Why Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy is Not a Dick

Before you click away, hear me out!

First, let’s back up.

For those who don’t know who or what I’m talking about, let me explain.

Dave Portnoy is the founder of Barstool Sports, and Barstool Sports is a sports and pop culture blog that has, quite literally, taken over the Internet. For the record, I am not into sports. At all. Well, I was into baseball and the Yankees for two different periods of time – once in high school and once in college. Yes, both times had to do with the guys I happened to be dating at the time. But I’m really not a sports fan. And I love Barstool Sports.

What started as a sports newspaper turned into an empire that covers sports and pop culture and pretty much anything else they want to cover. You know how I say no topic is off limits on my podcast? They actually mean NO topic is off limits. And I kind of love them for it.

Moving along – Dave Portnoy was the creator of this kingdom, and, well, he’s kind of gotten mixed reviews over the years.

I’m not a sensitive person. Yes, I’m sensitive as in I have feelings and emotions, I cry, all that shit. But I’m not sensitive where I get offended easily. At all. And if you do get offended easily, I can understand why Barstool Sports (and Dave Portnoy) might not be your cup of tea.

And that’s cool. To each their own. You do you.

The reasons Dave has gotten a questionable rap over the years has to do with things he’s said or written on his website and podcasts and in the news. However, if you have even a tiny sense of humor, you’ll know he doesn’t mean harm or offense with anything he says. He just actually has no (and I mean NO) filter, and I actually really respect him for it.

I was watching the Barstool Sports documentary last weekend, and I found it fascinating and I learned a lot about Dave and the company and brand he has worked so hard to build. Whatever your stance is on Dave, you can’t deny the success of Barstool.

So, why is Dave Portnoy not a dick? Keep reading.

For starters, his parents are lovely people. No I don’t know them personally (but I do feel Linda and I would totally get along), but from what I’ve read and seen in the documentary, they are wonderful. And yes I know that lovely parents can still raise shitty people, but more often than not I don’t believe that’s the case. So, to start, Dave comes from a good, wholesome family, plain and simple.

Secondly, the guy knows how to hustle. He started Barstool Sports and against all odds (i.e. starting a printed newspaper when newspapers were a dying breed), he made it work. He hustled his ass off, and he figured it out. He doesn’t come from a shit ton of money, he didn’t go to school for this, but he figured it out and made it work. That’s respectable.

Next, and this is a big one and the one that stood out to me the most, he’s charitable as f*ck. I lived in Boston for four years so maybe I just have a soft spot for him and the company (he’s from the Boston area and started Barstool there…his accent is exactly like every guy I ever dated or hooked up with when I lived there… omg “pahk the cah” – f*cking love it), but in all seriousness, when the Boston Marathon bombing happened, Dave and Barstool showed up. They were listening to police scanners and sharing information as they heard it on Twitter. News stations were getting information from them before the cops at times. They were on it, and one of their guys (Big Cat) didn’t sleep for probably 30 hours because he was following the man hunt and tweeting for hours straight. But more importantly, Dave and Barstool donated a large chunk of change to a survivor of the bombing, and witnessing him give that man the check made real tears form in my eyes. And you could tell in Dave’s face how much he cared.

At the end of the day, not everyone is going to understand every single person’s personality or humor. And, again, I can see why someone might get offended by things that Dave has said or done in the past. I, personally, find him so f*cking hilarious and I am SO here for it.

I feel like I just wrote a love letter to Dave. And I feel like I might have just lost followers. However, I think we can all also lighten up a bit and not take life so seriously, and take what he says with a grain of salt and find the humor in it. Because, I promise, if you did, you’d be on your ass laughing constantly.

Now, Dave, if you see this blog post, can you please respond to my DM because I really want you on my podcast.

Now, chime in! Thoughts on Barstool Sports? Share in the comments below.