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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Dave Portnoy lashes out at Stephen A Smith with savage dig over controversial Caitlin Clark brawl take
Barstool Sports chief Dave Portnoy took a brutal shot at Stephen A. Smith over the sports media personality's controversial take on Caitlin Clark. Clark and the WNBA were once again thrust into the spotlight Tuesday night when the Indiana Fever superstar found herself at the center of a number of on-court skirmishes. In a tense clash against the Sun, Clark was jabbed in the eye by Connecticut's Jacy Sheldon, who had previously been caught in a heated exchange with the Fever guard, before being slammed to the floor by Marina Mabrey in a violent moment which sparked outrage online. However, Smith suggested Clark wasn't entirely innocent in the shocking on-court outburst, which is just the latest in a number directed at the Iowa product. 'Clearly, when it comes to Caitlin Clark, there's some resentment, as I've articulated before. What people are missing, Monica, is that I have no problem with it whatsoever,' Smith told Monica McNutt during Wednesday's episode of 'First Take'. 'Yes, there's resentment... this is much ado about nothing! In the heat of competition, tempers flare! Last time I checked, women got tempers just like men do. It ain't a problem! It ain't a problem at all! It ain't no big deal at all! I love it, personally.' I'll take things that never happened but ESPN always pretends did for 100 Alex. Less solitaire. More facts @1stephenasmith. — Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 18, 2025 Dave Portnoy (R) called out Stephen A. Smith (L) for his take on the Caitlin Clark brawl The Indiana Fever star was poked in the eye before being shoved to the ground by her rivals 'Caitlin Clark being that golden goose, that rising tide that's lifting all boats, I stand by my past proclamations that there's resentment towards her because of that. But I want to take it a step further: There's also resentment towards her because she instigates resentment towards her sometimes.' But a furious Portnoy, who had expressed his outrage at Mabry Tuesday night, took issue with Smith's version of events as he used a 'Jeopardy!' reference to shut down the ESPN analyst. 'I'll take things that never happened but ESPN always pretends did for 100 Alex. Less solitaire. More facts @1stephenasmith,' Portnoy wrote on X in response to a clip of Smith's take. The American businessman further rubbed salt in the wound by taking a dig at Smith's courtside game of solitaire. Smith, who earlier this year signed a $100million ESPN contract, was caught playing the card game on his phone during the NBA Finals, where he was working for the network last week. Clark had been prodded in the eye by Sheldon during the second quarter of the Fever's 88-71 win. When the Indiana superstar reacted angrily to being struck by Sheldon, the latter's teammate, Mabrey, raced over and slammed her to the floor in a violent moment which sparked outrage online. Somehow she avoided an ejection from the game despite the shove being unprovoked, much to the dismay of WNBA fans - including Portnoy. The Barstool founder called for 'jealous loser' Mabrey to be kicked out of the league over her attack on Clark. Clark slammed onto the court after the violent nudge by Marina Mabrey Portnoy has called for Connecticut Sun star Mabrey to be banned from the WNBA 'Marina Mabrey is a jealous loser punk,' Portnoy wrote on X Tuesday night. 'Asks to be traded on every single team she's on until she's on worst team in the league and completely irrelevant unless she's cheap shorting Caitlin. Go play in rec league where nobody gives a s*** about you.' 'Imagine not kicking Marina Mabrey out after she assaults the face of the league? Just a common tech? Sick league @WNBA Also shouldn't have been a tech on Caitlin since that girl got in her face after gouging her eyes.' The Barstool founder's outrage didn't end there, as he later posted a long rant, further coming to Clark's aid. Portnoy called out the league's commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, WNBA referees, and some of the franchise owners for letting the league get to a place where players putting their hands on Clark as much as they have has become the norm. Partway through his lengthy rant, Portnoy once again turned his focus to the Sun player, adding: 'Then bang, Marina Mabrey... who if you don't know who that is, she's been on 32 different teams in two years, she cries, whines, leaves one team, goes to another, demands a trade... she's an irrelevant journeyman. She runs up to Caitlin after the whistle and f***ing slams into her and knocks her down. An obvious ejection! 'Marina Mabrey look in the mirror. The reason that you have any money before the end of your career is number two two. Nobody even cared who you were until she got into the league. So cheap shot her like that, what are you? Dumb? 'More importantly, the league, the refs, you're going to let people take cheap shots like that over and over and over at the face of your league? The future of your league? The most important player in your league? How do you not eject her?' The WNBA came out Wednesday and admitted that Mabrey should have faced harsher punishment for her part in the on-court skirmish. Mabrey's technical has been upgraded to a flagrant 2, which would have brought about an ejection had it been dished out on the night.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Stephen A. Smith accused of lying as video emerges after denial of 'embarrassing' act in NBA Finals
Stephen A. Smith has been accused of lying after video emerged of him playing soliatire on his phone during the NBA Finals, where he was working for ESPN. Smith, who earlier this year signed a $100million ESPN contract, was at first only pictured playing on his phone during the game and he insisted it had been taken during a timeout. But now, video has surfaced showing the NBA Finals game between Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers being played in front of him while he was glued to his phone. The ESPN man had defiantly shot down suggestions he wasn't being professional on Friday night, saying on X: 'Yep! That's me. Who would've thought….I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS! Hope y'all are enjoying the NBA Finals. This is going 7 games now, peeps!' That tweet now has a scathing readers' note which says: 'Stephen A. Is lying. This photo was taken during gameplay, NOT during a timeout.' Smith, who has not responded yet to the video, was tagged in a post by X user @BleedBlue1986, who wrote: 'How can you have all of these opinions while you're playing solitaire instead of watching the game @stephenasmith?' He has been accused of lying after video showed him playing on his phone during the game The user then replied to his denial: 'Fool, this was you during game play. There's videos. You started this new round during timeouts.' Smith was also mocked by NBA great Kevin Durant on social media - the Phoenix Suns player shared the picture of Smith on his Instagram with the caption: 'Cmon Steve'. Durant wasn't the only one who was left unimpressed. 'That's embarrassing,' one user said about Smith's behavior in Indianapolis. 'He is a disgrace,' another fumed. 'And some of you believe he watches games in his free time from home. He can't even watch a game 4 NBA finals game in person,' argued a third. 'ESPN used to be serious but have become such a gimmick based sports network.' Later in the night, Smith shared a photoshop of his phone screen, showing last night's game alongside solitaire. It is all the more remarkable though because Friday's NBA showdown was a huge night of drama, with the Thunder beating the Pacers 111-104 to level the Finals at 2-2. The Thunder went on a gripping 12-1 rampage in the final three minutes to seize victory. Newly-crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 35 points to lead all scorers, including a 12-for-24 mark from the field. Smith's embarrassing moment comes after he ramped up his feud with Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton, who appeared to throw shade at him earlier this week by saying: 'What do they really know about basketball?' After responding by calling him 'ignorant', the outspoken analyst continued about Haliburton: 'It just amazes me how cats can be sometimes. Win the damn chip, bro. 'In the first two games of this NBA final series, you had your moment with 1.3 seconds left. Other than that, you didn't play well.' Game 5 in the series is Monday night, back in Oklahoma.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
ESPN's Mike Greenberg opens up about horrifying heart condition and the procedure he says changed his life
It wasn't just an irregular heartbeat bothering ESPN's Mike Greenburg when the married father of two was diagnosed with an atrial fibrillation (AFib) in 2015. As the long-time sports media personality told the New York Post, his condition led to severe anxiety, sleepless nights, and fear of another episode like the one that left him hospitalized that ultimately took its toll. 'I was in my mid-40s, I was just sitting on my couch and suddenly felt my heart racing up in the 160s or 170s,' the 57-year-old said. 'Imagine sprinting on a treadmill, that was my heart rate while sitting.' Greenberg knew about his condition before the episode, but admits that still didn't prepare him for what was to come over the ensuing years. 'At first, it was manageable with meds, I was on beta blockers and used a "pill-in-the-pocket" approach,' Greenberg said. 'It worked — until it didn't. 'The episodes became more frequent,' he continued. 'The meds didn't stop them anymore. I'd lay awake at night feeling my heart race, frustrated and scared.' Greenberg's workload wasn't helping. Typically waking up at 3am, Greenberg kept his condition a secret from coworkers while frequently logging seven days a week. 'The moment that pushed me to act was in summer 2022,' he said. 'My wife [Stacey] and I went to Burgundy, France — my favorite wine region. But I was afraid to enjoy it. I was sipping tiny amounts, scared of setting off an episode. That trip was one of many other moments that made me realize, I couldn't live like that.' By March of 2023, Greenberg got a second opinion from Dr. Jim Cheung, who suggested a minimally invasive catheter ablation procedure. Not only was this an outpatient procedure, allowing Greenberg to sleep in his own bed that night, but he was back at work within a week and hasn't suffered any subsequent symptoms. 'That second opinion changed my life,' Greenberg said. 'I met with Dr. Cheung, who said I was a good candidate. We scheduled the procedure around my ESPN schedule, right between NFL free agency and the NBA playoffs. 'I had the procedure on a Monday, slept in my own bed that night and was back to work the following Monday. Within three weeks, I was working out again. And since then — no episodes. It's been transformational. 'The device used in my procedure was manufactured by Johnson & Johnson MedTech, a global leader in cardiac arrhythmia treatment. Without this procedure, I couldn't have done it. The sleepless nights, the anxiety — I wouldn't have made it. 'I didn't have the "Sunday Countdown" job yet in spring 2023, but I do now. It's the highlight of my career, and I couldn't have taken it on without having that procedure.'
CNA
10-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Italy plans to scrap no single buyer rule in Serie A TV rights sale
MILAN :Italy plans to remove a ban on Italy's Serie A top flight soccer league selling its domestic broadcast rights to a single buyer, a draft government bill seen by Reuters showed, marking a major overhaul of media rules for live sports events. Italy introduced the "no single buyer rule" to avoid creating a dominant player in the pay-TV sector in 2008, when it approved a law entrusting sport leagues to collectively sell the rights to screen live matches. Broadcasting rights are the main revenue source for Serie A clubs but they lag behind those of other major European national leagues. Under existing contracts expiring in the 2028-29 season, Serie A earns some 900 million euros ($1 billion) annually from sport streaming service DAZN and pay-TV firm Sky, with the former screening all of the games and Sky co-broadcasting some of them. That sum is roughly half of the annual domestic broadcasting revenue of England's Premier League, which has a 'no single buyer rule' in place. Germany's Bundesliga, which last year removed its 'no single buyer rule', pockets some 1.1 billion euros annually from domestic broadcasting licences, according to data compiled by UEFA. The Italian government also plans to introduce changes in the way Serie A distributes the TV revenue among clubs, raising to "above 50 per cent" from the current 50 per cent the sum which must be equally split among all clubs, the draft bill showed. Clubs which develop and field young Italian players will be also granted additional revenue.($1 = 0.8758 euros)
CNN
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Bob Costas: Trump's attacks on the media are unlike anything in my lifetime
'The free press is under attack,' Bob Costas said at an awards ceremony Monday evening. 'Democracy as we know it is under attack.' The famed sports broadcaster was at the Edison Ballroom podium in New York, accepting a lifetime achievement Mirror Award for his 'distinct, consistent and unique contributions to the public's understanding of the media.' What began as a speech reflecting upon a 50-year career in sports journalism quickly became a scorching sermon about the state of sports media and the threats to the free press coming from President Donald Trump. 'What's happening now are not matters of small degree,' Costas, 73, said of the Trump administration's attacks on journalism, including personal lawsuits, FCC investigations, and crackdowns on press access. 'They're different in kind to anything certainly in my lifetime and maybe in the history of the American presidency.' Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. The president 'intimidated ABC into reviewing George Stephanopoulos,' Costas said of the network settling Trump's 2024 defamation lawsuit brought against it after the star anchor repeatedly said on-air that Trump had been 'found liable for rape' in the E. Jean Carroll case when a jury had found him liable for sexual abuse. 'All they should have said was George misspoke,' the sportscaster said. 'They didn't have to pay a $15 million ransom.' Costas then turned his attention to CBS News. 'Did Shari Redstone — because she wants to effect a merger that Trump's FCC could stand in the way of — did she have to besmirch and undercut the gold standard in our lifetime of broadcast journalism, '60 Minutes?'' Redstone, 71, currently controls Paramount Global, the global media company that owns CBS News. She is seeking to sell her stake in the company as part of a merger with Skydance Media, but the deal needs approval from the Trump administration. As a result, Redstone has reportedly sought to settle the president's lawsuit against CBS over a '60 Minutes' segment — a lawsuit that legal experts have repeatedly deemed bogus — sparking outcry from the network's journalists. 'Paying $20 million in ransom to Trump is just the cost of doing business when there's billions of dollars at stake,' Costas remarked. (ABC and CBS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.) 'These are ongoing assaults on the basic idea of a free press,' he said. 'It does not mean that we are without fault,' Costas said. 'It does not mean that the legacy or mainstream media doesn't screw up from time to time or have blind spots or misplaced narratives.' However, he added, 'if the answer to that is MAGA media, if the answer to that is Donald Trump's view of the world, which is only through a prism of what benefits him… I'll stay where we are.' 'I used to love Bob Costas, but then he turned political,' Costas said he's often heard from sports fans. 'You know what, if that's what you think and that's how you think and you think it in defense of that guy, I wear that as a badge of honor.' Costas has often drawn criticism from fellow sports broadcasters for using his perch to bring attention to political issues. In one particularly famous instance in December 2012, he devoted his 'Sunday Night Football' segment to make a plea for gun control after a Kansas City Chiefs linebacker shot and killed his girlfriend and then himself outside the team's practice facility. Costas, who left NBC Sports in 2019 after 40 years there, also lamented the current state of sports broadcasting, which he said 'tragically' lacks in-depth coverage of the political and social issues intimately connected to the games themselves. Such issues, he said, 'need to be covered, not during the game, not in between pitches, or in between free throws, but at some point need to be covered.' Costas suggested that broadcasters have become deferential to the sports leagues, avoiding interrogative questions or controversial topics altogether. 'With all the hundreds and hundreds of hours of coverage, let's say, of the NFL, can't there be a 'Meet the Press'-style interview of [commissioner] Roger Goodell somewhere?' He quipped: 'Sports isn't brain surgery, but it doesn't have to be brain dead either.'
