Rethinking Barstool?

Jim Ed Rice in HOF

Red-headed Skrub child
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2005
8,360
Seacoast NH
That can't be accurate.
I have no idea what level these people are or what is in the job description for each of these but this is everything showing up on the "media and communications" group of jobs. Obviously the big name people aren't going into Glassdoor and loading their pay but for the random schlubs working there I wouldn't be surprised if this is at least directionally correct.

70577
 

Trapaholic

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 11, 2023
160
The guys at barstool who have been there for 10-15 years and were part of the Chernin Group/PENN acquisitions became rich once their shares vested. Big Cat was on a podcast called Failing Upwards a few years ago, and one question they would ask in a half joking/half serious manor was "How much money do you make?"

This was in 2018/2019, and Big Cat said he was wealthy "on paper", because it was a lot of stock options that had not materialized. This goes for Hank, Feitelberg, KFC, and a few others.
 

PedroKsBambino

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 17, 2003
31,431
My point was more about livable wages. How the F could anyone afford to live in the greater NYC area for 45k a year?
You get funded by your parents is the answer for the most part, and some 'starving artist' lifetyles (three people sharing a studio in NYC on a time-share, etc.)
 

Spelunker

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
12,003
You get funded by your parents is the answer for the most part, and some 'starving artist' lifetyles (three people sharing a studio in NYC on a time-share, etc.)
Right. It effectively gatekeeps these kinds of stepping-stone roles to those that come from means and have a built in support system.
 

ManicCompression

Member
SoSH Member
May 14, 2015
1,402
My point was more about livable wages. How the F could anyone afford to live in the greater NYC area for 45k a year?
That honestly looked like an entry level salary for many NYC jobs. I know people in publishing whose first job paid like 27-30K a year in NYC, and not for big houses. Production Assistant jobs in Los Angeles pay just as shitty. I'm sure the video coordinator for the Golden State Warriors makes like $35K a year to work 100 hours a week in San Francisco. In competitive industries that many people want to work in - sports, media, entertainment - entry level positions can offer near minimum wage salaries because someone will always want to do the job for the possibility of the break.

It sucks for all of the reasons listed above, and it should tell you something that all of these companies who supposedly want change do nothing to actually make change, but it shouldn't be surprising.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,858
My first job in journalism (which was only six years ago) I made $13 an hour and I was living in the Boston area.
 

nattysez

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 30, 2010
8,511
I really feel for those poor sports leagues and franchises.
Yeah, writing a hit piece based on this information was a stretch. For those who can't access the article, in order to avoid getting DMCA takedown notices (and eventually getting their accounts removed from Twitter), Barstool used burner Twitter accounts to post sports highlights and then retweeted or quoted those posts so they could show those highlights on Barstool accounts. There's an argument that posting highlights accompanied by commentary constitutes fair use, but using burner accounts was undoubtedly much easier than spending time and money trying to fight the DMCA notices in court.

Stealing other creators' content (which I believe Barstool has done sometimes in the past) is unacceptable, but I have a hard time getting worked up about posting game highlights on Twitter.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
9,686
Yeah, writing a hit piece based on this information was a stretch. For those who can't access the article, in order to avoid getting DMCA takedown notices (and eventually getting their accounts removed from Twitter), Barstool used burner Twitter accounts to post sports highlights and then retweeted or quoted those posts so they could show those highlights on Barstool accounts. There's an argument that posting highlights accompanied by commentary constitutes fair use, but using burner accounts was undoubtedly much easier than spending time and money trying to fight the DMCA notices in court.

Stealing other creators' content (which I believe Barstool has done sometimes in the past) is unacceptable, but I have a hard time getting worked up about posting game highlights on Twitter.
Last sentence is absolutely right and is something Barstool has done A TON of (they are very similar to The Fat Jewish). Forgive me that I can't remember the name but they did this to a comedian/creator on Twitter and when the person called them out, they offered something like $100 gift card to the Barstool store. When the person didn't accept, Barstool basically dared them to sue.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,529
Yeah, writing a hit piece based on this information was a stretch. For those who can't access the article, in order to avoid getting DMCA takedown notices (and eventually getting their accounts removed from Twitter), Barstool used burner Twitter accounts to post sports highlights and then retweeted or quoted those posts so they could show those highlights on Barstool accounts. There's an argument that posting highlights accompanied by commentary constitutes fair use, but using burner accounts was undoubtedly much easier than spending time and money trying to fight the DMCA notices in court.

Stealing other creators' content (which I believe Barstool has done sometimes in the past) is unacceptable, but I have a hard time getting worked up about posting game highlights on Twitter.
Yeah, this is where I landed on it. Barstool is basically using this loophole to stay one step ahead of capricious copyright trolls on a platform where X errs heavily on the side of copyright holders. The prime example the article gives is telling. A few seconds of music in a larger clip will be found by algorithms and taken down despite the obvious fair use.

Lifting jokes and memes of course is trashy and for the most part I think Barstool has stopped doing it after some public shaming.
 

8slim

has trust issues
SoSH Member
Nov 6, 2001
24,962
Unreal America
My point was more about livable wages. How the F could anyone afford to live in the greater NYC area for 45k a year?
As others mentioned, one either gets financial help from Mom & Dad, lives with 3 others in a 2 bedroom apartment, or runs up a massive amount of credit card debt. Typically its parts of all three.

Most entry level jobs at major media companies are on the higher end of that range. But Barstool isn't on an island paying those kind of wages. And the great thing about NY-based jobs is that by law the hiring company has to post the salary range. Lots of transparency.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,318
Is Caleb Presley problematic? I just stumbled on his interviews and think he’s hilarious.
 

Jim Ed Rice in HOF

Red-headed Skrub child
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2005
8,360
Seacoast NH
I don't know man but life's too short to find something you enjoy and then start wondering if it's OK to enjoy it. If he starts going all Joe Rogan/Tucker Carlson in his interviews and that turns you off then yeah, he's problematic.
 

Patriot_Reign

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2011
1,159
Portnoy did a One Bite pizza review last week at a place called Joanie's in Chelmsford.
Said it was the best pizza he's had in MA. Kind of blew up the internet locally and after watching the review it looked exactly how I like pizza.
Curious if anyone lives in the area? Was considering driving up one Saturday but paused thinking they'll be a line down the block now.

edit: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqmuBDUn98
 

Trapaholic

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 11, 2023
160
Portnoy did a One Bite pizza review last week at a place called Joanie's in Chelmsford.
Said it was the best pizza he's had in MA. Kind of blew up the internet locally and after watching the review it looked exactly how I like pizza.
Curious if anyone lives in the area? Was considering driving up one Saturday but paused thinking they'll be a line down the block now.

edit: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqmuBDUn98
I work in Chelmsford, and I grew up about 10 minutes away from Joanies' location. My team and I were in the office yesterday, and we decided to get lunch and order Joanies. The other guys and I had seen Portnoy's review come across our feeds over the weekend and we were interested.

Can confirm the place is very busy these days due to the Portnoy Bump. Very small place on the inside. We placed a pretty big order, so understandably the wait was about 45 mins to an hour.

The pizza was excellent in my opinion. Fresh toppings, and cooked to perfection. Crust was well done, but not burned. What really put it over the top was the cannoli's that we ordered. They were freshly filled on the spot. Excellent pastry, and a fantastic filling.

If you are around the area, I fully recommend.
 

Joe D Reid

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
4,218
Portnoy did a One Bite pizza review last week at a place called Joanie's in Chelmsford.
Said it was the best pizza he's had in MA. Kind of blew up the internet locally and after watching the review it looked exactly how I like pizza.
Curious if anyone lives in the area? Was considering driving up one Saturday but paused thinking they'll be a line down the block now.

edit: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqmuBDUn98
Yes, it is great and selfishly I am upset this ding-dong let the cat out of the bag. Also, an actual chef had that same quote about Joanie’s in last year’s Boston Magazine, so Portnoy might have just plagiarized it.
 

kelpapa

Costanza's Hero
SoSH Member
Feb 15, 2010
4,656
I think this was expected once Portnoy bought it back for $1. She helped grow the company and sell it, and now there is a different plan moving forward than when she was hired. Portnoy had layoffs last year; how long could he justify her salary?
 

Patriot_Reign

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2011
1,159
After the run of success they've had over the last several years the CEO isn't the person you get rid of when things eventually get tighter.
She seems extremely driven and if I had to guess she thinks BS has reached their ceiling and therefore wants to move on to her next challenge.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2006
16,161
Tuukka's refugee camp
Portnoy is presumably taking a more active role in the day to day now that he owns the company. This means she has less power and potentially autonomy than before. The old owners also brought her in so it’s not like she’s Barstool through and through. The only surprising thing is it took as long as it did.
 

Patriot_Reign

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2011
1,159
The old owners also brought her in so it’s not like she’s Barstool through and through.
Who were the old owners?
Used to listen to her Token CEO podcast and can remember an episode where she talked about getting hired by BS and as part of the interview process she had dinner with Portnoy, Big Cat and KFC. Figured they were party guys so she ordered a glass of wine with the dinner and then watched the other three just order waters because they were about business.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 10, 2017
6,016
After the run of success they've had over the last several years the CEO isn't the person you get rid of when things eventually get tighter.
She seems extremely driven and if I had to guess she thinks BS has reached their ceiling and therefore wants to move on to her next challenge.
I know nothing about how they operate and really only consume Fore Play Golf, but with the way I perceive Portnoy changing tack and his mind on a regular basis in addition to being a WWE-type pronouncer in the media, 7+ years seems like more than enough time to work with him. It certainly could be just general fatigue and wanting to move on, even if Nardini likes the guy personally and thinks the company will continue to do well.
 

Trapaholic

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 11, 2023
160
I believe that Barstool separating from Penn will prove to be a win for both sides. I also love to imagine a fake scenario where Big Cat has to go in front of a Federal judge and explain that the "Cant Lose Parlay" actually can lose sometimes.