OT: ESPN Cancels Barstool Van Talk After One Episode

Submitted by Dylan on

Recent discussions were being had regarding Barstool before the PSU debacle.  I would like to return to those happy times.

NittanyFan

October 23rd, 2017 at 6:21 PM ^

is "Stump" becoming a new tailgaiting game across the nation? 

I have a colleague who introduced me to the game this past summer - I thought it was just some hick thing he completely made up.  

He also plays "Fire Stump" ... which, hey why not.  Combining fire and alcohol always sounds like a good idea!

CarrIsMyHomeboy

October 24th, 2017 at 6:52 AM ^

I can't speak about Fire Stump, about which "ummm...," but I do think you have a needlessly bad attitude about the original. I found it delightful. It's clearly inspired by lumberjack games, or seems that way. But beyond that I wonder if maybe the hickish feelings and negativity you describe are things you projected onto the game given the specific people that you first watched play it(?). That's just a guess, perhaps a bad one, but I do think it's spreading for good reason. I also can't tell whether it has spread nationwide, but we seemed to be collecting many strangers from the East coast (Philly, Jersey, Boston) who joined because they knew they liked it. So either it is spreading from there or has since spread to there.

Mpfnfu Ford

October 23rd, 2017 at 6:46 PM ^

The idea that the PMT even think they need to be on Barstool is stupid on their part. I know their politics aren't everyone's cup of tea, but the Chapo Trap House guys are pulling in 6 figures from Patreon donations without some doofus who nobody cares for (maybe you enjoy Portnoy, there's somebody out there who likes anything, but he's been a flop as a content creator himself. He just got canceled from a Facebook live show which is a new one to me) taking a cut of their money and messing with their brand. Why constantly have to apologize for what the owner of your site says and have to deal with him as an albatross? 

Look at Brian. He built his own site and cut back on writing elseware because it was less profitable (and I imagine) he'd rather not have to answer for someone else's writing/podcasting that he can't control.

cincygoblue

October 23rd, 2017 at 7:39 PM ^

I would kill for a chart showing the ages of posters in this thread.

If I could assume most of us saying “barstool is stupid” grew up in the glory days of ESPN, it makes sense that you hate this new brand. Maybe 60% of you also despise uniformz (less divisive because some of you understand the recruiting impact).

Barstool is the first brand to truly make a run at where young people get sports news. The hosts are genuine to their target audience, and their young audience will finish school and soon have more disposable income.

Eventually they will monetize on some form of new media in cord cutting. ESPN is foolish for backing off this quickly, however, I felt like Barstool was selling out by being on ESPN. Barstool might not come out ahead, but I think it’s worth giving credit to the first brand to take a legitimate swing at The Mothership.

sundaybluedysunday

October 23rd, 2017 at 9:22 PM ^

I think you'd be surprised. I'm in my mid-20s and aside from PMT, I won't touch Barstool with a ten foot pole.

Every anti-Barstool take in this thread is spot on. Their "everyman sports coverage" shtick isn't new, Bill Simmons pioneered it 15 years ago without any of the Barstool baggage (before he too became insufferable). The organization is suffering from founder's disease in the worst way because Portnoy is the world's biggest rod. And I think without changing, they're starting to bump up against the limits of how they can grow their audience. They might continue to grow in the future, but it will fundamentally change the organization. You will say those changes make them worse, I will say those changes make them better.

Jeff09

October 23rd, 2017 at 9:15 PM ^

Don’t listen to the podcast but the folks getting super sanctimonious should know that our coach Jim Harbaugh was on the show very recently, so if you’re gonna damn everyone associated with Barstool you gotta throw Harbaugh in the pile too. For what it’s worth, I don’t read the site but I think their Instagram account is pretty damn funny. I also think the stuff they said about Ponder was pretty shitty. Does my enjoyment make me immature and somewhat sophomoric? Probably. Does it make me a degenerate piece of shit with no soul? I sure hope not.

SFBlue

October 23rd, 2017 at 9:17 PM ^

Why have a show about two chudds talking in a van? Is this what the kids really want? I blame the millennials for this. At least Beavis & Butthead watched videos of good music.  

Kevin14

October 24th, 2017 at 12:06 AM ^

They hired two people employed by Barstool to do a show on their network with the name "Barstool" in it.  Then, cancelled after one week due to them "assuming they could distance themselves from the website and the brand."  It's not like Barstool's history isn't well known.  It all still exists on their website.  If anything, they've seemingly become more tame in recent years.  If they weren't prepared for the backlash/bad pub, why even take the risk?  

I'm by no means a "stoolie," but I love PMT.  They have a unique humor.  PFT's weekly MMBM column is consistently the most hilarious column on the internet every week.  I understand it's not everybody's brand of humor, but they're hardly offensive.  If the problem was their association with barstool, why put "Barstool" in the title?  Not sure it would've made a difference, but it's just a massive miscalculation by ESPN.   Their talent got mad at them, their anti-barstool fans got mad at them, and now the pro-barstool crowd is mad at them.  

thumpinman

October 24th, 2017 at 9:37 AM ^

about sports. Like when MTV was about music. I used to spend most of my TV day on ESPN. I would turn it in and just leave it running all day, sort of in the background. Now, I can’t remember the last time I watched Sports Center. I can’t remember the last time I tuned in Mike and Mike.

What’s amazing is that their plummeting numbers and mass layoffs haven’t encouraged them to go in a different direction. Like “Thelma and Louise” they keep speeding toward that cliff.

jalenwestman

October 24th, 2017 at 12:12 PM ^

Barstool would get more love from the people on this site being that Portney is a Michigan Man. I guess I should know better being there is a large part of the crazy Michigan crowd that wants to get rid of Harbaugh.

ESPN is 30 for 30 and live sports, they have lost me on everything else.

Portney's pizza reviews are money.