David Portnoy

 Portnoy quit the Yankee Group after four years and launched Barstool Sports in 2003. The paper was designed to attract young men who rejected the idea of political correctness. It was four pages long. The newspaper's first advertisers were offshore betting sites like PartyPoker.com. However, freelance writers such as Todd McShay joined the paper. [9] At first, the newspaper struggled to gain traction, but it gained momentum in 2004 when Portnoy began placing images of bikinis-clad women on the front of the newspaper. Barstool Sports began as a blog in 2007. Portnoy slowly developed his reputation as "El Presidente", an honest and open-minded character. His writing was well-received by males in the younger age group and the publication was a standard in bro culture. His unapologetic, bold style of writing made him a cult figure among young men. The publication became an essential part of bro culture. Penn National Gaming bought 36% of Barstool Sports from its founders in 2020, for $163 million that included $135 million in cash and $28 million of Penn convertible preferred stock. The Chernin Group retained a 36% interest in the company. Portnoy, who continues to manage the website and has creative control, has 36% of the shares.