Clay Travis, the initiator of Outkick, bluntly alluded to Barstool Sports, spearheaded by Dave Portnoy, to be less of a competition, given their penchant for aligning with people he deems as ‘extreme liberals lacking virile energy’. In his perspective, this starkly contrasts with the kind of employees engaged with his own media outlet. Both entities are frequently categorized together due to the unorthodox ways in which they cover sports, often punctuated by marked controversy.
Travis, seemingly confounded by their lack of a counterpoint, expressed his feelings akin to inventing beer and being the only brewer in existence. In his interview with Semafor Media, he proclaimed that he doesn’t view Barstool as a direct contestant. ‘No, I don’t,’ he plainly stated, ‘as the structure of their employee base reflects a significant presence of liberal-leaning individuals.’
To highlight the difference, Travis took a jab at the supposed nature of Barstool’s staff. ‘They would indeed correspond to the white male demographic who would cast their ballots for Harris,’ he quipped, ‘and yet no one discusses it.’ Travis voiced skepticism towards the idea of having liberals within his team, implying a disbelief in the possibility of such political leanings amongst his workforce.
When asked if Outkick embraced a policy condemning Democrat-supporting staff members, Travis implied, though half-heartedly, that such a representation might exist but followed that with a critique, questioning the supposed lower testosterone levels associated with such political choice. He grudgingly nodded towards the inherent democratic right of voting as per individual preference.
If Barstool was to be categorized as a group favouring left-leaning ideologies, it could potentially agitate Portnoy. This would likely displease Democrats as well, considering the public support Portnoy has shown towards former President Donald Trump, along with his recurring criticism of the Democratic party.
The absence of Portnoy’s response to Travis’ remarks does warrant consideration. It could be speculated that perhaps Travis deliberately stoked this dialogue to stir speculation and controversy. The irony being, such an action further aligns Outkick with Barstool, in a way Travis would perhaps be reluctant to acknowledge.