Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has claimed that an NBA rookie would face far more criticism than WNBA star Angel Reese for similar behavior.
Portnoy, 47, made a guest appearance on a recent episode of Barstool Sports Choose Em podcast, where he launched a surprise attack on the Chicago Sky rookie. The social media personality was asked about Reese’s presence at the WNBA Finals, which saw the New York Liberty defeat the Minnesota Lynx in a final overtime tie-breaker.
Reese wore a jersey split in half, with one side showing her support for the Liberty and the other side showing her support for the Lynx.
Portnoy revealed that he had not watched the last set of games, mainly because Caitlin Clark was not playing with her team, the Indiana Fever, who lost during the first round of playoff games.
“The last time I saw Angel, she had that [Travis] Kelce’s ex [on her podcast]he said, discussing Reese’s Unapologetic Angel podcast, where she also opened up about her rivalry with Clark on the basketball court.
“If a man did what Angel Reese does, she would be crucified, regardless of skin color, regardless of anything,” Portnoy claimed.
“She’s a newcomer to the league whose team sucked, who dropped out at the end of the season with an injury, who won’t shut up about herself, who sent their best player out of town, the coach got fired. and she started a podcast five seconds after the thing caused all this controversy.
He continued: “Imagine if your first-round draft pick had the season she had, the controversy she had, got hurt with a questionable injury, dropped out and then started a podcast as a rookie gossiping about everything in the league. . Please.”
The Barstool Sports owner then praised Clark and her behavior, adding, “Meanwhile, Caitlin has her head down and is just fucking in the gym, you don’t hear a peep from her.”
The independent has reached out to Reese’s representatives for comment.
After one clamp When Portnoy’s podcast appearance was posted to X/Twitter, some people agreed that male and female athletes should be treated equally.
“Interesting view! The double standards in sports are real. If an NBA player were to act in the same manner, the reaction could certainly be intense. It reminds us how differently male and female athletes are often treated,” one comment said.
Others, however, defended Reese against Portnoy’s criticism, such as one user who wrote, “Love Dave but #TeamAngel.”
“I don’t like Reese, but we can’t compare it to a successful league like the NBA or something like that. Their league just started making some money and is really helping the league gain viewership,” someone else said. “The more exposure the WNBA gets, the more they make. It worked, you talk about it, it proves it.
In September, the Chicago Sky player suffered a hairline fracture in her left wrist during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks, which prevented her from playing for the rest of the season. Despite ending her season early, she still averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game – the highest rebounding average in WNBA history.
Reese also set the rookie record with 26 double-doubles, which is when a player collects a double digital total or more in two of the following five statistical categories within a single game: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots.
