After a decade leading one of the most controversial sports and media companies in the industry, Erika Ayers Badan is taking her talents to the culinary world. The former Barstool Sports CEO has accepted the same role at Food52, the popular cooking, lifestyle, and home goods brand based in Brooklyn, New York.
Ayers Badan, who previously went by the surname Nardini, announced her departure from Barstool Sports back in January 2024. At the time, it was reported that she had been approached by various media, sports betting, and private equity firms interested in her expertise. However, Ayers Badan says she was looking to make a significant career pivot.
“If I was going to work in sports betting or entertainment, I would still be at Barstool,” she told Page Six in a recent interview. “I knew I wanted to work in a space that was very different in terms of product, audience and business model.”
That space ended up being the world of food, cooking, and home goods. Ayers Badan says she was drawn to Food52’s mission and values, which align more closely with her own personal interests and passions.
“I knew I wanted to work with women after a decade immersing myself in 18-to 34-year-old males,” she explained. “I really liked this company and where it came from. [Food52 founder and former New York Times writer] Amanda Hesser and her best friend created it in her kitchen.”
Ayers Badan’s decision to leave the testosterone-fueled culture of Barstool Sports also means she will no longer be seen as the “Token CEO” – a derisive label given to her by the sports media outlet Deadspin back in 2018. At the time, Deadspin had criticized Ayers Badan’s hire as an attempt to “launder” Barstool’s bro-centric image.
Rather than shy away from the moniker, Ayers Badan has embraced it, even using it as the name for her business podcast. Now, as the new CEO of Food52, she is ready to shed that label for good.
“I won’t be the ‘Token CEO.’ And I’m OK with it,” she said.
Of course, Ayers Badan acknowledges that some people may still be skeptical of her due to her Barstool background and the controversies that have surrounded the company. But she is prepared to address those concerns head-on.
“I am sure people will not like me because I came from Barstool,” she admitted. “If you don’t care to look beneath the surface, listen, learn and engage, I don’t have time for you anyway.”
Ayers Badan believes her experience at Barstool, where she oversaw tremendous growth including the $500 million sale to PENN Entertainment in 2020, will actually serve her well in her new role. She points to the “entrepreneurial” and “Wild West” atmosphere at Barstool as sources of creativity that she hopes to replicate at Food52.
“We built a culture machine that we monetized seamlessly,” she said of her time at Barstool. “You could wake up and decide to go after something.”
At Food52, Ayers Badan plans to “build community, content and media commerce,” leveraging her expertise in digital media and e-commerce. However, she is clear that she doesn’t want the brand to come across as “highbrow, elite or predictable.”
“Barstool became the authority by not being the authority,” she explained. “We created a curation of talent that was unexpected and real, and I think that can apply to other worlds. Who are the biggest celebrities at Barstool right now? It’s [Portnoy’s rescue dog] Miss Peaches and Frank the Tank [the rabid Mets fan turned Barstool personality who Portnoy has described as a “Seinfeld” character]. Two creatures who came out of nowhere.”
Ayers Badan’s transition to Food52 comes at a pivotal time in her personal life as well. In the last few months, she has experienced a whirlwind of career changes and personal upheaval.
First, she finished writing her book, “Nobody Cares about your Career: Why Failure is Good, the Great Ones Play Hurt and Other Hard Truths,” which is set to be published on June 11th. The book is focused on career advice based on Ayers Badan’s own hard-earned lessons.
Around the same time, she made the decision to leave Barstool Sports, a company she had led for nearly a decade. She described her time there as “a heart attack every day for nine years,” and said she was looking forward to a change of pace.
That change of pace came in the form of a trip to Rwanda in February, which Ayers Badan described as a “palate cleanser” from the intense, fast-paced world of Barstool.
“I go to Africa and the birds are chirping. People smiled easily. I wasn’t on my phone at all. Everything melted away,” she recalled.
However, the trip was bittersweet, as Ayers Badan learned during her time in Rwanda that her father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He passed away in late March, leaving Ayers Badan devastated.
“I idolized my dad. He had a lot of wisdom he gave me but was restrained enough to let me make my own mistakes,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “It felt like such a gift that I had resigned, because I had so much stress. I went to Vermont to spend as much time as humanly possible with him.”
Despite the personal tragedy, Ayers Badan says her father’s passing has given her a renewed sense of purpose and clarity about her career transition. She has become an advice columnist of sorts, offering “one on ones” on Instagram to help others navigate their own workplace dilemmas.
“A lot of times, in life and business, you hang on too long. I didn’t want to hang on too long,” she said, reflecting on her decision to leave Barstool.
Now, as she takes on the CEO role at Food52, Ayers Badan is looking forward to a new chapter that aligns more closely with her personal values and interests. She may be leaving the “frat house” culture of Barstool behind, but she is embracing the opportunity to make her mark in the world of food, cooking, and home goods.
“I will always be there for Barstool, but the great thing is, they didn’t need me anymore,” she said. “They had the playbook.”