Erica Ayers Badan was emotional about stepping down as CEO of Barstool Sports
Erica Ayers Badan was emotional about stepping down as CEO of Barstool Sports after a “wild run” on sports and pop culture blogs.
Erica Ayers Badan(née Nardini) confirmed the news in a video posted on her X account, saying she was crying on her way to work on Tuesday.
Viva pic.twitter.com/9bqaXdCcsh
— Erika (@erika_) January 16, 2024
It comes as The Post exclusively reported on Monday that Erica Ayers Badan, 48, is leaving the company eight years after starting her tenure at Barstool in 2016.
“I’m stepping down as CEO of Barstool and I feel very sad about it,” Erica Ayers Badan said while walking in New York City. “I was just crying over Metro North, which is one of the least attractive things imaginable. I wear too much eye makeup for that.
“But it’s been a wild run. I am very grateful.
The only improvement is everyone wants a job. We didn’t like anyone but him. There was no doubt that @erika_ was perfect and probably just the fit for us. It’s been quite a run and we couldn’t have done it without him. She was everything I dreamed she would be in a CEO and more.
“I feel emotional,” she continued, reflecting on 2016 — when she “interviewed 70 other candidates.
“I think either nobody wanted the job and I did, or they were too stupid to see what it could be and I thought I could make something out of it.
“And what we made of it exceeded my wildest expectations and I’m very proud. We grew the company into something I don’t think anyone ever thought possible or possible. I think the expectation or desire for Barstool to fail was really high and I think we’ve defied that and I’m very proud of what we’ve built – but we’ve done it our way. , we did it in our own style, we did it with our own people.
Erica Ayers Badan added that she feels happy to walk away now that she has accomplished everything she has done.
“… For a company to grow 5000 percent in revenue in eight years I think is amazing and the audience has grown even more,” he said. “So, it’s a strange thing. I mean, we’ve been out of the company twice in the last year. I feel that the work I came here to do has been accomplished. I am very proud of it. Everything I could ever imagine and want to achieve we did.
Erica Ayers Badan added that she “feels great” about Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.
I express immense gratitude to Dave for presenting me with this initial opportunity. I appreciate the trust I placed in him then and continue to uphold that trust,” she remarked. “And he’s the right person to make it a pirate ship and I think we go around the sun.
“Now it’s back to where it should be, the way it should be … and I learned more than I ever thought possible and I gave it everything I had.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy responded to the video and praised Erica Ayers Badan in a separate post on X.
Portnoy wrote, “The only reform everyone wants is a job. “We didn’t like anyone but him. There is no doubt
“@erika_ was perfect and probably just the fit for us. It’s been quite a run and we couldn’t have done it without him. She was everything I dreamed a CEO would be and more. ”
Portnoy bought Barstool Sports back from PENN Entertainment for $1 last August after the latter acquired the company for more than $500 million between 2020-23.
It is unclear what Erica Ayers Badan will do next in terms of her career.
“I won’t help Dave as long as he needs me,” she said. “I’m going to try to figure out what I want to do and what I want to do next.”
His upcoming book, “Nobody Cares About Your Career,” is scheduled for release in June.
For the people who don’t yet know about my book. ‘Nobody Cares About Your Career’ comes out June 11th & you can preorder it now pic.twitter.com/AWYEbIhAdN
— Erika (@erika_) January 12, 2024
Erica Ayers Badan previously worked as an executive at AOL, and served on the board of WWE.
