PFT Commenter

PFT Commenter (alternatively spelled PFTCommenter or Pro Football Talk Commenter) is a sports media personality portrayed by Eric Sollenberger.[1] Sollenberger, in the persona of PFT Commenter, is a sportswriter who covers the National Football League and US politics for online publication Barstool Sports. He has previously been published on other sports sites including Kissing Suzy Kolber, SBNation, Football Savages, as well as his own site, StrongTakes.com. PFT Commenter, whose name references Profootballtalk.com, is currently the co-host of the Barstool Sports podcast Pardon My Take.[2] He also hosts the podcast, Macrodosing, with former NFL player Arian Foster.

PFT Commenter
Pardon My Take character
Sollenberger in character as PFT Commenter in 2019
Created byEric Sollenberger
Portrayed byEric Sollenberger
In-universe information
Alias
  • PFTCommenter
  • PFT
  • Marlins Woman
  • Wayne Tables
OccupationSportswriter, podcaster
AffiliationBarstool Sports

Persona and media appearances

Sollenberger began to use the PFT Commenter alias as a commenter on ProFootballTalk.com[3] before starting the @PFTCommenter Twitter account in 2012, and eventually becoming a contributor for SBNation, Kissing Suzy Kolber and Football Savages.[4]

In September 2015, PFT Commenter made an appearance on Mike Florio's PFT Live radio program.[5] Also in 2015, PFT Commenter began commenting on the 2016 United States presidential election and appeared on camera several times, albeit in the background, during the television coverage of the Republican Party presidential debates.[6] PFT Commenter also asked then-Presidential candidate Ben Carson if he would travel back in time to abort an unborn Adolf Hitler, an exchange covered by the national media, leading to an article headlined "Ben Carson would not abort Baby Hitler" appearing on CNN.com.[7][8]

PFT Commenter moved to Barstool Sports in March 2016 and started the podcast Pardon My Take along with co-host Dan Katz.[9] The podcast, which is often satirical in nature, has grown to a top ranking on iTunes' "Sports and Recreation" list.[10][11][12] In May 2016, PFT Commenter accompanied three other co-workers on a so-called "Grit Week," starting in Buffalo and ending in Indianapolis for the Indianapolis 500.[13] He and Katz also made an appearance on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt on February 8, 2017.[14][15]

Despite the National Football League removing press credentials for Barstool Sports,[16] PFT Commenter snuck into "Opening Night" for Super Bowl LI in Houston and was able to ask questions to players and coaches.[17]

PFT Commenter makes regular call-in appearances on Bomani Jones' ESPN radio show, The Right Time.[18]

In January 2020, in advance of the XFL's 2020 revival season, PFT Commenter tried-out as a placekicker for the XFL's DC Defenders, after being trained by Jeff Fisher and Morten Andersen, in response to former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson announcing that he was trying out for the XFL as a kicker (before quickly cancelling).[19] During his tryout, PFT Commenter's signature sunglasses were replaced with tinted goggles and his helmet bore a single bar face mask, which has long been disallowed for use in professional and college football. He was ultimately not selected by the Defenders; instead, Tyler Rausa, who was at the same tryout, won the kicking position.[20][21]

Identity

Despite his popularity, PFT did not originally publicly reveal his identity. He told Awful Announcing in 2017 that he wore sunglasses on camera to avoid identification and the staff at Barstool Sports referred to him as "PFT", as only half knew his real name. He later said that his identity had become an "open secret" and that it would be found out eventually.[2][22]

Publishing

As PFT Commenter, Sollenberger wrote the self-published[4] e-book, Goodell vs. Obama: The Battle for the Future of the NFL, which imagines a dystopian future in which President Barack Obama attempts to turn the Dallas Cowboys into a soccer team in Kenya, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fights him in a boxing match to stop him.[23]

References
  1. Wagner, Laura (May 22, 2018). "So Who Is Barstool's PFT Commenter?". Deadspin. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  2. Weber, Jim (June 19, 2017). "Mystery Man: The Legend of PFT Commenter". Awful Announcing.
  3. Cavanaugh, Pete (June 30, 2014). "A Hard-Hitting, No Nonsense Interview with PFT Commenter". Impose Magazine. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  4. Hoffberger, Chase (May 24, 2014). "Football's funniest Twitter parody has an ebook you should be reading". The Daily Dot. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  5. Florio, Mike (September 3, 2015). "'PFT Commenter' visits PFT on Thursday". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  6. Brawley, Eddie (September 28, 2015). "Donald Trump, PFT Commenter, and Political Satire on the Internet". Vulture. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  7. Bradner, Eric (November 11, 2015). "Ben Carson would not abort baby Hitler | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  8. Would Ben Carson kill baby Hitler?, retrieved March 29, 2023
  9. Bucholtz, Andrew (March 3, 2016). "PFT Commenter joins Barstool Sports, tweets about their podcast passing Serial". Awful Announcing. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  10. Glasspiegel, Ryan (January 25, 2017). "The 30 Most Powerful Talents in Sports Media Today". The Big Lead. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  11. "Top sports podcasts: Fox Sports scores". Media Life Magazine. December 12, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  12. Deitsch, Richard (December 22, 2016). "Sports Illustrated Media Awards: The best and worst of 2016". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  13. Deitsch, Richard (June 5, 2016). "Media Circus: The future for FS1's Onrait, O'Toole; UFC pulls credentials". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  14. Markovich, Keith (February 8, 2017). "The Pardon My Take Boys Casually Hop On SportsCenter With Scott Van Pelt". Barstool Sports. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  15. Barstool's Big Cat Makes His Long-Awaited Trip To ESPN's Cafeteria | SC With SVP | February 8, 2017, retrieved March 29, 2023
  16. Smith, Michael David (January 31, 2017). "NFL pulls credentials from Barstool Sports". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  17. Arthur, Bruce (February 4, 2017). "Road to Super Bowl paved with bad intentions: Arthur". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  18. Glasspiegel, Ryan (December 8, 2016). "Some Bomani Jones Listeners Don't Get PFT Commenter". The Big Lead. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  19. "I Am Seriously Trying Out Today for the XFL with the Assistance of HOFer Morten Andersen and Jeff Fisher".
  20. "Hard Knocks: XFL- My Tryout for the D.C. Defenders".
  21. Rains, B.J. (February 10, 2020). "Former Boise State kicker Tyler Rausa has a 'dream come true' in XFL opener". Idaho Press. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  22. Maese, Rick. "PFT Commenter rose from an Internet 'cesspool' to podcasting glory. And no one knows who he is". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  23. Borcast, Matt (June 3, 2014). "The Triangle Sports Book Club: PFT Commenter's 'Goodell vs. Obama: The Battle for the Future of the NFL'". Grantland. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
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