Barstool Sports is known for its unconventional approach to internal affairs, often making business decisions a focal point for content. This trend was highlighted when founder and CEO Dave Portnoy announced the cancellation of the Barstool Backstage music podcast during their annual Bracket Busters NCAA Tournament upset team draft, citing a high number of copyright violation strikes.
In the early moments of the 28-minute stream (around 2:30), hosts Dan “Big Cat” Katz and Kevin Clancy discussed the pitfalls that employees can face during such events, with Katz remarking that survival through the two major days, including Cyber Monday, equates to job security at Barstool.
This conversation took an interesting turn later in the broadcast; although Dante Deiana, host of Barstool Backstage, did not appear to err during the stream, Portnoy took the opportunity to reprimand him. Partnered with Jon Gruden and Mike Katic, Portnoy announced the cancellation of Barstool Backstage around the 22-minute mark, directing his ire at Deiana for repeated copyright violations. The video is notably titled “Dave Portnoy Cancels A Barstool Show During Our $40K Underdog Pick Tournament Presented By Experian.”
Portnoy stated, “While we’re waiting for Katic to get up, a quick announcement for Dante the Don. We’ve officially canceled Barstool Backstage for another violation of copyright, we’re taking them off the network.” As the feed displayed Deiana on Zoom, he was not allowed to speak. Portnoy continued, “These guys are so dumb, it’s really hard to wrap my brain around it. I got the text ‘Hey, for the 39th time, they posted copyright. So it’s on Dante to pay the legal fees.” After Deiana attempted to speak, Portnoy cut him off, stating, “All right, shut up, Dante, you’re out.”
Neither Portnoy nor Deiana shared their thoughts on X regarding the incident, apart from Portnoy retweeting Barstool’s feed’s post on this. Deiana did, however, retweet an unrelated post from Portnoy criticizing Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer later that day.
Although Barstool has had instances of re-hiring former employees—like Ben Mintz—those typically arose from unique circumstances. In Mintz’s case, the previous ownership by Penn mandated his firing after he mistakenly read a racial slur on air. Portnoy later rehired him after reacquiring the company. While Barstool often airs its corporate drama in a transparent and attention-grabbing manner, it generally refrains from making false statements, which suggests Deiana may indeed be finished with the company for now.
This is not the first occasion Portnoy has publicly criticized Deiana and Backstage. Just weeks ago, he lambasted Deiana for retweeting former Barstool employee Michael Angelo and described Deiana as “a crazy f**k I had to yell at today,” remarking on his pattern of sharing copyrighted music:
Portnoy subsequently appeared on a Backstage podcast to elaborate on his criticisms, expressing frustration that his advice on copyright violations had been ignored. Deiana acknowledged the mistake regarding the retweet, admitting, “Huge mistake, I own it, I obviously knew nothing about the backstory.”
Interestingly, this fallout coincides with a period where Deiana and Backstage seemed to be gaining momentum, featuring prominent music guests such as State Champs, O.A.R., and Chase Rice. Additionally, Deiana collaborated with Cleveland-based Forward Hospitality to launch six 70’s-themed “Good Night John Boy” bars across the nation, garnering an endorsement from Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel for the latest location in Delray Beach, Florida:
Dante and the Fwd team continue to create fun environments from scratch in several regions across the country. The branch of GNJB in Chicago is outstanding, plays a mix of music including disco, 90s, 2000s, and today. Exciting that it’s growing. https://t.co/t3QLDcBWYz
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) March 18, 2025
Barstool Sports has cut ties with many notable figures in various ways in the past, from Alex Cooper to Grace O’Malley and the Bussin’ With The Boys team. Interestingly, during the Bracket Buster stream, Katz made a quip that Bussin‘ co-host Will Compton might still attend the Barstool event because he is unaware of the ongoing situation. While the rationale for copyright infringement is understandable, it’s significant that Barstool distanced itself from Deiana and Backstage just as they were seemingly picking up steam. Furthermore, Portnoy’s public announcements during a separate event raise questions about how Experian feels about sponsoring a situation that led to a public firing—an unexpected element, but one that might increase viewership due to Barstool’s typical dramatic flair.
