Sophie Cunningham officially launched her new podcast on Wednesday. But before Show Me Something landed with The Volume, Dave Portnoy says that it could have been a part of Barstool Sports.
During Thursday’s episode of The Unnamed Show, the Barstool Sports founder discussed Cunningham’s new show, which she co-hosts with her high school classmate and Complex Sports producer-turned-Bravo TV star West Wilson. And in doing so, Portnoy revealed that the Indiana Fever guard had originally tested the show for Barstool, only for the potential deal to ultimately fall apart.
“I passed on it,” the Boston native said. “We spent a lot of time. They did a test podcast, these two, in our New York office. We had another host. And it wasn’t her — anytime I have to deal with agents, it’s hard. I really thought we would be carrying so much of the weight, marketing, all this sh*t. And her focus wasn’t going to be the podcast. It was just one amongst 9,000 things she was doing, so it felt like we were getting screwed.
“Like, we were ready to sign it. And at the end, I’m like, ‘I’m not interested anymore.'”
Portnoy also stated that he had concerns about the structure of the proposed deal, in which Cunningham wouldn’t be exclusive to Barstool as an on-air talent.
“[The deal was] she was gonna do the podcast with us, but she can start another podcast that is talking about something else. She can go do digital with others, the ads are being sold by other people,” he said. “We were gonna give her a guarantee. And the thing that I always get uneasy: the amount of value you get from our marketing machine is kind of like priceless. So we’re putting all this behind you and I can’t even get a guarantee you’re only going to do our podcast.
“There’s a lot that goes on to promote a podcast. And if I don’t feel that podcaster is focused — because you have to be on making the thing huge — it’s not worth it. I’d rather spend all that time and energy on somebody who’s like, ‘this is my dream spot where I want to be.'”
Despite Portnoy’s concerns, the connection between Barstool and Sophie Cunningham would have been a natural one considering his Fever fandom. And while Caitlin Clark is obviously the team’s (and league’s) biggest star, her “enforcer” has made quite the name for herself in recent weeks, drawing mainstream attention via social media, press conferences and pre-game runways.
Cunningham’s latest move comes in the form of her new podcast, but based on Portnoy’s comments, it doesn’t appear that she’ll be slowing down anytime soon. As for the first episode, it’s already managed to go viral, although Portnoy is hopeful that won’t happen on a regular basi.
“I like her. But I’m kind of rooting against it,” he admitted of the show.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.