Sam Ponder took aim at Barstool Sports this week after ESPN, the company she works for, partnered with the comedy website for a late-night TV show. And as they often do, the folks at Barstool found a way to fire back.
In a series of tweets earlier in the week, Ponder reminded her followers of a Barstool post from 2014 that called her a “bible-thumping freak.” She also pointed out that the company’s founder, Dave Portnoy, referred to her as a “slut” once. Portnoy, who insists the comment was made in jest and taken out of context, responded by digging up some old tweets from Ponder in which she used the same term and said some other regrettable things.
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 17, 2017
Welcome to the mud. pic.twitter.com/55zX5lUjYw
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 17, 2017
Barstool has a massive, loyal following, and those readers often help the site’s writers expose their attackers as hypocrites. The same thing happened this week when Fansided founder Adam Best encouraged men in the sports media industry to speak out against Barstool for being a “disgusting outlet.” After Best put Barstool in his crosshairs, one of the site’s writers dug up dozens of tweets proving Best has made misogynistic and sexist comments on numerous occasions.
The tweets Ponder sent were from nearly seven years ago, when she was still in her early-20s. On Wednesday, the “Sunday NFL Countdown” host said she has changed a lot and has no problem owning her mistakes.
1/4 Let me save some researchers time: I have been immature at times. I’ve been unkind. A gossip. Insecure. Prideful. Selfish. Legalistic. Self-righteous. & on & on. This is my story. My testimony. I’m not who I was. I didn’t have to stay that way.
— Sam Ponder (@sam_ponder) October 18, 2017
2/4 The sins & immaturity of my past do not mean I can never speak up for what is right & good. & I have no problem taking the heat that inevitably comes. “You hypocrite!” Yes, yes I have been one. Many times, actually. This is my story. A mess of a human, saved by grace.
— Sam Ponder (@sam_ponder) October 18, 2017
3/4 I can simultaneously admit my own flaws & failings & say yes, I am disappointed that we are promoting a company name that still maintains support for horrific personal attacks against multiple women within ESPN.
— Sam Ponder (@sam_ponder) October 18, 2017
4/4 I am speaking up not to say “I am perfect, be like me” but rather “where do we draw a line, what are our standards?” I don’t meet my own standards sometimes. This does not mean we throw the standard away. This means we get better. We speak up. We listen. We get better.
— Sam Ponder (@sam_ponder) October 18, 2017
Barstool’s show on ESPN2, “Barstool Van Talk,” premiered Tuesday night. It is hosted by Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter, who are the men behind “Pardon My Take,” the most popular sports podcast on the web. Barstool has been highly critical of ESPN in the past, especially with the way Portnoy attacked the network over its Deflategate coverage.
Despite the mini-war Ponder waged against Barstool, ESPN has no plans to cancel the new show.
