Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy calls The View’s Sunny Hostin a ‘RACIST’ for the host’s Caitlin Clark ‘privilege’ take

Dave Portnoy has branded Sunny Hostin a ‘racist’ after The View co-host controversially claimed Caitlin Clark is only popular because of ‘white privilege’.

During Wednesday’s edition of the ABC talk show, Hostin divided opinion by discussing the “privileges” that Clark — who broke numerous records in her historic college basketball career at Iowa — has enjoyed amid her dizzying rise.

“I really think there is such a thing as proper privilege,” the lawyer and journalist said. ‘There is such a thing as white privilege. There is such a thing as great privilege, and we need to recognize that.”

“And so some of it is about race, because when you think about the Brittney Grinners of the world, why did she have to go play in Russia? Because they wouldn’t pay her,” she said of the WNBA.

Hostin’s take on the Indiana Fever rookie has sparked controversy, with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy taking issue with her comments this week.

Clark has drawn criticism for her meteoric rise as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft

On It’s the way she plays.’

He then listed the players in question: “Dianna Turassi – Paige Buckets – Cameron Brink – Sue Bird – Ella Del Donne – Breanna Stewart – Sabrina Ionescu – Kelsey Plum.”

Clark enjoyed one of the most successful college careers of all time at Iowa before being selected by Indiana with the first overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft.

Despite going 0-5 in her Fever career, the 22-year-old is already putting more bums in seats in the WNBA, with last weekend’s loss to the New York Liberty generating a record $2 million in ticket revenue.

Hostin’s comments about Clark stemmed from the panel that addressed former ESPN anchor Jemele Hill, stating that her fame is a byproduct of her race and sexuality. While she agreed with the gist of the argument, Hostin said she has no problem with Clark focusing attention on the competition.

The Barstool founder labeled The View’s Sunny Hostin a ‘racist’ following her comments

Sunny Hostin insisted that Caitlin Clark’s popularity stems from ‘beautiful and white privilege’

Jemele Hill previously argued that Clark’s popularity is a byproduct of her race and sexuality

“Now Caitlin Clark is bringing this money, this sponsorship, we hope, to the league, and other players will benefit from it,” Hostin said. “But I do think she’s relatable to more people because she’s white, because she’s attractive, and unfortunately there’s still a stigma attached to the LGBTQ+ community.”

“Seventy percent of the WNBA is black. A third of players are in the LGBTQ+ community, and we need to address that stigma in this country. I think people have a problem with lesbians playing basketball. Who cares? They are great athletes.”

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin responded by saying she became a fan of the WNBA because Clark is “so fun to watch” — and noted it had nothing to do with her race.

While co-host Whoopi Goldberg argued that she and Hostin have been trying to advocate for the WNBA for years, the former also pushed back on Hill’s comments.

“It really bothered me that I had to shrink her down like that, because this is her record,” Goldberg said, pointing to her notecard.

Clark led Iowa to consecutive title game appearances and broke the Division 1 scoring record

Clark is averaging 17 points, four rebounds and 5.5 assists as the Fever sits at 0-4

“Unless you can show me who has a better record than this, this is why she gets the attention she gets, because she’s a damn good player and it doesn’t matter if she’s straight or gay. No one cries when she makes those balls.”

After Clark signed a lucrative $28 million deal with Nike after graduating, Hill called out sports brands for not sponsoring more diverse athletes.

“Black women are often erased from the picture,” Hill said. “There is plenty of room to highlight and celebrate Caitlin Clark’s popularity, while also discussing ways we cannot erase Black women from a class they have built and continue to build.”

So far in her rookie season, Clark is averaging 17 points, four rebounds and 5.5 assists as the Fever are off to an 0-4 start. Nevertheless, the WNBA has seen a spike in ticket sales and viewership at each game featuring Indiana’s newest star.