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Dave Portnoy slammed the latest Caitlin Clark critic — and he is not alone.
USA Today’s sports columnist Nancy Armour invoked Emmett Till in her piece on Clark’s flopping and arguing foul calls.
The tragic story of Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy who was abducted and lynched during a family visit to Mississippi in 1955, was used by Armour as a comparison for the apparent dangers Clark’s actions pose to her WNBA colleagues.
Her story, which has since been updated, had one paragraph that was particularly controversial.
“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,” Armour originally wrote in her column for USA Today. “The WNBA’s All-Star Game this weekend is in Chicago, Emmett Till’s hometown, and a local art gallery is currently hosting an exhibit imagining his life if he hadn’t been lynched.
“While it’s incumbent on the WNBA to do more to protect its players, there also should be an expectation on Clark to recognize the wider consequences of her actions.”
Portnoy — the Barstool Sports founder and outspoken Clark supporter — didn’t mince words when he directly called out Armour in a post on X.
“Congrats to USA Today’s Nancy Armour! She has written the dumbest [paragraph] not only of my lifetime but in the history of sports. 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,” Portnoy wrote in a post on X.
Armour later released a statement apologizing for the Till comparison, but upheld her belief that abuse and threats directed toward WNBA players should be taken more seriously.
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 Congrats to USA Today’s Nancy Armour! She has written the dumbest paragraph not only of my lifetime but in the history of sports. This is an article that says @CaitlinClark22 arguing calls has become dangerous for the @wnba and civil rights. Nancy Armour… pic.twitter.com/4nWGZf0gin
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 23, 2026“In my recent column, I made an inartful comparison with the murder of Emmett Till. I intended to connect the issues the WNBA is currently facing with its All-Star Game being hosted in Till’s hometown of Chicago,” Armour said.
“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.
“Players have been abused online and have reported receiving death threats. That has to be taken more seriously. I sincerely regret that my lack of appropriate context is overshadowing that important conversation and the action that needs to be taken by the WNBA to address it directly – for the benefit of ALL players.”
Front Office Sports reached out to USA Today for comment on the piece and whether the publication stood by Armour’s words.
“Nancy is a Sports columnist, and her column is clearly labeled Opinion,” Lark-Marie Anton, chief communications and brand officer for USA Today Co., said in response. “Please note that the column has been updated for clarity, and Nancy has addressed the matter here (and below). We will not be commenting further.”
Portnoy doubled down on his condemnation of Armour in a separate post on X after she made her account private.
“Nothing screams coward like saying something utterly insane and being private so you can live in your little echo chamber pretending reality doesn’t exist Fire this lady,” Portnoy said. “Fire the editor who posted it. Fire the USA Today for crimes against humanity.”
Armour has received much criticism for the story, even beyond the Till comparison.
Armour also linked Clark’s fanbase to white nationalists, yet she insists in the article that there is no hostility on her part toward Clark.
The outcry from Armour’s divisive piece comes just days after NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Clark has become a “political football.”
Silver addressed the controversy surrounding Clark and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, who was suspended for one game after punching the Indiana Fever star in the throat.
“Ultimately, the issues around Caitlin Clark are not largely about officiating and that particular incident is not about whether a foul should have been called at the time in the game or whether that was ultimately a flagrant on review,” Silver said.
“She has become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it’s incredibly unfair to her. I don’t think that issue is ultimately about officiating. It’s become political ping-pong with her. And she’s a young woman who’s trying to improve her game.”
Thomas has re-posted threats that she received on social media, one of which led to the firing of a Hilton employee.
Armour also unpacked the flagrant foul, but argued that Clark’s actions have put other players around the league at risk.
Clark’s meteoric rise in the sport has been surrounded by controversy, especially since entering the WNBA, and this is the latest example for the 24-year-old.
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