impression may be that this guy is a rough around the edges. And he is. But deep down Dave is a loyal and good guy. He knows who he is and what he stands for and is a no nonsense man. He likes to have fun and gamble and take risks. He had a vision and went for it with his company. Anyone that can get guys to work for not much money at first must have really loved him and believed in his vision as well. To see what the company is today and how it started, what a ride. All the while Dave staying true to who is and what Barstool Sports is. And almost more importantly what it isn’t. He has had bumps in the road along the way; but the over all theme is to stay the course and keep going. It seems that Barstool is even better than Dave had dreamed of. All starting with a newspaper is so inspiring. Seeing Dave today continuing to be loyal to Bri during her recent breakup just proves that Dave still holds loyalty, the power of the internet, a grudge and social media drama is still the same as it always was. And that consistency is inspiring. Regardless of what you think of Dave this book will show that being persistent and consistent and holding your view no matter what really can carry you farther than you may even think you can go. Totally recommend this book!!