Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who began a fund to help businesses affected by the pandemic, wants more visibility from major media companies he believes are ignoring his good deed.
Portnoy referenced CNN via Twitter, but several large media outlets have not covered the growing success story, either, including MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
Sunday, after CNN had reported Beyoncé’s “BeyGOOD Impact Fund” was offering $5,000 grants to 100 people facing foreclosures or evictions, Portnoy decided to step up the quest for attention, tweeting, “This is great. I wonder if there are any other charities going on that are helping Americans with the corona pandemic that could use press coverage to help raise more money? (with three cricket emojis)” Foxnews.com said CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Barstool Fund page has the following invitation: “If you are a small business owner in need of help due to the impacts of COVID, you can submit your application at: TheBarstoolFund.com/apply
“If you are able to help, you can make a tax deductible contribution to support small businesses featured below by clicking ‘Contribute to the Fund.’ You can also support small businesses by purchasing one of the shirts below. 100% of the net proceeds will go towards supporting small businesses.”
As of Tuesday morning, the 143,988 supporters had raised $18.3 million and had helped 75 businesses, according to the website. Businesses are qualified to submit applications if they have continued to pay their employees throughout the pandemic.
The fund, which Portnoy began with $500,000 of his own money, has seen contributions from NFL star Tom Brady, Food Network host Guy Fieri and musician Kid Rock.
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