After being shut down at its peak of over 1,500 followers, WJ Barstool, a fan-favorite anonymous fan-page account infamous for targeted posts at players of other teams, has started back up with aims of reaching the previous eminence.
The account was taken down last spring after being reported for violating Instagram’s Community Standards in relation to posts about players on the Reservoir High School baseball team.
“He [a Reservoir player] reported the account because we posted stuff about him and other players on the team,” an anonymous admin of the account said. “That was the last straw.”
The moment with the reservoir high school player proved to be a learning moment for the administrators of the account. After years of harassment on the account, the ban was a reality check beyond the world of likes and reactions.
“It’s funny but it’s someone’s life,” anonymous said. “If you post something bad it can ruin their life so just have to think about how it impacts the person.”
Hundreds of posts, made by anonymous admins throughout the years, were deleted and lost. The admins now have to take a new perspective as they make a completely new account.
“We are still going to continue it but a little more tuned down this year because we just got back from a ban,” anonymous said.
Guaranteed to create a discourse in the community, the account plays a vital role in promoting school spirit and creating a sense of community, even with its sometimes controversial content.
“It definitely impacts whether I’m going to a game or not,” sophomore Hannah Schwartz said. “It makes the game more interesting. Without the account, less people would go to games and less people would follow the spirit days.”
The account can be found posting throughout the week leading up to games, adding to the tension. The players on each team grow beyond just classmates and become characters as accounts from both schools can be seen posting about the game and different players on the field.
“It can give you motivation,” junior Andrew Rotnemer said. “If they post something targeted at you or a teammate, it can help fire the team up.”
Although highlighted for its taunting posts, the account also features posts such as gameday posts or football game theme posts.
“If there’s a bad game day post or something like that, people won’t care,” Rotnemer said. “That gets around to everyone because they post it in their stories.”
The admin of the account now faces a tough situation as they walk a thin tightrope between tradition and keeping a good image. They are now slowly starting the climb to get the account into prominence.
“It’s going to be hard but you just have to start following people,” anonymous said. “Once you post more and it just spreads out, it will grow.”
