Type of site
|
Blog |
---|---|
CEO | Erika Nardini |
Slogan(s) | By the common man, For the common man |
Website | barstoolsports.com |
Alexa rank | 345 (May 2017[update]) |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Optional |
Current status | Active |
Barstool Sports is a satirical sports and men's lifestyle blog founded by David Portnoy in Milton, Massachusetts. The site is currently headquartered in NoMad, New York City.
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. In April 2014, AOL announced that they would be airing exclusive online content from Barstool Sports.
On January 7, 2016, Portnoy announced The Chernin Group had purchased a majority stake (51%) of Barstool Sports and the site would be moving its headquarters to New York City. Portnoy will continue to run the site and retain complete creative control over the content.
Chernin Group president of digital Mike Kerns appeared on the inaugural episode of Portnoy's podcast, The Dave Portnoy Show, to discuss the acquisition. During the appearance, Kerns and Portnoy detailed the beginning of their talks, when Kerns was put into contact with Portnoy via a mutual friend in former University of Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen. After an initial phone call, Kerns took a private plane from San Francisco to Boston in order to have dinner with Portnoy, discuss vision for Barstool and the future of the brand, and begin preliminary talks of an acquisition.
Following the acquisition, and as a result of no longer being the majority owner, Portnoy adopted the title of Chief of Content. Barstool U head writer Keith Markovich, a.k.a. KMarko, was also announced as the sites' new head editor. On July 19, 2016, Erika Nardini, former chief marketing officer of AOL, was announced as the CEO of Barstool Sports.
On January 30, 2017, Barstool made its TV debut, as The Barstool Rundown aired live at midnight from Houston on Comedy Central. The show made headlines on February 2 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.