CULTURE + ARTS

SLAH: How the Former CEO of Barstool Found Her Way to Saratoga

Erika Ayers Badan touched down in the Spa City last week—and it wasn’t for the Travers Stakes.

By Natalie Moore

August 31, 2026

A few months ago, I’d never heard of Erika Ayers Badan. Then I listened to Dave Portnoy’s new book, in which the Barstool Sports founder and Saratoga homeowner paints Erika, who worked alongside him as the CEO of Barstool for eight years, as a powerhouse who helped him turn his ragtag operation into a media empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The fact that the first CEO of Barstool was a woman intrigued me. Then, I found out she was coming to Saratoga.

Read more on Saratoga Living After Hours.

Natalie Moore

Natalie Moore is the editor of Saratoga Living and Capital Region Living magazines. A native of Ballston Lake, she began her career as an editorial intern at Saratoga Living, and, essentially, never left. In addition to overseeing the creation of the print magazines, she is the main contributor to Saratoga Living After Hours, a Substack newsletter that covers the Spa City’s social scene. In an alternate reality, she is a professional pickleball player.