Erika Ayers Badan Explained

Erika Ayers Badan
Birth Date:6 November 1975
Education:Colby College
Occupation:Sports executive, public speaker and podcast host
Known For:First CEO of Barstool Sports
Children:2

Erika Ayers Badan (formerly Nardini; born November 6, 1975)[1] is an American businesswoman and CEO of Food52.[2]

Ayers served as the first CEO of Barstool Sports from 2016 to 2024.[3]

Early life and education

Ayers spent much of her childhood in New Hampshire and Vermont.[4] She received a bachelor's degree in sociology from Colby College in Maine.[5]

Career

1998–2015: Early career, marketing

Ayers began her career working at the legal department of Fidelity Investments, before switching to marketing.[6] She was the senior vice president of sales and marketing at Demand Media.[7] Prior to that, she held executive marketing positions at Yahoo! and Microsoft.[8] From January 2013 to December 2014, she was the chief marketing officer of AOL.[9] Ayers was then the president and chief revenue officer of New York-based start up Bkstg.[10]

2016–2024: CEO of Barstool Sports

In July 2016, Ayers was named the CEO of Barstool Sports.[11] Ayers oversaw the company's expansion into multimedia, merchandising, streaming and pay-per-view programming.[12] The company's expansion into pay-per-view included the acquisition of amateur boxing league Rough N' Rowdy in 2017.[13]

The valuation of Barstool Sports doubled from $15 million to $30 million during her first year as CEO. It grew to $100 million in 2018. In 2018, Fast Company named Ayers as one of its "Most Creative People in Business", citing Barstool Sports' expansion into multimedia and merchandising during her tenure.[14] That same year, Forbes ranked her 25th on its "Most Powerful Women In U.S. Sports".[15]

In 2019, she was ranked as #19 on The Big Lead's list of "The 75 Most Powerful People in the Sports Media Business."[16] That year, she was included on Crain's New York's "Notable Women in the Business of Sports".[17] Adweek named Ayers as one of its "Most Powerful Women in Sports" in 2017 and 2020.[18]

In 2020, Ayers was elected to the WWE's board of directors and resigned from that position in September 2022.[19] Erika was also on the board of directors at Torchy's Tacos.[20]

In an interview with Digiday, Ayers discussed Barstool Sports' growth during her tenure, from a valuation of $15 million in 2016 to $450 million in 2020.[21] In September 2021, Ayers stated that the company's revenue was expected to exceed $200 million in revenue, doubling the company's $100 million revenue in 2020.[22]

In 2022, under Erika's leadership, Barstool Sports progressed more into live sports and streaming [23] by hosting and broadcasting its first College Basketball Invitational [24] and the first Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl.[25]

In 2022, Barstool Sports also launched its NIL marketplace platform, TwoYay,[26] which connects college athletes directly to advertisers.[27]

In March 2022, Erika joined the board of directors for the Premier Lacrosse League.[28]

Ayers has been named Forbes' Most Powerful Women in Sports,[29] recipient of Crain's Notable Women in Sports,[30] AdWeek's Most Powerful Women in Sports,[31] Cynopsis’ Top Women in Media,[32] a top player in the U.S. Betting Space and Podcasting by Business Insider,[33] and one of Variety's Most Impactful Women in Entertainment of 2023.[34]

In the September 2023 issue of Vanity Fair, Ayers was featured in a lengthy article about driving the success of Barstool Sports.[1]

After more than 7 years at Barstool, Badan resigned as CEO on January 16, 2024.[35]

On January 15, 2024, The New York Post reported that Ayers will be departing Barstool Sports.[36] The next day, she announced in a video on X that she was stepping down as CEO of Barstool Sports.[37]

2024–Present: Food52

In April 2024, Ayers was named CEO of the culinary, lifestyle and homeware company, Food52.[2]

Erika currently serves as a board member on Malaria No More which is a nonprofit organization that seeks to eradicate malaria.[38]

Podcast host and public speaking

Ayers hosts Token CEO, a podcast about business and sports news.[39] She was an early supporter of the Premier Hockey Federation (then National Women's Hockey League), and interviewed NWHL players Kelly Babstock and Rebecca Russo on her podcast.[40]

In 2023, Ayers began hosting a daily 1:1 social media series where she answers fan-submitted work-related questions and gives career advice.

She is a frequent public speaker, and has given talks at the Milken Institute, CAA World Congress, the MIT Sloan Sports Conference, the SALT Conference,[41] G2E Las Vegas,[42] and the Barrett Sports Media's annual summit.[43]

Personal Info

Nardini is divorced after allegations of cheating on her spouse with her squash coach.

Publications

Ayers's debut book, Nobody Cares About Your Career: Why Failure Is Good, the Great Ones Play Hurt, and Other Hard Truths, was published on June 11, 2024, by St. Martin's Press.[44]

Notes and References

  1. Jane Fox . Emily . Dave Portnoy Bought Barstool Back. Can Erika Ayers Badan Keep His Pirate Ship on Course? . Vanity Fair . 8 January 2024.
  2. Web site: Fleming . Kirsten . Ex-Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers Badan has a surprising new job: old one was 'a heart attack every day' . NY Post . 7 May 2024.
  3. Web site: Spangler . Todd . Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers Badan Resigns: 'I Gave You My All' . Variety . 7 May 2024.
  4. News: Bryant. Adam. 2017-07-14. Erika Ayers on the Value of Leading '10 Percent' Players. en-US. The New York Times. 2022-01-20. 0362-4331.
  5. Web site: Erika Nardini. 2022-01-20. www.bloomberg.com.
  6. Web site: GmbH. finanzen net. The CEO of Barstool Sports made an early career move that was 'the worst decision' and knocked her salary down $34,000 — here's why it was actually brilliant. 2022-01-16. markets.businessinsider.com. en.
  7. News: Chen. Angela. 2014-11-25. AOL Marketing Chief Erica Nardini to Step Down. en-US. Wall Street Journal. 2022-01-23. 0099-9660.
  8. Web site: Swisher. Kara. Kara Swisher. 2014-11-24. AOL Loses Ad CMO Erika Ayers. 2021-12-16. Vox. en.
  9. Web site: 2014-11-24. AOL Advertising CMO Erika Ayers Steps Down. 2021-12-16. Ad Age. en.
  10. News: Spangler . Todd . Erika Nardini, Ex-CMO of AOL, Joins Dude-Focused Barstool Sports as CEO . 13 February 2024 . . 2016-07-19.
  11. Web site: Shontell. Anna Mazarakis, Alyson. How the CEO of Barstool Sports beat out 74 men to land her dream job.. 2022-02-02. Business Insider. en-US.
  12. News: Kang. Jay Caspian. 2017-11-14. Spurned by ESPN, Barstool Sports Is Staying on Offense. en-US. The New York Times. 2022-01-16. 0362-4331.
  13. Web site: 2017-11-09. Barstool Sports expands into pay-per-view amateur boxing. 2022-01-23. Digiday. en-US.
  14. Web site: 100 Most Creative People in Business 2018. 2022-01-23. Fast Company. en-US.
  15. Web site: 25. Erika Ayers. 2022-01-16. Forbes. en.
  16. Web site: The 75 Most Powerful People in the Sports Media Business. 2022-01-03. The Big Lead. January 7, 2019 . en-US.
  17. Web site: 2019-11-11. Notable Women in Sports - Erika Ayers. 2022-01-23. Crain's New York Business. en.
  18. Web site: Adweek's Most Powerful Women in Sports 2020. 2021-12-16. en-US.
  19. Web site: Weprin. Alex. 2020-10-05. WWE Adds Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers to Board of Directors. 2021-12-16. The Hollywood Reporter. en-US.
  20. Web site: Erika Nardini Resigns From WWE Board, Citing Barstool Acquisition. sports.yahoo.com. September 16, 2022 .
  21. Web site: 2020-01-30. 'We're an anomaly': Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers on building a 'lifestyle brand'. 2022-01-23. Digiday. en-US.
  22. Web site: 2021-09-23. Barstool Set To Top $200 Million In Revenue, Enter New Categories Barrett Media. 2022-02-02. en-US.
  23. Web site: Live video: Barstool Sports CEO on the future of live sports, betting and NIL deals. January 12, 2023. Ad Age.
  24. Web site: Barstool Will Host Its First Men's College Basketball Tournament. Amanda. Christovich. September 22, 2022.
  25. Web site: Barstool Sports Feels It 'Delivered' on Arizona Bowl. Doug. Greenberg. January 4, 2023.
  26. Web site: TwoYay: Influencer Marketplace & Creator Partnership Platform. TwoYay.
  27. Web site: Barstool Joins NIL Marketplace Race With Massive Athlete Network. Emily. Caron. September 14, 2022.
  28. Web site: Barstool CEO Nardini Joins Premier Lacrosse League Board of Directors. Emily. Caron. March 8, 2022.
  29. Web site: The Most Powerful Women In U.S. Sports 2018. Jason. Belzer. Forbes.
  30. Web site: Notable Women in Sports - Erika Nardini. November 11, 2019. Crain's New York Business.
  31. Web site: Adweek Releases Its Second Annual List Of Most Powerful Women In Sports . 2023-02-16 . www.sportsbusinessjournal.com . June 27, 2017 . en.
  32. Web site: Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards - Nominate before May 5th. Cynopsis Media.
  33. Web site: Meet the 22 power players leading the explosion of the US sports betting space. Ashley. Rodriguez. Business Insider.
  34. Web site: From Drew Barrymore to Jenny Han: These NY Women Made an Impact on the Entertainment Industry the Past Year . Variety . 8 January 2024.
  35. News: Spangler . Todd . Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers Badan Resigns: 'I Gave You My All' . 13 February 2024 . . 2024-01-16.
  36. Web site: Glasspiegel . Ryan . Marchand . Andrew . Erika Ayers leaving her Barstool Sports CEO job . New York Post . 16 January 2024 . en . 15 January 2024.
  37. erika_ . 1747278905944268993 . Viva (see video on X).
  38. Web site: Ayers Badan . Erika . Erika Ayers Badan . LinkedIn . 11 July 2024.
  39. Web site: Token CEO Blogs, Podcasts and Videos Barstool Sports. 2022-01-16. www.barstoolsports.com. en.
  40. Web site: 2021-01-26. NWHL criticizes Barstool Sports CEO for video. 2021-12-16. ESPN.com. en.
  41. Web site: SALT — Erika Nardini. SALT. March 30, 2021 .
  42. Web site: G2E Las Vegas: The Nardini effect – Barstool Sports. www.gamblinginsider.com.
  43. Web site: 2020-02-10. Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini to Speak at the 2020 BSM Summit. 2022-01-03. en-US.
  44. Web site: Ayers Badan . Erika . Nobody Cares About Your Career . Macmillan Publishers . 8 January 2024.

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