Connect with us
Barrett News Media Summit 2024

BNM Writers

Fortune Favors The Bold

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy never ceases to amaze

Chrissy Paradis

Published

on

I have been incredibly intrigued by Dave Portnoy and his unwavering commitment to remaining bold, brazen, honest and transparent, despite considerable criticism and asinine attempts to destroy his personal and professional credibility. The journey of the relentlessly hardworking Dave Portnoy is one that many don’t know or don’t care to research because it doesn’t fit the narrative that has been built to paint an image of a misogynistic, toxic suit that founded Barstool Sports.

The truth, however, couldn’t be further from the baseless media claims and unsubstantiated allegations, aimed to discredit the empire Portnoy has built and the tangible impactful change he has made. 

Though I have not had the privilege of personally crossing paths with Portnoy yet, I did have the opportunity to speak with the incredibly talented Kayce Smith last year who talked about the real Barstool and why it’s an environment she feels so grateful to call home.

“A lot of times when people say they hate Barstool, I can guarantee they’ve never actually consumed what we do. Oh and also, as a woman in this company, I feel very safe and have never been treated better. So that whole ‘Barstool treats their women employees poorly’ narrative is just flat out incorrect.” Smith shared with me. 

“I’ve never had more freedom to create content AND been treated with more respect than I have here.” 

The entire article can be found here.

Portnoy never ceases to amaze me as one of the most unique, dedicated and fearless creators in the ever changing world of media. The man hasn’t taken a vacation day in ten years.

As a founder of a small business himself, Portnoy understood what was at risk for so many other business owners around the country when the stringent COVID restrictions were imposed. Portnoy said he couldn’t understand not letting business owners control their own destiny, but as so many small businesses were struggling to make ends meet with no help from official channels, Dave decided to put his money where his mouth was, starting the Barstool Fund and putting $500,000 of his own money toward the cause which was designed to help keep the lights on for small businesses who were suffering, nationwide. This massive undertaking that Portnoy put into play proved that fortune favors the bold. That decision helped raise $39,325,493 dollars. Current and former athletes, celebrities and entrepreneurs made donations to The Barstool Fund, including Pat McAfee at $200,000, Kid Rock with $100,000, Dana White, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers with $500,000 and Elon Musk as well. Every dollar was used to help businesses get on their feet after a national crisis. One of those businesses helped by the The Barstool Fund is in my hometown in Durham, North Carolina, Zweli’s

The latest campaign Portnoy has become an integral part of involves passing legislation in Connecticut. He’s aiming to turn New Haven, Connecticut, into the unequivocal pizza capital of the US. Having lived and worked in this market, I concur wholeheartedly. Portnoy’s expert analysis came from hundreds of pizza reviews on the One Bite YouTube Channel, amassing 148,119,726 views and reviewing hundreds of pizzas in a little over two years. Barstool has also launched the One Bite By Barstool Sports App that currently has earned a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars within the Apple App Store. Portnoy being Portnoy, naturally continued to share his findings championing change as Connecticut H.B. No. 5656, initially proposed by Colin Caplan, an act designating pizza as the state food of Connecticut, garnered more support. State Rep. Devin Carney specifically acknowledged Portnoy on the floor prior to the vote as he said, “I just want to say: One Bite, Everybody Knows The Rules. And El Pres, Dave Portnoy, who’s probably the pizza expert of the world, said that New Haven has the best pizza, so if he says it, then it’s true. Let’s vote for this.”

H.B. No. 5656, An Act Designating Pizza As The State Food’s goal “to recognize the contribution of pizza to the state’s cuisine and economy by designating it as the state food” passed May 12, 2021 with a 131-9 vote in the Connecticut state House of Representatives, heading to the Connecticut State Senate where it’s “favorable report” has been added to the calendar as of May 14, 2021.

Portnoy has affected change and helped so many through his career and at the young age of 44, the question has to be asked—does Dave Portnoy, El Presidente, have a future in politics? 

Tucker Carlson asked Portnoy that very question on Fox Nation on May 10th to which Portnoy spoke candidly and honestly, as always. 

“I would never do that because you can’t get anything done.” Portnoy shared with Carlson.

“It’s fairly disgusting in my mind that the government didn’t do something, far earlier, since it took me 24 hours to come up with this concept, put it into motion and go. Everyone should want to help small businesses.”

As a guest of Ben Shapiro’s Show, Portnoy described the origins of Barstool describing the evolution of the empire that is now Barstool Sports, which began as a sports gambling newspaper that he handed out at 4am outside of subway stations in Boston. 

“There was this opening, this window basically, for a different type of voice to reach sports fans and I thought that we could fill it with Barstool.”

“I have no problem with politics being involved with sports, at some level. I am a libertarian. That’s exactly what I am. Socially liberal, financially conservative. That’s where I land.” Portnoy told Shapiro. 

“Join the club.” Shapiro replied on his hour long The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special Episode 113. The interview has  771,581 views in just over a month.

One of the replies on the episode that really stood out was written by a Marine, Steve, who shared what Barstool meant to him.

“The year Barstool started was the year after I joined the Marine Corps. My buddies used to send me the Barstool print in care packages when I was in Iraq. I wish I could remember the first issue I got. When I got out of the Corps, I remembered seeing Barstool papers all over Boston. It’s great to see how far they’ve gone. Also, I work in the Boston area. After the marathon bombing, Portnoy stepped up and did a lot for our communities and those affected. He’s also done so much for small businesses during this pandemic, but his critics still try to throw shade at him. Portnoy is a true American and I’m happy to say he’s also a Bostonian. Thanks El Pres for your brand, and all that you’ve given people.. Viva La Barstool!” 

A comment from someone who bravely served our country expressing his support for Barstool and sharing how the brand has impacted his life as a U.S. Marine shows the deep connection Barstool has with its millions of fans.

“What does the future look like? Not just for Barstool but for you?” Shapiro asks Portnoy.

“I think one of the things that makes Barstool Barstool is we won’t be set in our ways and we’ll adapt quick. And, for me personally, I’m super focused on getting Barstool and the gambling thing going and just continuing to find talent and make Barstool relevant.”

“I think the biggest compliment someone gave Barstool is that we’ve been cutting-edge, cool and relevant for almost two decades. There aren’t too many brands who can maintain that vibe but we have for two decades.” Portnoy shared with Shapiro.

As far as another two decades of cutting-edge innovation and content from Portnoy and Barstool Sports? I definitely wouldn’t bet against them. 

“I know our character and our intent has always been to make people laugh, period.”

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

BNM Writers

News is the Only Thing Missing From Election Coverage

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected?

Published

on

A photo featuring I voted stickers

The first thought I had when I heard NBC had hired Ronna McDaniel as a commentator for $300,000 a year was to wonder how many actual journalists they could have hired for that money. Then, I recalled that NBC had laid off dozens of news staffers just a few months ago. Then, I remembered that I had just recently written a column decrying news organizations throwing pretty much anybody on the air as a “pundit” and this….

This was worse. It’s one thing to grab some rando who happened to be a minor functionary for the Executive Branch. It’s another to hire someone whose job was to promote election denialism and pretend that her opinion is something valuable for viewers. And, yes, it’s just as ridiculous when news organizations hire former presidential press secretaries (that’s you, Jen Psaki and Sean Spicer), their very jobs were to spin everything in their bosses’ favor and now you’re going to pay them big salaries for, um, what? Because they “have a name” or you’re afraid someone else will snap them up? Why them?

The McDaniel deal lasted five days, one completely unilluminating interview, and one unexpected Chuck Todd spine-growing outburst, so it’ll all blow over soon enough. The problem is, though, the part about having fired several news staffers, and what it means in an election year on both the national and local levels. If you have the money to hire an alleged pundit – any alleged pundit – you have the money to hire reporters, and I don’t mean anchors or opinion show hosts.

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected? Who’s probing Project 2025 and why isn’t it front-page, first-segment news? Who’s pressing the Biden administration on Gaza? Is anyone reporting on the candidates’ record on climate change?

Beyond prescription drug prices, is anyone digging into the broken healthcare system and demanding answers from the candidates about what they’ll do to fix it (and not letting Trump get away with “I’ll have a better plan, a beautiful plan” without a single specific detail, like they did in 2016)? Why didn’t anyone focus on, for example, the GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina and his incendiary past comments well before the primary?

Pundits are not going to do the legwork on the issues; they’ll just talk about swing states while John King and Steve Kornacki point at their touchscreen maps. We need reporting on the things that matter (and can affect that horse race, even if most people have made up their minds). It shouldn’t just be Pro Publica and scattered independent journalists doing the dirty work.

Honestly, I don’t want to hear the complaints about the quality of the candidates or how this is a rerun or any of that. (We’ll leave that to The New York Times.) We are a horribly underinformed electorate and we got the horse race we deserve. It might just be idealists like me who think that, just maybe, the news media can play a role in educating the public and bursting the bubbles and echo chambers. This country has survived and prospered for a few centuries with the press shining a light on injustice and corruption.

Now, when we need that most, they’re more concerned with what they think will bring them ratings and money (although someone will have to explain to me who thought having Ronna McDaniel as a paid commentator would draw a single viewer to NBC).

Here’s a thought: Don’t lay off reporters, especially in an election year.  Assign them to dig deep on issues that matter to the voters.

Let the pundits talk about that.

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

BNM Writers

8 Ways to Take Your Commercials From Drab to Fab

Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials.

Avatar photo

Published

on

A photo of a sign with the letters AD on it

Another reason to read this column, I often add an Easter egg. We are in the advertising business. Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials. Frequently, clients write these ads. You can excuse it if the spots suck. But when the commercials are written by Account Executives or the production department at the station, it is kind of unforgivable.

I am going to share the most meaningless phrases in commercials.

Locally Owned and Operated

Customers do not care. If customers cared about a business being locally owned and operated, Walmart would not exist. People want service, selection, and value. They do not want to get soaked. When you purchase something, are you willing to pay 20% for a local company? If you say yes, you are wrong. People want a deal.

The Phone Number

Doing 70 down the 405, John slammed on the brakes to write down the phone number for an amazing HVAC Company. That is not how it works people. HVAC companies rarely have or should have regular customers.

Normally, your AC is out. You call the HVAC Company that you are familiar with. Radio advertising allows people to have “TOMA”: Top of Mind Awareness. There are stats that show when a company is advertising on your radio station, their website shows an increase in traffic. When you needed a service for your home, you hit Google and choose the company that you’ve heard of. It’s that simple. I actually heard a commercial asking listeners to add a businesses phone number to their contact list. That is a moronic use of advertising real estate.

Street Addresses

“Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is located at 106 East Governors Drive in Peoria.” 

The people listening cannot process that detail. You could say “Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is on Governors Drive just off 10th in Peoria.” That is almost digestible. That creates a picture of where it is.

Trust me, people interested in prime rib will Google you and load the address in their navigation system. Spend that precious spot time selling the experience of the restaurant.

Always Using the Company Owner/Founder in Commercials

Sometimes, it is amazing when business owners are their spokesperson. They have passion and are natural salespeople. Some business owners are terrible at speaking about their product.

When you have a business owner who is a natural promoter, they can drag listeners into their business. I once worked with a family who owned a couple of hardware stores. They spoke about the benefits of visiting their stores. It was heartfelt and real. They promised that their employees can help solve any problem in your home. If you went to that store and had a simple or complex problem, the employees helped you out.

I once worked with a man who owned a really nice flooring company.  For whatever reason, he thought that he was funny. He had spots written by him, his wife, or a kid. The ads were dreadful. They were not funny at all. Account Executives need to talk these clients out of doing commercials like this. Nothing says wacky hijinks like flooring.

Overuse of Numbers

“We have grapes at 99 cents a pound, Chuck steak at $1.99, two-for-one zucchini.”

Trust me, no one driving in city traffic can keep track of that. “The 2025 Chevy Chevette is back with 45-mpg efficiency and amazing 18-inch tires. Prices start at $19,999…  The New Chevy Silverado starts at $32,999.”

It gets really confusing fast.

WWW.

Yes, I hear commercials saying check us on the internet at “W-W-W dot business name here dot com.”

WWW is assumed and not needed anymore unless you are running a Commadore-64 with the latest floppy disc technology.

Yellow Pages Ad

“Check out our new ad in the Yellow Pages!”

OMG, no one reads those damn things anymore. Most people born after 1960 just toss those suckers in the trash. There was a time when the Yellow Pages were the largest revenue generator in advertising. Yes, a book of ads. Like Facebook, without your buddy’s political, vacation, or food posts. It was just ads. Zero content.

I had stuffed salmon tonight that I engineered myself. I would make Sydney Sweeney quite the trophy husband. Set us up. Hey, I am single. It was not that long ago that you would hear a radio ad that promoted a coupon in the Sunday paper.

Well, that copy should be deader than a doornail.

Amateur Theater

A husband and wife discussing their lawn and how she heard about Telly’s Lawn Service from her friend Stacy. 

Those commercials are obviously contrived and not interesting at all. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Open every commercial must have an attention-grabbing opener. “Totally Jammed…  The floor covered with the guest towels. Fearing the horrific consequences of another flush…  I did the right thing. I called ABC Plumbing. Quick service, a great price, and peace of mind.”

The next time that the plunger is failing to get the desired results, the listener of that commercial will identify with the very realist scenario.

We are in the advertising business. Use radio as it was meant.

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

BNM Writers

The Lost Art of Using Sound as a Springboard

Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

Published

on

A photo of Jon Stewart hosting The Daily Show
(Photo: Comedy Central)

Jon Stewart was the first guy to do it — take a politician’s words from the news of the day or week. Search his or her entire past and find a sound byte saying the exact opposite.

It became an art form – and a great way to keep people accountable.

Most radio operations don’t have the resources necessary to consistently do something like that, but truth be told, that kind of journalism isn’t really the point of this week’s column.

It’s an example of the simple power of sound. We need to use it more within our shows. Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable, and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

Speaking from experience, not doing it is lazy.

Doing it takes minimal effort and helps conversations tremendously – especially when it’s in real-time. I know. I’ve been there – missing opportunity after opportunity because I didn’t think of it, ask for help or just do it myself.

Put simply, good sound is a better springboard to a question than just a question.

Just the other day, I realized how well it works and how little I’ve been doing it.

Here’s what happened.

We have one particularly heated congressional race in our state. The Republican candidate is running for a second time after narrowly losing in 2022 in an election where Connecticut’s gubernatorial candidate from the same party got smoked, and the Republican presidential candidate lost the state as well.

This time around, there’s a struggling Democratic President with real doubts about the economy and the country’s standing in the world.

Put simply, the Democratic congressional incumbent has a massive task ahead to get re-elected.

On my show, I try to be consistently independent and be a place for both parties to appear with the expectation that the conversations will be fair and honest.

The Republican candidate came on the show earlier this month, and we went through a number of issues. Connecticut is a relatively strong Democratic stronghold, where the party controls the legislature, the Governor’s Mansion, and the entire congressional delegation.

Having said that, the largest voting block is unaffiliated, so appealing to independents is crucial for either side to win. I asked the Republican candidate twice about whether he will support Donald Trump, and both times, he equivocated. I asked the follow-up, we were on the record, so I moved on.

The following week, his opponent, the Democratic incumbent, was scheduled to appear on the show. Before her arrival, I realized the Trump Q&A should probably be replayed for her. Duh.

My producer found it, clipped it, and had it at the ready. I felt that I should have realized it sooner and not put some added strain on my partner’s morning routine. He was fine, but it definitely added unnecessary work within the show.

Lesson learned.

The sound byte worked well. I played it. She responded. We moved the story forward, and it was compelling – as you might imagine, the topic of Trump vs. Biden is pretty compelling these days.

By no means did it create a “wow” moment. That would be a little much. But it did make the show better, using the opponent’s own voice as opposed to my paraphrasing something. That lends credibility, not only to the topic but also to the show. He gave this important answer on our show, and she gave her response … on our show.

My final thought on this is that we (I) need to look for more places to utilize sound as a springboard to conversations, as opposed to simply raising the topic and discussing it. Maybe you’re already good at it and do it all the time, but this past week, I realized I need to push myself to do it more.

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Upcoming Events

BNM Writers

Copyright © 2024 Barrett Media.