Barstool Sports

Barstool won by doing what buttoned-up ESPN would never do. Barstool talked about sports the way friends do on a Saturday, while ESPN stayed suited and desk-bound. Sam Parr calls this counter-positioning: it aimed at a lower common denominator, like pizza bros, instead of copying the leader.

Steph Smith uses Barstool as an example of asking what most people in your field are unwilling to do, such as making sports funny. She says just showing up is not the answer, and the gap between what leaders refuse to do and what an audience wants is where distinct work comes from.

How I Write▶ 15:36

Barstool won by doing what buttoned-up ESPN would never do. Barstool talked about sports the way friends do on a Saturday, while ESPN stayed suited and desk-bound. Sam Parr calls this counter-positioning: it aimed at a lower common denominator, like pizza bros, instead of copying the leader.

Steph Smith uses Barstool as an example of asking what most people in your field are unwilling to do, such as making sports funny. She says just showing up is not the answer, and the gap between what leaders refuse to do and what an audience wants is where distinct work comes from.

How I Write