Dave Portnoy, Barstool Sports founder, retracts Auschwitz tour offer to customer in antisemitic sign incident | CNN


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Key Incident

An antisemitic incident occurred at a Barstool Sports bar in Philadelphia, involving a customer displaying an anti-Jewish sign. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy initially offered the involved customers a trip to Auschwitz as a learning experience.

Portnoy's Retraction

Portnoy later retracted the offer for at least one customer who denied involvement in the incident. He stated that this customer's trip to Poland was revoked due to their lack of accountability.

Investigations and Consequences

Multiple investigations are underway, including by Philadelphia police, Temple University (where one customer is a student), and the involved fraternity. Two Barstool Sports employees were fired. Temple University placed the student on interim suspension.

Portnoy's Perspective

Portnoy, who is Jewish, noted a rise in antisemitism, particularly in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict. He aimed to make the incident a teachable moment but ultimately withdrew the educational trip due to the customer's lack of remorse.

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Philadelphia CNN  — 

Barstool Sports’ founder said he would send two customers to tour a former Nazi concentration camp after they allegedly engaged in antisemitic behavior at a Barstool pub in Philadelphia, then later retracted that offer for at least one of them because he said the person was denying responsibility for what happened.

Dave Portnoy said in posts on social media that in an initial conversation Sunday the customer took 100% responsibility for his actions with his friend and agreed to take a learning trip to Auschwitz in Poland. But on Monday, Portnoy posted that the customer “did a 180” and told him he had nothing to do with the antisemitic behavior and he was just being a citizen journalist by sharing video of what happened.

“His trip to Poland has been revoked,” Portnoy said in the post. “Whatever ramifications come his way he 100% earned.”

It wasn’t clear if the trip had been revoked for the other customer.

Portnoy, who is Jewish, said he has experienced increased antisemitism, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.

In a video posted on social media Saturday night, a woman at the bar who appears to be a server holds a sign with an anti-Jewish message on it while a man repeats the message multiple times.

The bar said in a statement posted to social media that several employees, against their training and organization’s written discrimination policies, complied with a customer’s request for the sign in connection with ordering bottle service.

“We are saddened, embarrassed, and frustrated by the deplorable actions of a customer and misguided staff,” Barstool Samson Street said in the post.

Portnoy said two bar employees had been fired over the incident.

Philadelphia police said they were investigating. No charges were immediately filed.

Temple University said one of the customers is believed to be one of their students. The student was put on interim suspension while an investigation continues, President John Fry said in a statement posted on the university’s website.

Fry called antisemitism “abhorrent” and said he would take further action if other students were involved.

“It has no place at Temple and acts of hatred and discrimination against any person or persons are not tolerated at this university,” Fry said.

Kappa Delta Rho said in a post on its website that it is also investigating because the customer involved was allegedly a member of their fraternity at Temple.

“To be clear, our organization firmly opposes all forms of hate, which have no place in our fraternity,” said Xavier Romano, executive director of the national fraternity.

Portnoy had said he hoped to turn the event into a teachable moment. He did not initially identify the culprits but identified one of them on Monday when saying he would not be sending them to Auschwitz. The customer didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

He founded Barstool Sports in 2003, a digital platform covering sports, lifestyle and entertainment, in the Boston area. He also owns several Barstool bars in locations around the country.

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