What Dave Portnoy’s Valid Complaint Can Teach Us

While I suspect the average American Jewish community member is unfamiliar with Barstool Sports founder and social media influencer Dave Portnoy, that should change. Portnoy may be a controversial figure—he is raw, direct, and has been the center of controversy for years—but his recent social media posts amount to a masterclass in how to deal with antisemitism. He is showing the Jewish community how to respond to antisemitism in the post-Oct. 7 world.

On May 3, 2025 his bar in Philadelphia, Barstool Sansom Street, was the site of a deranged, antisemitic incident where patrons assisted by the staff of the bar displayed a large, white sign reading “F—k the Jews” while ordering bottle service. Video footage of the event showed the patrons in the bar laughing, dancing and singing along to music, all while spewing hate. It appears that one of the patrons in the bar—a Temple University student named Mo Kahn—made the personal decision to post on social media and share the sign. Kahn did not denounce the sign; instead, he amplified the message, and things blew up from there.

Portnoy was furious. Instead of waiting for a public relations firm to engage or for a leader of a Jewish traditional organization like the Anti-Defamation League to speak up and denounce the behavior, he stepped in and took action. Portnoy and his Philadelphia establishment investigated the incident and released a statement within hours indicating that employees who engaged in this hateful behavior had been fired and had acted “outside the scope of their duties.”

The bar and Portnoy also shared that they were “saddened, embarrassed, and frustrated by the deplorable actions of a customer and misguided staff … which resulted in anti-Semitic hate speech.” They also declared that, “We take all forms of discrimination incredibly seriously, and are particularly upset by actions taken against our Jewish patrons, colleagues, partners, and friends.” The bar continued, “We deeply apologize for the role we played in allowing hate speech to transpire,” and intend to improve protocols going forward.

After the investigation, Portnoy contacted Kahn directly to discuss the events, intending to use this incident of hate as a teachable moment; Portnoy reported that Kahn expressed apologies and that the two student offenders “had agreed to take an educational trip to better understand the gravity of their actions.” Portnoy explained that, “the more I thought about it, it’s like, these are young …. morons who did this. They were drunk. It’s like, do you really want to ruin somebody’s life?” He continued by saying that he wanted to educate the two men: “Let’s try to turn a hideous incident into a learning experience—it’s cliche and very unlike me—but I talked to both the culprits who I know are super involved in it, talked to the families, I’m sending these kids to Auschwitz. They’ve agreed to go.”

Unsurprisingly, Portnoy subsequently revealed that Khan and his friend “admitted to the incident during a phone call but later lawyered up after talking to his family.” Portnoy then revoked his offer to educate the offenders as they predictably denied involvement despite posting the video and backtracked on the apology, claiming that they were merely “citizen journalists” documenting the event. Kahn has a public history of hatred toward Jews and cried victimhood, happily appearing on an extremist podcast asking for support where the host unflinchingly used the term “Jewish supremacy” and referred to Portnoy as a “disgusting Jew.” Kahn never pushed back on those words or sentiments.

While it is hard to predict where this mess will end up, what is clear is that Portnoy acted quickly with moral clarity and fortitude and spoke the truth. He held people accountable for their actions. “Whatever ramifications come his way, he 100% earned and deserved,” Portnoy wrote on Instagram.

Portnoy also pushed back on media attempts to reframe the incident where a reporter from ABC News tried to blame the antisemitism on him as part of an ambush interview. “They say that Barstool Sports creates a culture of harassment, and that basically I’m responsible for this happening at my own bar. I’ve never heard of the quote.” ABC never aired the interview, but Portnoy recorded the entire event, and it is available on social media channels. Portnoy’s skills in staying on message and managing a corrupt media machine are commendable and something the Jewish community would benefit from learning.

Despite the raw response and vulgar language used by Portnoy in managing this awful situation, he demonstrated something that the Jewish community must learn and has sometimes failed to do since Oct. 7: holding people accountable and sharing the truth. When antisemitism surfaces, as it is daily, it must be called out and immediately addressed with strength and conviction. This is not an easy task, but those spewing the hate are not anticipating a strong response. They don’t expect to be held accountable; they expect fear and little resistance.

The Jewish community can no longer be weak, timid, fearful of pushback, or wait for coalitions to build and then express outrage; we must demand immediate and real accountability and show the world when someone expresses hate toward us. As Oct. 7 has taught us and shown the world, those people who the Jewish community supported, advocated for, and marched with for decades are not coming to our assistance, and the rhetoric of equality and universal peoplehood is not an ideal to which all Americans subscribe. The Jewish community can no longer be so passive. Portnoy showed agency and morality in standing up for both the Jewish community and American ideals. We need more of that.

The Jewish community can no longer be weak, timid, fearful of pushback, or wait for coalitions to build and then express outrage…

After a deeply troubling act of hate, Portnoy condemned the behavior and proudly held his ground against the media; he acted quickly and unflinchingly and modeled how hate should be handled because it was simply the right thing to do. Sadly, Portnoy’s  immediate, strong and principled pushback is far too rare.

American Jews should look toward Portnoy’s actions with appreciation and admiration. Imagine if antisemitism was called out regularly, swiftly, and powerfully in schools and the public sphere. The hate wouldn’t outright disappear, but the message would be sent that antisemitism cannot go unchecked; hate cannot be left to grow while the recipients hide, hoping that someone will protect them. Portnoy took a stand and direct action that should inspire leaders in the Jewish world. Those in the Jewish community who have the ability to hold the line and call out antisemitism should do this as powerfully and frequently as possible. The Jewish community needs leaders who can have a real impact in this current moment of existential threat. Portnoy is an inspiration to us all.

Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.