Joining her in saying that they had resigned were Tom Ley, the features editor, and the staff writers Albert Burneko, Kelsey McKinney, Patrick Redford, Chris Thompson and Lauren Theisen. (All but Ms. Theisen confirmed their resignations to The New York Times.)

“Firing Barry yesterday was a disgrace,” Mr. Ley said in a text message, “and the direction that management wants to take the site in is something I cannot get on board with.”

Deadspin started as a sports-centric site at Nick Denton’s Gawker Media in 2005. Its founding editor, Will Leitch, posted a tweet on Wednesday, when Deadspin became a trending topic on Twitter because of the sudden departures. “Deadspin Today, Deadspin Tomorrow, Deadspin Forever,” he wrote.

In an email, Mr. Leitch said, “To watch the way they punched and screamed and clawed on the way out the door is truly inspiring, and as true to the spirit of Deadspin as anything I could have ever imagined. They refused to give in to the bad guys. During a time when so many people have made a profession of that very thing, I find it downright heroic.”

The site relied on the work of energetic and irreverent journalists who did not always confine themselves to the game stories and sports-commentary pieces typical of the sports sections and publications that came before them. They favored a conversational voice that played well online at a time when other outlets still abided by the decorum associated with the printed page.