This week Barstool Sports has found themselves right in the thick of a controversy with the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). Not because of anything the media empire did. Quite the contrary actually. Many people throughout Barstool are actually avid supporters of the league. The guys at Spittin’ Chiclets have been promoting the NWHL and women’s hockey for years. Bruins blogger Marina Maher is also a Boston Pride supporter. And the biggest NWHL supporter of the bunch, and hands down the biggest advocate for women’s hockey I personally have ever seen, Erika Nardini, is the CEO of the company. Despite all that, the NWHL went out their way to alienate Barstool, for no reason. Insane move, and it’s only gotten whackier since. But that’s not what this is about….well, sort of.
Since all of the hullabaloo has began, the usual skels of the internet have dusted off the old Barstool slander story, itching to gain followers and clicks from tho who blindly believe what they read. It should really be plagiarism at this point. Its the same old hack story recycled and re-worded. It’s not creative. It’s not original. It’s not even true. Find a new slant. This time however, a writer went to VICE and took it one step further. Just creating a completely fabricated and false story about Barstool Founder Dave Portnoy. Im not posting a link or acknowledging the name of the writer, El Pres touches on all that in one of his patented Emergency Press Conferences, you can see it there. This is the excerpt of the blatant lie.
Denna Laing did have a career-ending injury in 2015. That is unfortunately true. In the first period leagues first ever outdoor classic, Laing went into the boards and was removed from the ice on a stretcher. This would be the last time Laing would play hockey again, but it wouldn’t be the end of her story. Laing continues to fight to this day, and in 2017 even finished the Boston Marathon. The ‘inaccuracy’ from the blurb is about Portnoy. El Pres didn’t tweet out any video mocking Denna’s injury. Even the SMALLEST bit of research and you can find that to be untrue. But these writers don’t do that. They are reckless. They are irresponsible. They are not journalists, or even writers, they are hacks.
If you do take the time to research the story of Dave and Denna, this is what you’ll find.
You’ll find Dave stepping up to the plate for someone in need. Something he has done countless times. Dave saw someone down, and along with Stoolie Nation, did what he could to lift them up. A true impact on their lives. It doesn’t just start and end with Denna either. Its military, its law enforcement, its fire fighters, its bombing victims, its people with debilitating diseases. When someone needs help, Dave and Barstool are there. It’s never been on display more with what they have currently been doing with #BarstoolFund. Take a few minutes to watch how Barstool and Denna are intertwined.
