Dave’s Most Heartfelt Review Happened Inside a Home in Upstate NY

Dave Portnoy: Known for Many Things

Dave Portnoy, the founder and president of Barstool Sports, is known by many as the "pizza review guy," while animal lovers may know him as the proud parent of the sweetest and most gentile rescue pitbull named "Miss Peaches."

He's a self-professed gambling degenerate who loves to talk trash on social media and is unabashed about flaunting his lavish lifestyle.  As a result, as you probably know, Dave is also - at times - very polarizing.

A Man of the People

The man speaks his truths and honors his commitment. While many complained about masks, mandates, and shutdowns during the pandemic, he went to work helping raise millions for small local businesses, some of which were right here in the Capital Region. He even kept them financially afloat when it seemed they might have to close their doors.

Say what you want about El Prez, but (in my opinion) he's a man of conviction and a much-needed breath of fresh air in the formulaic, contrived AI-generated world we live in—a true man of the people.

Dave Visits with Grieving Family in Troy

I write this because it still boggles my mind that some people view him negatively. You may disagree with his politics and "hot takes," some even hate how he grades and scores pizza. None of that matters; it's all shtick. Dave is in for the clicks—clicks equal money.

That said, I ask you to spend 15 minutes watching Portnoy's latest pizza review that he did in Troy over the summer.  In it, Portnoy visits a family who lost their son back in May after battling a debilitating form of muscular dystrophy his entire life.  The young man's name is Derek Murphy, and he was a massive fan of Barstool Sports and Dave Portnoy.

Before he passed, Portnoy FaceTimed with the young man. While on the call, Derek asked him to visit his family's home in the Capital Region and review his father's homemade pizza, to which Portnoy said he would.

Sadly, Portnoy didn't have a chance to do the review while the young fighter was still alive.

Who's Cutting Onions in Here?

Still, El Prez is a man of his word, and he came back over the summer to visit the family, talk about Derek's life and legacy, and even try a bit of Derek's father's homemade pizza.

I suggest grabbing a tissue (or two—everyone knows the rules!). It will undoubtedly be the best thing you see today, probably for a while.