For months, Dave Portnoy has threatened to move Barstool Sports out of New York City following the election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n
Portnoy has alternated between glib rants about Mamdani being a supposed Communist or antisemite and actual business plans to pull Barstool from the city where it has had studio space and offices for more than a decade. The Barstool boss has even threatened to run for mayor<\/a> against the popular Democratic Socialist.<\/p>\n In response, Barstool talent based in New York have begun to openly worry about their status at the company.<\/p>\n In a video posted on social media Friday, Portnoy articulated his clearest explanation yet of Barstool\u2019s future in New York and, more broadly, how he evaluates the company\u2019s need for office space in its current form.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I hate having a business in New York City in a city where the mayor openly hates entrepreneurs, hates business. That drives me nuts,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd Mamdani benefits by me staying there and companies staying there.\u201d<\/p>\n The problem, however, is not urgent. Portnoy has said the company\u2019s lease lasts through 2029, when Mamdani\u2019s current term is set to end.<\/p>\n Here is my 8 minute somewhat rambling take on the future of the NYC office https:\/\/t.co\/BlL70LxUCR<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Q1uDDa370f<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Mamdani was elected last fall and has made efforts to raise the city\u2019s corporate tax rate. The mayor has also been an outspoken advocate on behalf of the Palestinian people amid the crisis in Israel.<\/p>\n But Portnoy\u2019s larger point centered on Barstool talent not making use of the New York office space and on the evolving nature of the company, where Portnoy allows star creators to operate what he called \u201cmini-businesses\u201d and run their own schedules.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody\u2019s in the New York office; I don\u2019t think people are in there using the office,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t just tell people, \u2018Make better content, do better stuff.\u2019 I can look at effort and trying \u2026 and being in the office clearly is good for creating content. That is what has made Barstool Barstool for a long time. You have the pen of misfits, the bullpen, the weirdos, the wild people, all in there, playing off each other, making viral videos, making viral content.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, whether in blog form, in live shows, or through video content, Barstool\u2019s circus has long worked because creators give the audience insights into relationship and business dynamics<\/a>. That is harder to do if more people record content from home or in separate spaces.<\/p>\n Portnoy reiterated that he will not mandate that talent come into the office, but he wants it available to anyone who wants it.<\/p>\n