Dave Portnoy blasts USA Today columnist for claiming Caitlin Clark’s referee complaints fuel racism

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy blasted USA Today columnist Nancy Armour on social media Thursday after she argued that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's reactions to officiating fuel racist abuse and endanger Black and queer WNBA players.

Armour argued that some of Clark’s supporters interpret her disputes with referees as a White woman needing protection and respond by targeting other players.

"It seems there is a White nationalist element to Clark’s fandom that is deeply, deeply problematic," Armour said. 

"It shouldn’t need reminding this country has an awful history of Black people being harmed, even killed, in the name of ‘defending’ white women," she later wrote. "The irony of the WNBA's All-Star Game is that it's happening this weekend in Chicago, the hometown of Emmett Till."

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Portnoy condemned Armour’s argument and called it the "dumbest" sports paragraph he had ever encountered.

"She has written the dumbest paragraph not only of my lifetime but in the history of sports," Portnoy said. "This is an article that says @CaitlinClark22 arguing calls has become dangerous for the @wnba and civil rights. Nancy Armour should be out in a straight jacket and locked up. We can’t have these types of smooth brains roaming freely in society."

In her Wednesday opinion column, Armour accused Clark of flopping and said her confrontation with officials encourages a "White nationalist element" of her fan base to target opposing players.

Armour invoked the history of violence against Black Americans while arguing that Clark should recognize the broader consequences of her conduct.

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The columnist referenced Emmett Till, noting that the WNBA All-Star Game will be played in Chicago, where the 14-year-old's funeral was held after his 1955 lynching in Mississippi.

Sports analyst Sam Vecenie questioned how the passage survived the publication’s editing process.

"There is a section/paragraph in this story that is among the most insane choices to include I’ve ever read in any sports story from a serious publication," Vecenie said. "Like, the kind of crazy where I genuinely have no idea how an editor let it get through."

OutKick founder Clay Travis similarly criticized Armour and USA Today over the column.

"This @nrarmour column in @usatoday is about Caitlin Clark complaining about being fouled too much to referees," Travis said. "This woman belongs in a mental hospital, not writing sports columns. How the hell does @USATODAY publish this?"

Political commentators Stephen L. Miller and Gina Milan also criticized Armour’s reference to Till.

"Compares Emmett Till to a WNBA game," Miller said. "WOW! Absolutely disgusting," Milan said.

Communications strategist Matt Whitlock used the controversy to criticize the broader sports media.

"Reminder that sports journalists are so often the most dangerously woke people in newsrooms," Whitlock said.

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Armour cited a racist message Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray received after a July 12 loss to Indiana. Gray publicized the message, and Hilton Grand Vacations fired the employee who sent it.

In response to Fox News Digital, USA Today said it updated Armour's column to clarify her argument and pointed to the columnist's response to the backlash. 

"Please note that the column has been updated for clarity, and Nancy has addressed the matter here and below," a USA Today spokesperson said. "We will not be commenting further."

Armour acknowledged that her comparison to Emmett Till was "inartful" and lacked sufficient context, but stood by her broader argument about threats against WNBA players.

"In my recent column, I made an inartful comparison with the murder of Emmett Till," she posted in a statement on Instagram. "I intended to connect the issues the WNBA is currently facing with its All-Star Game being hosted in Till’s hometown of Chicago. I obviously did not provide enough context for that. However, this point stands: There is a history in this country of perceived threats to white women being weaponized against African-Americans, and the danger that poses to Black players in the league."

Clark previously condemned abuse against players, coaches and officials amid a surge in online threats.

"I’ve said up here and said before, the harassment, the hate, none of that is OK," Clark said, according to the Associated Press. "That goes for the opposing team we play, that goes for my teammates, that goes for my coaches."

The WNBA and its players’ union announced Wednesday that the league would enhance security resources following discussions about racist, hateful and abusive messages directed at players, according to Reuters.