Dave Portnoy Archives - Wenning Branding

By now, whether it is through our previous blogs or your knowledge, you are probably aware of Barstool Sports. Barstool was not always the powerhouse they are today. The point of this blog is to teach you about Barstool’s history and show you how they became a cult favorite over the last few years.

Barstool’s History

Barstool started in the basement of Dave Portnoy’s parents’ house in Milton, Massachusetts. Barstool originally was a hardcore sport, gambling, and fantasy football newspaper. The first issue released on August 27, 2003, and Portnoy had homeless people hand the papers out in public transport stations in Boston. In 2007, barstoolsports.com opened to the public, and the brand started to take off. People started talking about Barstool more, and they continued to grow through word-of-mouth. People loved the content and would share it with their friends. Growing in popularity helped them move to the next stage of their business in 2010, where they would host parties at Universities around the country.

From 2010-2015 nothing major was happening at Barstool. They were growing their social media presence tremendously while still hosting parties and running their website. In 2016, Barstool company changed. Portnoy relocated the company to New York City. He then sold a 51% stake of the company to The Chernin Group. After this, Barstool Sports hired Ericka Nardini to become the new CEO. This move helped the company convert to a more lifestyle feel while including what the company was founded upon, sports and gambling. In August of 2020, Barstool sold 36% of the company to Penn National Gaming. The value of Barstool was 450 million dollars at the time of the sale. Now in March of 2021, Barstool is valued closer to 4.5 billion dollars. The increase in value is because Barstool owns a sportsbook now. Dave Portnoy has made many people very wealthy, and it is exciting to see where he will take the company in the future.

What Makes Barstool Successful

Barstool has been so successful because it has found a way to target all demographics. They want to make people laugh and have done so by making everything they talk about satirical. They have done a great job of this through their social media pages, podcasts, and unique clothing line. One of the creative things they have done to gain popularity is One Bite Everyone knows the Rules, a series hosted by Portnoy. He goes around the country trying the best-recommended pizzas and rating them. His rating has become the gold standard when considering good pizza. If the pizza has a rating is above a 7, that means that it is GOOD. Barstool also hosts a ton of popular podcasts. Some of the most well-known podcasts are Chicks in the Office, Call Her Daddy, Pardon my Take, and Bussin with the Boys. The podcasts cover everything from sports to dating advice, which helps them connect with such a vast audience. They also have made the term “Saturdays are for the boys” extremely popular and profitable. This term has also had spin-offs like “Saturdays are for the girls.” Essentially, they created a mainstream and profitable meme. Besides all of this, they also host Rough and Rowdy, which are amateur boxing matches. They have even gotten involved in stocks and investment advice over the pandemic. Barstool has had great success because of the wide variety of industries they involve themselves in. Their portfolio has helped them create their cult following, which will help them be even more successful.

Covid-19 has affected and changed the world as we know it. Many people’s entire lifestyle has changed. Due to the pandemic, people have started to use social media much more. Social media has emerged and become more prominent in everyday life. Because of this, some people have found great success over the last year.

Dave Portnoy

Dave Portnoy is the owner of Barstool Sports. He has already been extremely successful. During the pandemic, Portnoy was able to take his name from being just known in the high school and college community to becoming a household name. My parents, who are both over 50 and aren’t active on social media, even know who he is! Portnoy has been doing “One bite, everybody knows the rule” for years. This segment is where he goes to the best-ranked pizza places and tries and rates their pizza. Portnoy has also been donating thousands of dollars to small businesses that have suffered during the pandemic. Portnoy continues to expand his fanbase by investing in new ventures like NASCAR and day trading. Portnoy has been getting positive attention everywhere. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we hear of him.

Jake Paul

Not everyone on this list has gained popularity for the right reasons. Jake Paul is one of those people. He built his reputation off of controversy. Whether it was on Vine, posting questionable videos on YouTube, or taking shots at professional boxers like Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor. While all of this was happening, he decided to become a professional boxer. In his debut, he knocked out Nate Robinson, a former NBA player. His next fight is against a former MMA fighter, Ben Askren. I think most of the world (that cares) is rooting to see Askren knock Jake Paul out. It is crazy to see someone become so famous and prominent by being so disliked. People hate him so much that they like him. It is insane!

Dixie and Charli D’Amelio

Dixie and Charli saw a rise in popularity over the last year. Both of them are TikTok stars and two of the most famous teen celebrities in the world. They rank number 2 and 3 on the list of top-earning TikTokers. Their rise to fame has earned them sponsorship deals with Hollister and Morphe cosmetics. Charli also has a drink named after her at Dunkin! Not only this, but brands are head over heels for them. Record labels have offered to pay for them to dance to their artists’ latest hits. Also, brands have asked them to endorse their products as well celebrities have invited them to collaborate. All of their fame has earned them their own Hulu 8-episode mini-series.

Joe Rogan

It seems like Joe Rogan has been around forever. His rise to fame started in 2001 when he was the host of the show Fear Factor. Since then, he has become one of the voices behind the UFC. If you tune into any UFC event, you will surely hear Joe Rogan commentating the fight. What has taken him over the top in popularity is that he is the host of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. This podcast is currently one of the most popular podcasts. He talks with A-list celebrities about pop culture, current events, and anything else you could imagine. Some of the people that have been on the show are Mike Tyson, Elon Musk, Lance Armstrong, Bill Burr, and Bob Lazar. The wild thing is, Joe Rogan is going to continue getting more and more popular.

Taylor Swift

Yes, I know Taylor has been famous forever! She completely upped her game in 2020. In 2019 Taylor lost the rights to her music. So last year, she decided to release two new albums, Folklore and Evermore. Both of these albums were received beautifully and produced many top hits. The best part of this is that Taylor might gain even more buzz. Taylor has said that she has started re-recording all of her music, so she has the right to release the music under her name.

She has also gained more followers over her social media platforms in the last year. Don’t be shocked if her popularity continues to skyrocket over the next couple of years.

Social Media’s Power

As you can see from the above, social media is extremely powerful and influential. All of these people and many others have seen their popularity rise due to social media. This where Wenning Branding can help your company. We can’t promise that you will become like Dixie and Charli D’Amelio and have millions of followers. We can promise is that we can help your company expand its social media presence and gain more followers!

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