As a public figure with a huge social media following, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is no stranger to online threats and abuse. But lately, the entrepreneur says he has become “much more aware” of how he can counter these threats in everyday life.
“You know, you start getting interested in these Yahoos on social media, and there are these Yahoos,” Portnoy told “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil in an interview that will air on “CBS Sunday Morning” this weekend. “I don't even know what they're saying. But they start talking about me, trying to probably use my name, because they're just in this endless cycle of needing to stay in the news.”
Conversations about it could quickly spread online and “open the floodgates to just crazy people,” Portnoy said. In response, the businessman and social activist said that he had installed 24-hour security at his home. “One is enough,” Portnoy added.
A man was recently heard on video shouting anti-Semitic comments and throwing coins at Portnoy as he recorded his famous One Bite pizza review outside a restaurant in Mississippi. Starkville police on Monday arrested the alleged troublemaker, identified as 20-year-old Patrick McClintock, on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe and respected in our community. Offensive words are protected, but when behavior disrupts a public event or creates a threat of violence, the Starkville Police Department will take steps to help maintain safety and security,” police said in a statement to CBS News, adding that the state can impose harsher penalties if the violation meets the criteria for bias or discrimination. The incident remains under investigation.
“Imagine hating someone just because of their religion in this damn country,” Portnoy said in a social media video posted after the incident.
Over the past 10 years, the number of anti-Semitic incidents has increased by almost 900%. according to the Anti-Defamation Leaguein many cases involving violence.
Even before this recent incident, there had been a “definitive shift” towards anti-Semitism. Portnoy told Dokoupiladding that this is a form of hatred he experiences on a daily basis.
“To me, being a Jew, you have to step up,” he said. “You are someone people look up to in the Jewish community. You have to say, “Okay, this is not normal, haha, with guys. People come out with real hatred.”
Watch more of Tony Dokoupil's interview with Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy this weekend on CBS Sunday Morning.
