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Last week Huffstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy announced he was shutting down their comments section, allegedly because the racist comments on the blogs were bad for business.
It was such a gutless move because:
- No rational person judges a website based on it’s comments section
- The racist comment from a troll was down voted so many times that it only reaffirmed that readers rejected racism.
- Silencing free speech for everyone because of a random troll or two is stupid.
- Most of his bloggers are so bad at what they do that the comments section is the only place where readers can let them know that. He makes bank off of of the comments section because tons of people click on the worst bloggers just so they can shit all over them in the comments.
- Now his followers will go to Huffstool’s Facebook page, Twitter, or Reddit to sound off on him. Except when they do so Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit will be making money instead of Huffstool itself. The longer a reader stays on a page the more ad impressions are serviced. The comments section was a gold mine for the business.
We will never, ever, ever do this no matter how big we get. That is our promise to turtle riders. The comments section is where your readers get to have their say. We say our part in the blogs. South Short Turtlegirl used to go at it with commenters and I put the kabosh on that. We get a much bigger platform with the blog itself, the least we can do is let people speak freely in the comments. Turtleboy is a community blog where all voices can be heard, trolls included. I’m not gonna shut down our entire comments section because of a couple trolls. That’s how you let the bad guys win.
But of course yesterday we found out it had absolutely nothing to do with racism when Portnoy announced he was opening the comments section back up. Except there was twist this time.
In order to comment you have to pay a monthly fee to be part of “Barstool Gold.”
Ya got that? You have to pay money for the privilege of commenting on his shitty website. And then they’ll have all your information so if you criticize one of his bloggers he can use his platform to humiliate you in front of millions of people.
It was obviously never about racism in the comments, and in reality it was just a ploy to get people to buy their stupid new premium plan, by making you pay for shit that used to be free. I used to go to Barstool a lot when I was younger like a lot of turtle riders, but it’s just not the same anymore. Nothing is edgy, everything is PC, and they’ve hired so many personalities that I’m supposed to give a shit about, but I just don’t. I’m not even tempted to go to Huffstool unless it’s to read the comments. The idea that I’d actually pay them money to read their milquetoast nonsense is laughable, but I suppose there will be plenty of 19 year old bros with Daddy’s Venmo account who will go for it because they don’t know any better.
As for everyone else who saw through this ploy, you are welcome on board the Turtle. It’s like they wanna drive people to Turtleboy. Please, please, don’t stop doing dub shit like this Prez.
34 Comment(s)
Hi Folks,
Its yours truly, THE Liz Gonzales here to smell up the comment section. Im celebrating Janu-hairy, why don’t you join me by reading one of my blogs on the new barstool gold and leave a comment, why dontcha? I need the clicks, ps my rent is way overdue. And fisting my hairy brown hole is getting to be an obsession.
The establishment got nervous that a right leaning site was so popular so they had nardini buy it and turn it into a tmz/huffington post site, then they can’t understand why 90% of the comments just rip the bloggers to shreds. Fuck you portnoy your ass must be sore from nardini pounding it
I took off 18 months from Barstool until Large came on the scene and my buddy told me I needed to take a report. I scrolled through, realized how bad it sucked, and click to Large off of Twitter.
There was a time when Portnoy was a comic genius. Getting arrested having a sit in at the NFL offices was next level stuff. Or his interview with Lisa Guerrero going on tv with the purple tank top and yellow stars.
His original I Hate BC and Softball Guy articles were laugh out loud funny.
Had a nice wife, nice place in Nantucket and sold out. Got divorces, got cucked by some soul cycle instructor, and anally raped by Chemin and Erika 5 Head Nardini’s big black strapon.
Fuck ’em
Barstool lost me when they started the chicks in the office crap. If I wanted gossip I’d go to TMZ
This is how free enterprise works, we call it capitalism. They are charing a fee for a service. If you want said service you pay (a small fee) for it. If you don’t want said service (or feel you cant afford it) you don’t pay for it. No one owes anyone anything on a privately owned website. Its not their job to offer unfettered access.
You’re as bad the welfare mamas you mock. Give me what I want for free!!!! WAAAHHHH!!
Thats the business model they have chosen, you have chose a different route. Stop whining. You sound petty and jealous.
Ever bop your baloney while looking at yourself in the mirror?
Hey Portnoy your Nantucket house is awesome. I bet you miss it. Unlike you I appreciate it. Haha dickface.
You need to stop whining about Barstool and worry about your own content. Who gives a fuck what they do?
Viva La Turtle
I’ve often wondered what the value is on up voting/down voting. On many sites you put your cursor over the up votes and “names’ pop up. Down votes? Secret and silent. Me personaly I could care less.
Next step improvement is to allow commenters to ID down voters. Those not intelligent or articulate enough to post a useful differing opinion, but hitting that down vote click makes them feel powerful!
Comments would increase and many would enjoy the witty repartee~(sic) that ensues…
“but it’s just not the same anymore. Nothing is edgy, everything is PC, and they’ve hired so many personalities that I’m supposed to give a shit about, but I just don’t.”
Are you talking about Huffstool or Mutt and Callahan?
I called this move in the original TB story. I THOUGHT it would be a $1 one time fee just to get rid of the garbage but never thought they would stoop to a “charge you for a carry on” Spirit air money grab.
They ended the comment section for the same reason that ALL lefty websites do. The truth kills hurts their precious little sensibilities. They can no longer defend their positions so they scream racism or sexism or whatever they need to and shut it down. Let them wallow in their own shit, I no longer give a shit.
I bought “metch” from them for Christmas presents , and it wasn’t cheap. In fact it basically would pay for two years of full access. Now i’m fucking banned?! wTF?!
The bloggers are so bad that even the ones that went to Harvard supposedly need 5th grade remedial writing courses so I have no idea who would go to the site to read their drivel unless they could make fun of them, Now bad writers are now celebrities on a shitty Sirius podcast?!
And how about them celebrities? A liberal ex Marine who put a cop in the hospital when he was cocked off his ass injuring him so badly that he has to go to prison on weekends and holidays. A retarded homely Mexican chick who roots for teams from NYC and Wisconsin when she is from Texas? Has she even watched a game or even played any sports?
Why so liberal? Why? I’m done.
Free comments? I keep on coming back. Force me to create an account or charge a monthly fee? Hell nooo…Don’t even care if I must scroll down past pots of boiling bananas and slot machine secret tricks, hey bloggers have to eat, too.
Fuck barstool. I live for TB comment section because it’s all about free speech that even the AIDS victim “Wwy” gets to say whatever he wants.
“Huffstool”
That’s a first round, first punch knockout! Well done TBS!
TBs just pissed because they didn’t think of this first.
“Nothing is gonna change” – Dave Portnoy
No more, guess that ass, guess that camel toe, MFK, boobs and coffee, pornhub comments of the week, tinder and bumble weekly whore update and basically anything else that made the stool what it was. Ripip barstool this former reader will NEVER be back
The hit list grows- WEEI, The Boston Globe – D, The Red Sox and now barstool. If you don’t like their politics, don’t help them make money. Very democrat like behavior from a republican if I may say so myself.
You had me and my upvote at Gilles Gilbert…Great pull . #1
I’m so done with the stool. Snortnoy just fucked himself pretty good. Would love to have website traffic info on the stool since this happened because it has to be bad. Is the monetary gain worth driving away your core followers?? I was pissed all weekend but visited the site a few times this and even clicked on a couple O B blogs but after finding out about pay to comment scheme, I deleted the shortcut from my IPad. Loved the old school original stool and bloggers, remember the KO barstool period??? Hilarious content, this collection of libs and millennial bloggers, not so much. Good luck Dave, hope your nose falls off your ugly mug.
” Is the monetary gain worth driving away your core followers??
Yes, of course it is. Grow up.
Randall if you look at it simply as added revenue, sure it’s worth it. But, if advertising revenues are driven down due to decreased site traffic then it’s not so easily discerned, hence my comment. I typed slowly so hopefully you could follow along, douche.
You don”t think they’ve looked at this from every angle? They’ve concluded, looking at their numbers, that the commenters are a very small part of their audience, hence, couldn’t care less if they lose them.
Same reason they’ve branched out to attract females.
A site can only go so far with mouth breathing neanderthals.
I’m sure you don’t care about comments here, most people probably aren’t going to scroll through 100 pieces of clickbait to get here. Which is why I’m such a loser. God I hate my job…
So – who IS the chick with the glasses and teeth? I wanna see what she looks like now…
It’s alexandria ocasio-kotex’s little sister
Liz is a cross eyed tranny.
Portnoy blows goats and swallows.
Speaking of comment sections, can you fix your own? What ratchet programmer made it so the comments go in descending order? It would be easy if I could just keep scrolling down and read them. Has the person that made this site ever even used it?
Tap ‘end’ on the keyboard and arrow up.
Like the penis hat wearing kikes on TB. I love the crying kikes on here.
Good idea to put the kabosh on SSTG or Bristol commenting on the articles. They are great when it comes to making fun of ratchets but when they start busting out their political opinions, it’s a cringe-fest.