If you were told a few years ago that Dave Portnoy, the controversial president of Barstool Sports, would have a shot at becoming the President of the United States, you may not have believed that.
However, former President Donald Trump showed that you don’t need to be a lifelong politician to become president.
There were also rumors that Portnoy may have ended up running for President in 2020, but Barstool Sports shot down the possibility. In their statement, Barstool said that Portnoy wanted to focus on the good he could do in the private sector.
Fast forward to 2021 and Bovada has released their odds regarding the 2024 Presidential Election and Portnoy is listed as having an outside shot at taking the Oval Office in a few years.
Is it a long shot? Yes, but still a possibility, nonetheless.
Who will win the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election?
Odds via Bovada as of Friday, January 29
- Kamala Harris +450
- Joe Biden +600
- Donald Trump Sr. +800
- Nikki Haley +1200
- Andrew Yang +1600
- Mike Pence +1600
- Michelle Obama + 2000
- Pete Buttigieg +2000
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez +2500
- David Portnoy +20000
- More at Bovada
At +20000, Portnoy is far from being a shoo-in at becoming President, especially with how many others are ahead of him (both on the above list and unlisted).
Other notable names on the list are Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (+2500), rapper Kanye West (+5000) and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart (+7000).
Despite Portnoy’s odds, no matter how slim they may be, Portnoy tweeted in early January that he would “rather die” than run for President.
The Good and Bad of Dave Portnoy
Even if Portnoy did end up running for the 2024 Presidential Election, his controversial past may stir up some issues. Whether it was him defending the use of using the N-word in comedy videos or the recent feud between Barstool Sports and the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), it always seems like there’s controversy surrounding Portnoy and friends.
However, Portnoy has also received praise for some of his other actions by different groups of people.
His “Barstool Fund” has raised over $32 million for small businesses struggling during the pandemic, which could gain him support from those who feel like politicians haven’t done enough for everyday people.
Back in May 2020, Portnoy also spoke out in favor of doing a better job at flattening the COVID-19 curve. This speech ended up being supported by the world’s richest person and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
“Well said! Please run for office. The politicians & unelected bureaucrats who stole our liberty should be tarred, feathered & thrown out of town!” Musk tweeted in a reply.
Shortly after the Twitter exchange, Barstool Sports was selling “Portnoy/Musk 2024” shirts.
Musk ended up donating to the Barstool Fund this month, so it seems like his support for Portnoy was more than a one-off situation. If Portnoy ends up running in the 2024 Presidential Election, having Musk’s support and $200 billion would certainly help.
