Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has claimed that an NBA rookie would receive much more criticism than WNBA star Angel Reese for similar behavior.
Portnoy, 47, made a guest appearance on a recent episode of the Barstool Sports Pick Em podcast, where he launched into a surprising attack on the Chicago Sky rookie. The social media personality was asked about Reese’s attendance at the WNBA finals, in which the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx in a tie-breaker final game during overtime.
Reese was seen wearing a jersey that was split in half, with one side showing her support for the Liberty and the other side showing her support for the Lynx.
Portnoy revealed he hadn’t watched the final series of games, specifically 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 [Travis] Kelce’s ex [on her podcast],” he said, discussing Reese’s Unapologetically Angel podcast, where she also spoke out about her rivalry with Clark on the basketball court.
“If a male was doing what Angel Reese is doing she would get crucified, regardless of skin color, regardless of anything,” Portnoy claimed.
“She’s a rookie in the league whose team sucked, who a**ed out at the end of the season with an injury, who won’t shut up about herself, who ran their best player out of town, the coach got fired, and she started a podcast five seconds into the thing creating all this controversy.”
He continued: “Imagine if your first-round draft pick had the season she had, the controversy she had, got injured in a questionable injury, a**ed out, and then started a podcast gossiping about everything in the league as a rookie. Please.”
The Barstool Sports owner then praised Clark and her behavior, adding: “Meanwhile Caitlin is head down, just f***ing in the gym, you don’t hear a peep from her.”
The Independent has contacted representatives for Reese for comment.
If an NBA player was doing all the things Angel Reese has done this season, he would be crucified, according to @stoolpresidente @Barstoolpickem pic.twitter.com/IlnEIOYTxh
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 24, 2024
After a clip of Portnoy’s podcast appearance was posted on X/Twitter, some people agreed that male and female athletes should be treated equally.
“Interesting take! The double standards in sports are real. If an NBA player acted the same way, the backlash could definitely be intense. It’s a reminder of how differently male and female athletes are often treated,” one comment read.
However, others defended Reese against Portnoy’s criticism, like one user who wrote: “Love Dave but #TeamAngel.”
“I don’t like Reese but we can’t compare it to a successful league like NBA or anything. Their league just started making a little money and she does help the league get viewers,” said someone else. “The more WNBA has exposure the more they make. It worked, you guys are talking about it proves it.”
In September, the Chicago Sky player received a hairline fracture in her left wrist during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks, which left her unable to play for the rest of the season. Despite ending her season early, she was still able to average 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game – the highest rebound average in the history of the WNBA.
Reese also set the rookie record with 26 double-doubles, which is when a player accumulates a double digital total or more in two of the following five statistical categories within one game: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots.
