13 Jan 12th–Jan 18th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | B ars in Old Town Scottsdale often are known for their Las Vegas-style debauchery. But Barstool Scottsdale is decidedly different. The nightspot, from the namesake digital media company based in New York City, opened on November 18. It’s a notable move for a brand best known for its sports and pop culture website that often finds itself in the middle of contro- versy. But Barstool has expanded its footprint in Arizona, from a college football title sponsorship in Tucson, to an online sportsbook with NASCAR at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale and talks of a future retail location. This is the third sports bar for Barstool, which opened a Chicago location in January 2022 and a Philadelphia bar two months later. In Scottsdale, Barstool inhabits an 8,700-square-foot space with a 1,700-square-foot patio facing Scottsdale Road. The new bar announced its opening on Twitter. “Join Barstool Sports and special guests to cele- brate opening weekend,” the November 9 tweet reads. The social media post includes a photo mashup of guests Paul Bissonnette, a former NHL player for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes, and comedian Grace O’Malley. On a recent Wednesday in January, the bar was moderately busy. A smattering of bros donning forward and backward-facing baseball caps occupied one booth. Another table was inhabited by men wearing flannel button-downs and denim. Black stools surrounded a square marble bar, and the many TVs displayed all manner of sports, including basketball, hockey, and golf. Female servers milled about in black leggings and crop tops imprinted with the Barstool logo. The food isn’t bad, though it takes a while to arrive and the carne asada that’s supposed to top the nachos is actually just ground beef. But Barstool isn’t the type of place where you go to eat a gourmet meal. It’s more the party-your-face-off kind of spot reserved for the weekend. A black flip board displays philosophical musings such as “Never skip the foreplay” and “Odds are you need another drink.” The declarations hint at the culture of the brand, which has become known for much more than sports. Barstool’s Beginnings In 2003, Dave Portnoy founded Barstool Sports as a small Boston newspaper that he doled out on the subway, according to New York Magazine. His parents gave him $25,000 to fund the venture. Since then, the paper has grown into a massively popular media company with podcasts, YouTube shows, live streams, and social media accounts. But Barstool also has garnered a reputation outside of sports. Portnoy is known for making rape jokes, according to Huffington Post; harassing female journalists, according to USA Today Sports; and using racial slurs in videos posted to Barstool Sports. Drama continued for the Barstool founder when a sex tape involving him went public in April 2021. After the footage surfaced, PENN Entertainment’s stock price took a dip, according to the New York Post. The gambling company, formerly known as Penn National Gaming, paid $163 million for a 36 percent stake in Barstool in January 2020 and plans to own the entire business by February 2023. Portnoy, whose loyal followers refer to him as “El Presidente,” was not thrilled with the drop in PENN’s stock price. “Wait $penn is dropping cause I have a sex tape?” he posted on Twitter, accompanied by a video of his profanity-laced rant. “Emergency press conference,” it begins. “Hey, news flash, this is the third fucking one. I used to sling it, I’ve gotten better. What are you going to fucking do? It’s the internet. So I have sex, people fucking know that. You’ve gotta spice it up, you can’t be boring.” He told his 2.7 million Twitter followers to >> p 15 BARSTOOL BROS Controversial sports brand expands its Arizona footprint with a new Scottsdale bar. BY NATASHA YEE Natasha Yee The recently opened Barstool Scottsdale.
