What began as a newspaper focused on fantasy sports has evolved into a major digital sports network. Founded in 2003, Barstool Sports built its brand centered around a more casual approach to sports content.
It combines sports commentary with comedy and entertainment content, setting it apart from traditional sports networks such as NBC Sports or ESPN.
Geared towards a younger audience, Barstool Sports has developed a loyal fanbase of sports fans who simply enjoy amusing content through podcasts, viral social media, and consumer products. Its blog attracts tens of millions of monthly viewers, and it has more than 17 million Instagram followers.
Barstool Sports’ sports commentary has sparked a trend of high schools creating their own unofficial, unaffiliated Barstool accounts, extending beyond professional sports to content tailored to individual school communities. The Instagram account “@barstoolberkeleyhigh” was created to build school spirit and draw attention to Berkeley High School athletics.
The account has been passed down from previous to current BHS student commissioners for many consecutive years. It is now run by the three current senior student Commissioners of Health and Athletics: Calliope Cameron, Key Lim, and Lili Sanger.
“Since students run the account, it’s able to cater to students’ preferences and connect on a deeper level than just from administration,” Lim said.
With over a thousand followers, it features content including BHS sports highlights and “Athletes of the Week,” which spotlight Berkeley student athletes who are excelling in their sport. Alongside entertaining content, the account also shares more serious safety information.
Some short videos enforce school rules such as proper sports spectator game etiquette, while other content promotes healthy eating and injury prevention for athletes. By using skits and creative video editing, the commissioners make these topics more engaging and accessible to students.
“Engaging videos get more attention than a slideshow or just a single post of a picture,” Cameron said, “We try and make the videos entertaining, but it’s more informational and tailored towards Berkeley High.”
BHS senior Nahom Worku, a dedicated sports fan, has followed the Berkeley High Barstool account since his freshman year.
“I follow it to stay updated with school sports and top highlight moments,” he said. “I like when they make a bunch of like jokes during the events and highlight the top players of the week.”
Worku also follows the official Barstool account because it features a wide range of professional sports, but prefers the personal aspect of the high school account.
“Students can go with their friends (to games) and have a good time and support the team, whereas on an Instagram account that has videos from all over the world, people don’t feel like they can get as involved in those sorts of activities,” Cameron said.
As BHS’ Barstool account grows, its appeal goes beyond engaging videos.
By focusing on students and events within the BHS community, it creates a more personal way for students to connect with their school and gives students a platform that is engaging, yet feels relevant to their everyday lives.