Yes! Portnoy visited Blue Square Pizza on Main Street.
About Barstool Sports
Barstool Sports is a popular sports and men’s lifestyle publication that has notoriously made colorful content its calling card. Barstool was founded in 2003 by Dave Portnoy, from Milton, Massachusetts, as a small print publication about sports gambling and fantasy sports, which was distributed at the local train and subway stations around Boston. It has blossomed over the last two decades into a multimedia juggernaut based in New York City, with a passionate audience and considerable sway in the sports media world.
Business Model and Revenue Streams
Barstool Sports is designed around different types of content and diversified revenue streams. The company publishes blogs, podcasts, videos, live streams, and social media content, all written in an unfiltered voice that primarily caters to young men.
Podcast and video advertising: Barstool’s podcasts, which rank among the most popular in the U.S., are a significant revenue generator, with ads running throughout the shows. It’s also ad-supported on video content on numerous platforms.
Merchandise sales: The business offers a vast selection of branded apparel and other products, capitalizing on its large and loyal fan base (referred to as “stoolies”). Events and pay-per-view: Barstool runs live events, including the amateur boxing series “Rough N Rowdy,” and charges a fee to watch those events in person or on pay-per-view.
Subscription services: Barstool Gold features special content for paying subscribers.
Sports betting: Last year, the company entered the competitive online betting space by rolling out the Barstool Sportsbook app.
Growth, Influence, and Controversy
Barstool has found a recipe for success by building an involved and passionate community, blending humor and satire with authenticity. Its content is pushing the envelope and can also be great, as it has both gained a devoted following and generated considerable controversy.
The company and its creator, Portnoy, have come under fire for content and behavior that critics view as misogynistic and racially charged. At the same time, Barstool’s brand is often associated with “bro culture” and the “manosphere.” Academics, students, and media writers have charged that Barstool helps to make acceptable exclusionary, white-male-dominated attitudes about sports and pop culture. It has also been implicated in public controversies — like an antisemitic incident inside a company-owned bar in Philadelphia — that have stoked debate about its cultural influence and responsibilities. (See Antisemitic Incident and Resolution below).
Ownership and Corporate Evolution
Barstool’s business history has been marked by heavy investment and changes in ownership. The Chernin Group acquired a majority stake in 2016, which helped shift the company’s headquarters to New York and fuel its growth. Barstool’s betting app was launched in 2020 in partnership with Penn National Gaming, now known as Penn Entertainment. Portnoy had repurchased full ownership of the company for a nominal sum by 2023, winning control of Barstool’s future.
Community Initiatives
Apart from its core operations, Barstool created the Barstool Fund during the pandemic to help small businesses in need, raising $39 million for the cause and earning accolades that showcased the company’s ability to motivate its audience toward social good.
Antisemitic Incident and Resolution
Two patrons ordered bottle service at the Sansom Street bar in Philadelphia owned by Barstool Sports on May 3, 2025. The servers unveiled a sign that read “F*** the Jews.” Video of the incident was immediately shared on social media, causing nationwide uproar and criticism.
Portnoy, who is Jewish, issued a forceful statement condemning the antisemitic message and expressing his determination to hold those responsible for it accountable. He first expressed a desire for severe punishment for those responsible for the act, possibly to the point where he could “ruin [their] lives.” However, he later decided to interpret the situation as a “teachable moment.”
Here’s how things unfolded: Portnoy offered to send the two patrons on an educational trip to Auschwitz, a famous Nazi concentration camp, so they could properly learn about the Holocaust. Portnoy thought they would gain more from being educated than he (Portnoy) would gain from taking revenge.
Wait, there’s more. One of the two individuals involved was Mo Khan, a well-known Philadelphia cameraman and a student at Temple University. Kahn later recanted, denying his involvement, arguing that he was merely a “citizen journalist” filming a video for the school.
Portnoy said he withdrew the offer to send the student to Auschwitz, declaring that the student had “100 percent earned” whatever fate awaited them. It was not immediately clear if the offer had been withdrawn for the other customer involved.
Temple University also reported that Mo Kahn has received an interim suspension and is being investigated.”
Bottom Line
Barstool Sports is a distinct and polarizing presence in American media, mixing sports, pop culture, and internet culture in an unapologetic, brazen tone. Its ongoing expansion and impact mirror the possibilities and pitfalls of digital media in the 21st century, as it grapples with what readers now want, along with social responsibility and the portrayals of contemporary brand identity.
