The Indiana Fever faced the Dallas Wings Friday night, which means WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark was front and center on national television. Yet ION, the channel broadcasting the game, snubbed Clark while promoting the game, prompting Barstool’s Dave Portnoy to call out the network.
Dave Portnoy Shocked Over ION’s Caitlin Clark Snub
The context of Portnoy’s shock comes from a graphic shared by the WNBA on ION account previewing the showdown between the Fever and Wings.
SHOWTIME IN PRIMETIME 🤩
The stars are shining in Indy as Paige Bueckers and the @DallasWings face off with Lexie Hull and the @IndianaFever. 💥
Coverage begins TONIGHT at 7 PM ET on ION 📺 pic.twitter.com/m8Vb8pKEoz
— WNBA on ION (@IONWNBA) August 14, 2026
The graphic shows Paige Bueckers representing the Wings, which makes sense given her status as the former No. 1 overall pick. Arike Ogunbowale is featured as well. Yet for the Fever, the graphic showcased Lexie Hull and Raven Johnson.
Bueckers and Ogunbowale are the leading scorers on the Wings this year. Meanwhile, Hull ranks sixth in scoring on the Fever, and Johnson is nearly at the bottom with 3.5 points per game.
All Portnoy could do was wonder if the graphic in question was a bit of trolling to spark engagement.
They out here trolling now? https://t.co/gojhOnihQ3
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 14, 2026
“They out here trolling now?” he asked.
All things considered, it was an odd graphic, even if we ignore the Clark snub at first. Sophie Cunningham, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston would ideally show up atop any list of prominent Fever players before getting to Hull and Johnson.
That is especially true given who was chosen to represent the Wings. It’s not like the team at ION decided to show off two reserve Wings players as well.
Then there is the Caitlin Clark of it all. Plenty of viewers will tune in specifically to see her play. This would be like ESPN advertising a Golden State Warriors game and leaving Steph Curry off the poster.
Portnoy’s question about trolling comes after months of perceived snubs toward Clark. That includes the MVP conversation. Clark is averaging 21.9 points per game this season, good enough for third in the entire WNBA. Yet she can’t even make a graphic for a regular-season game.
Why she continues to get snubbed remains a mystery and a daily talking point on social media. This storyline is not going away, and it will be interesting to see how the WNBA and its partners show off, or snub, Clark once the postseason arrives.
