Barstool Sports
Barstool Sports is an American blog and digital media company founded in 2003 by Dave Portnoy, which grew from a free Boston-area print sports paper into a nationally recognized brand centered on sports journalism, pop culture, and personality-driven content. It became especially influential through its podcasts, social media presence, and loyal fanbase of 'Stoolies,' while also expanding into merchandise, live events, food and beverage brands, and sports betting partnerships. Barstool Sports also owns and operates a sports blog, Old Row, and an amateur boxing contest, Rough N Rowdy.
Over the years, Barstool has attracted major investments, reached valuations in the hundreds of millions, and secured high-profile media deals with companies like Fox Sports and Netflix. At the same time, it has frequently been embroiled in controversy over offensive content, workplace culture, and the behavior of its personalities. Despite this, Barstool remains a major force in modern sports and entertainment media, with Portnoy regaining ownership in 2023 and continuing to steer its direction.
History
Launch and growth (2003–2016)
Barstool began in 2003 as a weekly print publication distributed for free at transit stops in the Boston metropolitan area that offered gambling advertisements and fantasy sports projections but later expanded to encompass other topics. It launched on the Internet in 2007. The site was headquartered in Milton, Massachusetts, identifiable with a cardboard sign with the site's name written in ballpoint pen.Portnoy hired Kevin Clancy in 2009 and launched Barstool New York, the blog's first major move outside the Boston area. Barstool ceased publication of the print version in 2010 and transitioned to a web-only model.
Early controversies
In August 2011, the site received criticism over nude photos of American football quarterback Tom Brady's two-year-old son, which was accompanied by comments saying the child had a "howitzer", which a former prosecutor suggested was sexualization of a minor. Portnoy argued that the comments were meant to be humorous in tone and were not intended to be seen as sexual.The satirical nature of the site means that some comments have sparked debate, including a post on a 2010 blog in which Portnoy said, "Even 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?"
Other elements that have received criticism as college humour gone too far 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". 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 site's content. A Northeastern University protest group called Knockout Barstool held a demonstration outside of a 2012 Blackout party at Boston's House of Blues. Portnoy has been openly dismissive of the protest group, referring to them as "serial protesters", "nutbags" and "crazy bitches".
Further expansion
By 2013, Barstool Sports had expanded to five cities, including Philadelphia and Chicago, with a university-focused BarstoolU brand. Each franchise had its own editorial staff and voice and operated autonomously from the main Barstool Sports blog. The blogger team published around 70 to 80 posts each weekday. According to Entrepreneur.com in December 2013, more than four million unique users visited Barstool monthly, with over 80 million page views.Barstool Blackout Tour
In 2011 and 2012, the BarstoolU brand ran the "Barstool Blackout Tour," a series of electronic dance parties with as many as 2,500 attendees at venues in cities and college towns on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The parties were criticized for promoting excessive drinking and allowing underage drinking, as well as four assaults that have happened at the proceedings. In February 2012, 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. Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverage 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. 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".The Chernin Group investment (2016–2020)
By 2016, Barstool claimed to pull in 250 million views per month. On January 7, 2016, private equity firm The Chernin Group purchased a 51% majority stake in Barstool Sports, valuing the company at between $10 and $15 million. According to Chernin Group president of digital Mike Kerns, Kerns was put in contact with Portnoy via mutual friend and former University of Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen. After an initial phone call, Kerns flew to Boston to have dinner with Portnoy, discuss the Barstool vision, and begin preliminary investment talks.Following the TCG investment, the company moved its headquarters from Boston to New York City. Portnoy continued to run the site and retained complete creative control as Chief of Content. On July 19, 2016, Erika Nardini, former chief marketing officer of AOL, was announced as the CEO of Barstool Sports. In 2020, Chernin relinquished control of Barstool as part of the Penn National Gaming partnership. Also in 2016, Barstool bought Old Row Sports, another sports blog, for an estimated $10 to US$15 million.
During the week of Super Bowl LI, Barstool broadcast a televised version of The Barstool Rundown live from Houston on Comedy Central. The show made headlines on February 2, 2017, after Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee announced during a segment of that night's episode that he was retiring from the NFL to become a contributor to the site. On June 19, 2017, the site announced that Michael Rapaport would be joining Barstool Sports and hosting a podcast. Rapaport and Barstool quickly ended their relationship in a public feud involving Kevin Durant.
On October 18, Barstool Van Talk debuted on ESPN2. The show starred Pardon My Take personalities PFT Commenter and Dan "Big Cat" Katz. It was canceled after one episode, with ESPN Inc. president John Skipper citing concerns about distinguishing the content of Barstool from that of ESPN. The show's removal came after past statements from Barstool president Dave Portnoy resurfaced, one of which involved calling current ESPN employee Sam Ponder a "slut".
Following a fundraising round reported in January, Barstool is said to have received a valuation of $100 million. CEO Erika Nardini said The Chernin Group has invested $25 million in the website. On February 18, Michael Rapaport was fired after making a derogatory comment towards the site's fan-base.
On March 28, 2018, NBA player Frank Kaminsky launched a Barstool podcast, Pros and Joes, hosted by himself and three high-school friends.
Penn National Gaming investment and purchase (2020–2023)
According to Vox, Barstool generated between $90 and $100 million in revenue in 2019, with the majority from podcasts, merchandise sales, and gambling deals. On January 29, 2020, casino company Penn National Gaming purchased a 36% stake in Barstool Sports for $135 million in cash and $28 million in preferred stock, valuing Barstool at $450 million. Penn National would have the option to pay an additional $62 million in 3 years to increase its stake to 50%. Penn's investment was seen as part of a growing trend of gambling and media companies to partner to capitalize on the anticipated boom in online gambling after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed sports betting in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Following the sale, The Chernin Group maintained a 36% stake in the company.The company subsequently launched Barstool Sportsbook, a mobile application for sports betting, in Pennsylvania on September 18, 2020. During its first week of operation, it handled $11 million in wagers. In January 2021, the company announced that the Sportsbook would expand to Michigan. Penn National announced that they would be matching all first-time deposits by donating to the Barstool Fund, raising a total of $4,550,280 for Michigan small businesses.
On July 27, 2021, Barstool Sports became the new title sponsor of the Arizona Bowl and would have exclusive international broadcast rights. The 2021 edition of the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the game was played in 2022. and featured various Barstool Sports media personalities on commentary and in on-field roles.
Under Penn's ownership, Barstool experienced a wave of criticism from its audience over inflammatory and politically charged content. Most of the content in question was posted in support of controversial progressive social causes during the 2020 civil unrest. Perhaps the most noteworthy example was a June 2020 episode of the "Schnitt Talk" podcast where a guest explicitly encouraged listeners to "burn down a police precinct". Host Ellie Schnitt excitedly responded by saying "I agree with that". The episode was followed by weeks of intense backlash from the company's audience, as well as a rebuke from Portnoy. Schnitt left the company in September 2020.
In February 2023, Penn exercised its option to pay $388 million and become the sole owner of Barstool.
Repurchase by Dave Portnoy (2023)
On August 8, 2023, Dave Portnoy announced that Penn Entertainment had ended its relationship with Barstool Sports and had divested ownership of the company back to him. Penn had announced a $2 billion agreement with ESPN to rebrand Barstool Sportsbook as ESPN Bet, and the sale was intended to relieve Penn of "non-compete and other restrictive covenants" tied to its ownership of Barstool. Portnoy stated, "The regulated industry is probably not the best place for Barstool Sports and the type of content we make". The agreement stipulates that Penn will receive 50% of the gross proceeds of any future sale of Barstool, but Portnoy stated that he planned to maintain his ownership of the site "till I die".On February 11, 2024, Barstool Sports and DraftKings finalized a multi-year sports betting media partnership after the Super Bowl and the termination of Barstool's non-compete with Penn. This deal kicked off with a live-streamed free-throw challenge event featuring Barstool talent, where viewers could win part of a $100,000 prize pool. In January 2024, Barstool Sports announced that they are partnering with Rumble.
Some of Barstool's contributors played a role in spreading false claims about Mary Kate Cornett, a 19-year-old student at the University of Mississippi who was the subject of fake rumors that she slept with her boyfriend's father. While Pat McAfee of ESPN was the primary figure behind spreading the rumors, Barstool's personalities including long time blogger Kevin Clancy also perpetrated the rumors, and Portnoy would later comment that he regrets the role that his company would play in spreading "vicious" rumors. Barstool and Cornett's lawyers are planning to head to mediation.
In July 2025, Fox Sports announced a "wide-ranging" content partnership with Barstool, under which it will produce a new studio show for its Fox Sports 1 cable channel, work with Fox on co-producing digital content, and have Portnoy join the panel of its college football pre-game show Big Noon Kickoff. The FS1 show, Wake Up Barstool, debuted on September 2, 2025.
In October and November 2025, Barstool premiered the Internet Invitational, a six-episode Youtube golf event for golf influencers, which garnered widespread acclaim and achieved over 25 million views.
In December 2025, Dave Portnoy announced that Barstool signed a deal with Netflix to exclusively show three of Barstool's bigger video podcasts on the platform, in a purported 8-figure deal. Those podcasts include: Pardon My Take, Spittin' Chiclets, and the Ryen Russillo Show. The podcasts are set to launch on Netflix in early 2026.