By AMEARA DITSCHE
Executive Editor
On On Nov. 4, 2021, Business Insider published a piece detailing allegations of sexual misconduct against Barstool Sports founder, Dave Portnoy.
The women in the article, identified as Madison and Allison, described their frightening sexual experiences with Portnoy. Both women engaged consensually with him but began to feel more and more violated as things played out. Both women recounted Portnoy filming them without asking. Madison also said that prior to meeting up with him, he sent videos of his encounters with other young women. They also both reported him choking them and spitting in their mouths, without discussion beforehand.
Portnoy, 44, has garnered a reputation for leaning young in his dating life. According to Business Insider, women as young as 19 reported exchanging sexual messages with Portnoy. What’s perhaps even more troubling than Portnoy’s behavior, is his fan’s. “Stoolies,” as Barstool readers have been dubbed, are swarming to his defense.
One twitter user even replied this to Portnoy’s post about the article, “I LOVE YOU AND HAVE YOUR BACK UNCONDITIONALLY FOREVER. TELL ME WHAT TO DO AND I WILL DO IT. GODSPEED. GOD BLESS. WE WILL FACE, TRACE, ERASE.”
Barstool has repeatedly faced accusations of sexism. Portnoy himself has written now deleted pieces condoning rape. But as much as they contribute to and foster it, Barstool did not invent this culture.
Rape culture has unfortunately run rampant on college campuses for years, and Barstool knows their audience. They 100% cater to that guy. You know the one. He’s not funny, can’t dress, has a bunch of friends who look just like him and has probably made you deeply uncomfortable at some point. Portnoy knows how to get to them because he is one. As Julia Black puts it, “(Barstool) does for digital media what Donald Trump did for politics. It speaks to the masses: no pretension, no highfalutin language, and, notably, no apologies.”
Barstool fuels a culture that empowers privileged young men to fight against fictional oppression. It teaches them it is okay to be sexist or racist or transphobic. Portnoy demonstrates that spewing you these epithets could land a networth to the tune of his $100 Million. Barstool Sports is a place where these thoughts thrive, young men are convinced that political correctness is after them; that creating a society not centered around them, is an act against them.
Despite these pitfalls, Barstool is led in part by a woman. Erika Nardini has been the CEO since 2016. Bringing with her more female fronted subsidiaries, most notably, former Barstool podcast “Call Her Daddy.”
CHD was Barstool’s attempt at a response to accusations of sexism. Us, sexist? Well how could that be! We let these two conventionally attractive white women talk about their sex lives!
Their plan backfired when the co-hosts parted due to differences in contractual desires. The podcast remains a massive success, but has since parted from Barstool. The scandal is still a stain on the company’s spotty history.
As his fan’s rush to his side, it is pivotal to speak out on this behavior. Call out your friends who “follow it for the sports,” and especially the ones there for financial advice. Portnoy brags about being “uncancellable,” knowing he has loyal supporters. It is vital in creating a safer society that predatory people like this be depaltformed. Not only does Portnoy have the power to hurt many women himself, but he holds the influence to convince many others to follow suit.
What solidifies Portnoy as a cruel man is his reaction to this. Anyone with an ounce of humility would immediately apologize if any of their sexual partners admitted to feeling hurt. Portnoy, instead launched an attack on the validity of journalism and posted screenshots of his many interactions with young women. However, he fails to see the issue. He thinks that because these women at one point in time agreed to have sex with him, he’s in the clear.
It’s really scary to imagine that sentiment formulating in the minds of young men. It is important to respect your partner through all encounters, and Portnoy’s experiences lack that. If he is not held accountable, men all over the country will be taught it is okay to hurt women and brag about it, as long as they use charm over brute force.
