Ayers Badan became the CEO of Barstool in July 2016, bringing with her extensive experience from senior positions at Bkstg, AOL, Demand Media, and Yahoo.
In a blog post confirming her departure, Ayers Badan did not disclose if a replacement has been chosen for her position at Barstool.
Ayers Badan expressed her difficulty in finding the right words to articulate the significance of her time at Barstool, stating that the company embodies various elements.
When Ayers Badan joined Barstool, the objective was to be authentic, unapologetic, and continuously grow. The company has exceeded expectations, achieving five-year goals in just 20 months. Since July 2016, revenue has increased by 5,000%, accompanied by substantial audience growth.
Ayers Badan also acknowledged the founder of Barstool, David Portnoy, with whom she worked closely during her nearly decade-long tenure. She emphasized the impact and opportunities she experienced while working alongside Portnoy.
Ayers Badan’s time at Barstool will always be a source of inspiration for her.
In 2023, Portnoy regained ownership of Barstool after it was briefly owned by Penn Entertainment. Penn had acquired the brand in 2020 and operated sportsbooks under the Barstool name. However, a new partnership between Penn and ESPN resulted in the relaunch of the existing Barstool sportsbooks under ESPN Bet brand.
Penn agreed to sell the Barstool brand back to Portnoy for $1, which caused a significant financial loss for Penn in the third quarter of $923.2 million. Nevertheless, this loss is expected to be temporary, as the ESPN-Disney deal is valued at approximately $1.50 billion.
Speaking about the launch of ESPN Bet, Mike Morrison, ESPN’s vice-president of sports betting, considers it a natural progression for the sports broadcaster.
