I. Introduction
If you’re reading this blog post, chances are you read the
last one, checked out Barstool, and now are back to learn more about these
sports swamis and what they are doing for the progression of the English
language. (Or you’re Dr. Estes—more
likely the latter.) As we learned last
post, the writers at Barstool have growing their loyal fan base exponentially
and are competing with some of the titans in the sports commentating world such
as ESPN. How are these quintessential
“David” men competing with the “Goliath”?
It’s basically because these sports bloggers are more than just that,
they are social commentators on everything important to a stereotypical
testosterone-pumping male—including, but not limited to, girls, beer and
debauchery. And if you’re wondering why this is working you’re in luck, because
not only are we going to discuss this impact they have had, but we will do it
thoroughly and pinpoint some scholarly theories as to why these guys are so
successful.
Introduction: Barstool is Formed
Dave Portnoy,
founder of Barstool Sports and better known by his cult-like following of young
males as “Pres” or “El Presidente,” launched his website in the metropolitan
Boston area, at first only writing about gambling advice or fantasy football
tips. However, as the site’s popularity
grew, their content expanded into blogs about all sports, and from
there—anything they wanted. According to
entrepreneur.com, Portnoy wanted to make a sports site for the “common man,” and
break away from the rules and regulations of everyday sports writing. "Dave is hell-bent on proving everything
in the mainstream wrong," Kevin Clancy, a writer for Barstool, says.
"He wants to prove all the advertising agencies are wrong, all the media
agencies are wrong and all the PR agencies are wrong. He is fighting against
everyone who says you have to play by the same cookie-cutter rules, and he
won't stop until he proves he's right. It's his crusade."
Barstool
has expanded to having multiple Podcast radio shows, and have found their way
to the actual athletes themselves, some world-class names, too. Michael Phelps, Giants offensive lineman
Justin Pugh and Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard have all been seen sporting some
Barstool “Saturdays are for the Boys” merchandise. But how are these writers doing it?
II. First Reason- Their Voice
 |
| Dave Portnoy: Founder of Barstool Sports Photo Courtesy of entrepreneur.com |
When
you think of the major sports content producer SportsCenter, what do you think
of? Men and women gathered around a nice
studio in suits and pencil skirts, laying out the details of that day’s athletic
events. Their writing is mostly dry,
factual, serving the main purpose of getting the message across to their
viewers as clearly and efficiently as possible.
As
we’ve learned, this is NOT the image Portnoy and his staff want to embody when
people think of Barstool. They want you
to think beer-stained Ralph Lauren button downs that are missing buttons from a
night of long partying. Worn-out Sperry
boat shoes that have seen not boats, but too many dirty, sticky barroom floors
covered in stale alcohol and washed away vomit.
And the lack of formality in their writing has gotten them that
reputation.
According
to James E. Katz and Chih-Hui Lai in their article, “News Blogging in
Cross-Cultural Contexts: A report on the Struggle for Voice,” citizen journalists
and political bloggers also have to consider voice in their writing to maintain
an audience. Katz and Lai write, “Unless
the mainstream media are able to successfully incorporate the more localized
concerns—concerns that have been overshadowed to some degree up by the
development of mass media in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—they are
likely to lose their audience.” (105). Portnoy
and the writers at Barstool have taken on a similar concept. They have found their niche audience of makes
18-35 and have created a voice that would suit those readers. And in doing this, they write articles about
things they know these people want to hear: some examples being their infamous
“Smokeshow of the day,” where they post a picture of an attractive woman to the
site with a background about who she is, and have even gotten as vain as “Guess
That Ass,” where readers must guess the derrière of a famous female by only
seeing a picture of their lower bodies.
This
tone, style and content has angered a lot of people, mostly feminists who claim
Barstool’s writing is misogynistic and offensive towards women—which it undoubtedly
is. Even radio host Howard Stern has
voiced some grievances with the site, and he himself in known for being
crude. However, Portnoy does not care
about the “haters.” Portnoy said about
Barstool’s content, “We're not trying to gain new readers by being
crazy-outrageous. Our readers get what we do, and I don't think about what it's
going to look like to the outside world. I don't really care." Which will bring us smoothly to our next
topic as to why Barstool is so successful, their readers.
III. Stoolies—The Catalyst Behind Barstool’s Success
 |
| Barstool's infamous logo Photo courtesy of aol.com |
Ah,
yes—the Stoolies. A rowdy bunch who find
solace in sports, drinking, gambling, women, but most of all—they find solace
in Barstool. By pinpointing his audience
and perfecting the voice of the site, Portnoy has developed a loyal
following. A following to the point that
Barstool has become more than just a website, but a community.
Everybody
wants to be noticed. Whether that be as
intelligent, funny, caring—we all want recognition, especially from people who
hold high importance in our lives. Dave
Portnoy and his staff at Barstool understand that. Therefore, they are not afraid to interact
with their readers. Whether that be on
the site or in the street, (there was once an article written by Clancy about
how he saw a Stoolie on an airplane and the reader didn’t say anything to him,
to which he was offended,) these guys take the time out to let their readers
know that they do matter, and the readers do the same.
However,
this does not happen as conventionally as a “nice article!” or “good
reporting!” comment in the comments section.
You must remember, these are mostly “Bros,” and going along with the
tone of the writing, the comments are going to be written in the same kind of
register. For example, a Barstool writer
could pen an article entirely about Tom Brady’s wife, Gisele, and mention in
one line, one quip, about something that reminded him of a time when he had
sex. No matter how well-written the
article is, there will be a chorus of Stoolies in the comments section writing,
“congrats on the sex.” This is a
language that all Stoolies speak in, the language of young men that will never
give you the respect you deserve. But
it’s become their theme, their own language that bounces back and forth between
the readers and writers.
I-Ping
Chiang, Yi-Hsuan Chiang and Yu-Chi Lin discuss in their article, “The
Antecedents and Consequences of Blogging Behavior,” the importance of bloggers
interacting with their readers and what blogs readers are more likely to
comment on. In the article, they state,
“Based on our findings people prefer to leave messages and make recommendations
about sites that are within their realm of interest, such as the blogs of
friends or people with similar interests.” (316). They also found that interactive feedback was
influential on the participating bloggers in their study in terms of social and
informational reward. These findings are essential to the Barstool blog success.
IV Conclusion
Dave
Portnoy and his band of cronies are running their blog exactly the way they
want to. Their personalized voice and
connection with their audience of readers are fueling the fire of their
success, even when challenged by powerhouse mainstream sites. Barstool is anything but a part of the
mainstream, but with their recent exponential success, they are belching and
beer-ponging their way into it.
References:
Chiang, I-Ping; Chiang, Yi-Hsuan; Lin, Yu-Chi. “The
Antecedents and Consequences of Blogging Behavior.” Social Behavior &
Personality: an international journal, vol. 41, issue 2, 2013, pp. 311-317.
Katz, James; Lai, Chih-Hui. “News Blogging in Cross-Cultural
Contexts: A Report on the Struggle for Voice.” Knowledge, Technology and
Policy, vol. 22, issue 2, 2009, pp. 95-107.
Ankeny, Jason. “The Man Behind the ‘Bible of Bro Culture.’” Entrepreneur. November 17, 2016.
Entrepreneur.com.
