Barstool Sports threatens NFL with Trademark Lawsuit
Los Angeles – Founder Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports is ready to sue the NFL over an alleged trademark infringement. Barstool Sports has sold shirts, flags and other apparel with the phrase “Saturdays Are For The Boys.” The NFL recently began selling shirts that include the phrase “Sundays are for the Boys” which is in reference to the Dallas Cowboys.
Apart from the Cowboys, the NFL is also selling shirts that include the phrase “Sundays Are For The [Team Name]” with each team name. Barstool Sports believes that the shirts are a play on the verbiage used by Barstool Sports.
Barstool Sports and the NFL have a rocky relationship from past incidents. Back in May 2015, Portnoy and three other Barstool Sports employees were arrested for a sit-in protest at the NFL headquarters. The protestors were arrested when they refused to leave the NFL grounds. The protest was over NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s management of Deflategate – a controversy involving the allegation that the New England Patriots deliberately under-inflated footballs. It’s no surprise that Portnoy is capitalizing on the opportunity to get back at the NFL.
Portnoy stated:
“It’s the first time I kind of feel like we have them by the […], so it will be a nice win when they take them down. They’re definitely going to take those shirts down. I just think it makes them look like idiots. I wasn’t mad. I was like, ‘Oh you guys just stepped into a bear trap. That was stupid.’ We’re always looking for an upper hand vs. the NFL, and this was an easy one.”
The morning of December 20th, 2017, it was noted that the Dallas Cowboys’ shirt had been taken off the website and replaced with a shirt that just says, “The Boys” above a Cowboys star logo. However, it’s not just the Cowboys’ shirt that Barstool Sports is suing over, but all of the “Sundays Are For The [Team Name]” shirts. Portnoy told TMZ, “They wouldn’t be doing that shirt without ‘Saturdays Are For The Boys.’ It’s a play on that.”
Apart from stunts and dust ups directed at the NFL, it was a busy year for Barstool Sports. They also debuted talk shows on Sirius XM, the Comedy Channel, and ESPN 2.