I've Ben Thinking

I've Ben Thinking

Share this post

I've Ben Thinking
I've Ben Thinking
The Reign of Barstool Sports

The Reign of Barstool Sports

The story behind the company that can't be canceled.

Ben Testani's avatar
Ben Testani
Jan 12, 2021
∙ Paid

Share this post

I've Ben Thinking
I've Ben Thinking
The Reign of Barstool Sports
Share

You’re reading the early-week deep dive edition of I’ve Ben Thinking, a twice-weekly newsletter from Ben Testani. Each week, I share a post exploring a topic I couldn’t stop thinking about lately. If you like what you read, please consider forwarding this email to a friend or sharing the post on any platform.

Share

If this is your first copy of IBT, please consider subscribing.

Barstool Sports has an incredible amount of power over young people, especially young men. A sports media platform that started as a Boston paper handed out at train stops is now worth $450 million according to Forbes. Most of my friends listen to, retweet, watch, or otherwise consume Barstool content of some kind on a daily basis. 

All of this is despite the fact that their founder and unquestioned leader, Dave Portnoy, is a jerk. Portnoy has the dubious honor of having a dedicated “Controversies” section on his Wikipedia page. He had to settle with the National Labor Relations Board over illegal anti-union practices.…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to I've Ben Thinking to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 I've Ben Thinking LLC
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share