Barstool Sports
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Barstool Sports is a free biweekly newspaper in Boston, founded by current editor and publisher David Portnoy (who writes under the byline El Presidente). Launched in August 2003 as a four-page gambling rag, it has grown to be one of the better-known local sources of "alternative" sports humor and coverage in the city. It is perhaps best known for its scantily clad cover models, in the style of Maxim (magazine) and similar men's magazines. The writing and style of humor, as the writers themselves admit, is heavily influenced by national sports writer Bill Simmons, and the paper has a love-hate relationship with Simmons himself. Regular features include the "Stool Samples" column, which mocks perceived stupidity of members of the sports media, as well "Random Thoughts and Reader Emails", consisting primarily of editorials by Portnoy on various subjects, not necessarily sports-related, "Sox Offenders" (discussing the Boston Red Sox) and a lifestyle column by Kati Cawley ("From Her Perspective").
"The Stool" attracted some publicity and controversy in September 2005, when it made public an expletive-filled voicemail from local sports radio personality John Dennis directed towards his competitor Ryen Russillo. The publication of a glossy "Boston's 25 Sexiest Bartenders and Waitresses" issue in November further increased Barstool's local profile, as did the controversial 2007 inclusion of a photo shoot of a Boston College Law School student wearing the university's trademark yellow "Superfan" shirt.
