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Barstool Sports
Type of site
Blog
EditorDavid Portnoy
URLbarstoolsports.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional

Barstool Sports is a popular satirical[2] sports and men's lifestyle blog founded by David Portnoy and headquartered in Milton, Massachusetts.[3]

History

Barstool first launched as a print publication distributed in the Boston metropolitan area offering gambling advertisements and fantasy sports projections, but later expanded to encompass other topics.[4]

In April 2014, AOL announced that it would be airing exclusive online content from Barstool Sports.[5]

Content

Portnoy has described the site's topics as "sports/smut."[6]

Traffic

Barstool and its affiliated sites generate over 5 million unique page views monthly.[7]

Franchise sites

  • Boston
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Chicago
  • DMV (Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia)
  • Iowa
  • Barstool U
  • StoolLaLa (defunct)
  • Los Angeles (defunct)

Charitable work

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings Barstool Sports raised $250,000 for the victims of the attack. Barstool also frequently raises funds for veterans' causes and animal welfare.[8][9][2]

Controversies

Babygate

In August 2011 the site received criticism over nude photos of American football quarterback Tom Brady's 2-year-old son, which was accompanied by comments describing the size of the child's genitalia, which a former prosecutor suggested was sexualization of a minor.[10] Portnoy argued that the comments were meant to be humorous in tone and was not intended to be seen as sexual.[10]

Rape criticism

The site has received repeated criticism over content posted on Barstool Sports that critics of the site allege normalizes rape culture. Comments that have sparked debate include a post on a 2010 blog where Portnoy joked "[E]ven though I never condone rape if you’re a size 6 and you’re wearing skinny jeans you kind of deserve to be raped right?"[11] Other elements that have received criticism include comments such as “we don't condone rape of any kind at our Blackout Parties ... however if a chick passes out that's a gray area”.[12] Portnoy, in response, has stated that, “...It’s not our intent, with jokes, to poke fun at rape victims," while pointing out the satirical nature of the sites' content.[13] A Northeastern University protest group called Knockout Barstool held a demonstration outside of a 2012 Blackout party at Boston's House of Blues, where they gathered more than 100 people.[14] Portnoy has been openly dismissive of the protest group and has accused them of being serial protesters.[11][12][15]

Blackout parties

The Blackout Tour parties have been criticized for promoting excessive drinking and allowing underage drinking, as well as for assaults that have occurred at the proceedings.[16] On February 2012, then-Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino expressed concern through a spokesperson over the parties' promotion of "excessive drinking to the point of blacking out" and that such promotion would not be a good message for the city.[16] State Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission agents and club security at a House of Blues event in Boston the following month confiscated 300 fake identifications and refused admission for around three-fourths of the event's 2000 ticket holders.[17] Shortly thereafter Portnoy announced that the company would not be scheduling more of the events in Boston, stating that "it just doesn’t seem like Boston is friendly to nightlife of our sort, at least”.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Barstoolsports.com Site Info". Alexa. Alexa Internet Inc. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  2. ^ a b "Running Strong: How Barstool Sports helped bombing victim". Comcast SportsNet New England. April 18, 2014.
  3. ^ Downey, Amy J. (December 2010). "David Portnoy Profile: Is This Really Boston's Next Media Mogul?". Boston Magazine. Metrocorp, Inc.
  4. ^ Ankeny, Jason (December 13, 2013). "The Man Behind the 'Bible of Bro Culture'". Entrepreneur.
  5. ^ "Barstool Sports to air exclusive content on AOL.com". AOL. April 21, 2014.
  6. ^ Baker, Billy (June 3, 2011). "Here, a hangout for trash talking". The Boston Globe.
  7. ^ "I Am Dave Portnoy, Owner And Founder Of BarstoolSports.com". Reddit. January 9, 2013.
  8. ^ "'Boston Strong' Merchandise Rushed To Market As Americans Eager To Wear Their Solidarity". Huffington Post. April 23, 2013.
  9. ^ "Caitlin Dewey of the Washington Post Takes a Cheap Shot at the Stool For Outing the Duke Pornstar or Something". February 28, 2014.
  10. ^ a b Stevens, Carl (August 12, 2011). "Barstool founder defends posting naked photos of Tom Brady's son". CBS Boston. CBS Local Media. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Kingkade, Tyler (March 27, 2012). "Barstool Sports rape 'joke' sparks blackout party backlash". Huffington Post. AOL Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Editorial: Knockout Barstool – When college humor goes too far". The New Hampshire. University of New Hampshire. February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  13. ^ "The Barstool podium". The Boston Globe. February 12, 2012.
  14. ^ Dobbs, Taylor (February 3, 2012). "Knockout group protests Barstool party". The Huntington News. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  15. ^ Kagan, Aaron (March 30, 2012). "Controversial 'Blackout Parties' Flee Boston". Eater Boston. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  16. ^ a b Wedge, Dave (February 9, 2012). "Mayor Menino not taking 'blackout' bashes lightly". The Boston Herald. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  17. ^ a b Zaremba, John (March 29, 2012). "Barstool "Blackout" parties leaving Boston, founder says". The Boston Herald. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
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