Dave Portnoy says USA Today writer belongs in 'insane asylum' over Caitlin Clark-Emmett Till comparison - Fox Business

What the report says

Fox Business reported that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy sharply criticized USA Today columnist Nancy Armour over a column that connected the debate around WNBA star Caitlin Clark with the legacy of Emmett Till’s 1955 lynching. Portnoy made the remarks Friday on Fox Business’ “Varney & Co.,” saying Armour should be fired and using highly inflammatory language to describe what he viewed as an unacceptable comparison.

According to Fox Business, Armour’s column argued that some reactions to Clark’s disputes with referees and physical play in WNBA games reflect a pattern in which perceived threats to White women are used against Black people. The article referenced the WNBA All-Star Game being held in Chicago, where Till lived before he was abducted and killed in Mississippi as a 14-year-old after a White woman accused him of improper behavior. Till’s murder became a defining event in the civil rights movement.

Portnoy rejected the linkage as “insane,” according to the report, and said both Armour and editors involved in publishing the column should lose their jobs. He also argued that sports commentary too often frames disputes through race, saying that approach worsens racial tensions.

Fox Business also reported that Armour posted an apology Thursday on social media, calling her comparison to Till’s murder poorly framed and saying she had not provided enough context. She said she still stood by her broader point about threats involving White women being weaponized against Black Americans, but regretted that the way she wrote the column had overshadowed the WNBA-related issues she wanted addressed.