Barstool Sports: Brand Positioning Case Study

When you think of sports, most people’s first thoughts probably involve ESPN.

But if you’re under the age of 30, it might be Barstool.

A polarizing sports brand that’s threatening to take over the reigns from brands like ESPN.

That’s why they’re this week’s brand breakdown…

Let’s get into it…

💼 The Brand: Barstool

Barstool Sports is an “online-first” media company that focuses on sports and pop culture content, often delivered in a humorous and controversial manner. It was founded in 2003 by Dave Portnoy, and it has grown into a massive platform with online streaming, blogs, sports betting, podcasts, videos, and social media.

💛 The Heart (Purpose and Values)

It’s not an official mission statement but their brand is led with a “For the common man, by the common man" approach. The company's origin is rooted in a print publication called the "Barstool Sports Black Book." A publication originally distributed as a gambling-focused newspaper that eventually became the media outlet it is today.

👤 The Head (Positioning and Strategy)

Barstool Sports has positioned itself an unfiltered sports media outlet.

Its coverage sounds more like college buds talking about the big game. Not your buttoned up and mostly polite ESPN commentary.

Since it began in the early 2000’s, Barstool has catered to its collegiate audience.

They were first to social media.

And then they embraced online sports betting — eventually selling to Penn Entertainment (a national gambling and gaming brand) for over $500M before they were bought back by founder, Dave Portnoy, for just $1 earlier this year.

It’s a strange story. But it makes more sense when you consider how risky it was to be tied to such a controversial brand as Barstool.

What’s good for building a brand with raving fans isn’t always good for a “business” when it comes to heavy regulation and red tape.

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✋ The Hands (Tactics)

Here’s a few of the ways Barstool Sports has been able to spread the heart behind their brand, capitalize on their emotional edge, and nail their positioning:

Embracing and Employing Influencers - ESPN may have Kirk Herbstreit and many other ex-athletes — but true to Barstools ethos they employ “Average Joe/Jane” types just as long as their personalities makes for great entertainment and they’re passionate/knowledgeable about sports.

Marrying Sports and Pop Culture - Unlike any other media brand, Barstool has found a way to marry people’s love for pop culture and sports. By embracing trends and headlines without fear and creating branded “Barstool [Insert College Name]” accounts, they’ve been able to amass a huge audience.

Branded Revenue Generators - Barstool has leveraged its own audience to succesfully launch a range of diverse revenue generators including High Noon alcoholic beverages, Barstool Bars in popular college towns, and even a popular frozen pizza brand to align with its One Bite app.

⚡️ Find Your Emotional Edge Like Barstool

Barstool Sport’s emotional edge is built around rebellion, authenticity, controversy, and humor.

By covering sports in a way that a Disney owned brand like ESPN could never do — they’ve been able to solidify their presence and compete like no one else.

You may not have a “rebellious” brand like Barstool, but it’s worth considering what advantages you have as a brand.

What are some of the things you can get away with at your size and stature that your competition can’t?

What are risks you can take?

Moves you can make?

As long as it aligns with your brand, the risk may well be worth it.

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