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Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy renewed his long-running feud with ESPN analyst Mina Kimes on Tuesday, reacting with outrage after news broke that longtime ESPN voice Karl Ravech was being let go by the network, while Kimes remained on staff.
ESPN confirmed Tuesday that Ravech, one of its most prominent on-air MLB personalities for more than three decades, was expected to be laid off as part of the network's latest round of cuts since finalizing its acquisition of NFL Network.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero was also expected to be let go in the same round of layoffs, along with longtime "SportsCenter" anchor David Lloyd, injury expert Stephania Bell, and NFL Network analyst Charles Davis. ESPN analyst Ryan Clark had already been dismissed a day earlier, after Portnoy called him a "race-baiter" last year without clarifying why.
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ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in an internal memo that the network had "made significant progress integrating the NFL assets" acquired as part of its deal with the league, which gave the NFL a 10 percent stake in ESPN.
Ravech, 61, joined ESPN in 1993 and has served as the network's lead play-by-play voice for Major League Baseball coverage, hosted "Baseball Tonight," called college basketball, and anchored "SportsCenter" for years.
He called Monday's Phillies-Dodgers game in Philadelphia, just a day before learning of his dismissal. Reacting to the news on social media, Portnoy expressed disbelief that Kimes remained employed at the network while Ravech was let go.
"Boo!!!! Karl Ravech is awesome! How does Mina Kimes have a job before Ravech?" Portnoy wrote. "Mina Kimes is the worst of the worst of the worst!"
He followed up with another post criticizing Kimes directly, writing that she was "the definition of trash" and challenging her to read his book, adding that he would tag her in the post but that she had blocked him.
The comments extend a yearslong dispute between Portnoy and Kimes that dates back to 2021, when Business Insider published a report containing allegations against Portnoy involving his personal conduct, which he has consistently denied.
Kimes shared the reporting on social media shortly after it was published, and the two have clashed publicly on and off in the years since. Portnoy later pursued a defamation lawsuit against Business Insider over the reporting, though the case was ultimately dropped.
Portnoy later broadened his criticism beyond Kimes, contrasting Barstool's approach to retaining employees with what he sees as ESPN's corporate culture.
"Another glaring difference between ESPN and Barstool," Portnoy wrote. "When our stars become huge and command tons of money like Mcafee at ESPN we part ways rather than fire people who have been with us for decades to pay for the 1 star. Loyalty matters here. At ESPN there is no such thing. Not saying our way is right but just more family vs corporate."
The remarks referenced ESPN's lucrative deal with Pat McAfee, which will reach over $60 million per year, while several longtime network personalities have now been let go during the latest round of layoffs.
