Barstool Sports is more than just a website, it represents a nation of “stoolies”. The site provides an all in one stop for the latest rumors and news around the world. The site goes beyond the latest sports news. The creator of the site, “el pres”, provides his own input on articles and there is even a comment section where you can voice your own opinions on the subject.
I began going on the website my freshman year at Babson, only because all of my friends would be talking about some viral video they saw on it. It slowly became an essential part of my life because it is constantly updating. Articles on the site do not just simply provide entertainment when reading them, but also create a great conversation piece in social situations. Just recently I was on the phone with my father and he was telling me about a high school fight in my hometown in Florida that was making national news. One of the girls in the fight is the daughter of a woman the works for my dad and he has been trying to find a video of the actual fight. I went on the site and of course it was on there, showing how the site can even relate to each individual viewer. The site has even been expanding to be more personal, having a section for the Boston and New York areas and even another sister site focused for women.
Our recent discussion in class about stereotypes directly relates to a specific section on the site where the headline is “Does this look like the face of a man/woman that would…” followed by a story such as a man that would steal a chicken from a supermarket or something outrageous such as that. A picture is always included and viewers are almost encouraged to make a stereotype about the person. All the stories are true and demonstrate how media encourages stereotypes to be made.
Here is a link to "Does this Look like the Face of a Lady Arrested for Robbing her Grandmother"
Troy, I hear about this site all the time, and mostly when I know someone who is smokeshow of the week... Do you think its okay for people to invade people's facebooks and put photos of girls in bikinis on a site just for random men? I always wondered how they got their pictures or if the girls were just dense enough to not have any privacy controls on the facebook, especially when they have such sexy pictures of themselves on it!!! They better block their parents!
ReplyDeleteDoes our discussion about media stereotypes raise your critical awareness when you cruise on this site? After reading your post, I went there, and the front page looks almost pornographic. Obviously a male dominated medium. Christina's warning seems right--better block parents...
ReplyDeleteI would like to see you tackling the difference between this site w/ other mainstream news site, because you can quickly see the serious journalism vs. tabloid distinction.
Why exactly is this website called 'barstool sports' (how does this virtual space correspond to real bar space)is another golden opportunity for you to get interesting ideas out of this media artifact.
c.e.