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The NWHL has a Barstool problem, and it can no longer look away

For a while now, there’s been an easy, informal alliance between several professional women’s hockey players and Erika Nardini, the CEO of Barstool Sports, the controversial media brand known for its toxic culture of online harassment.

As the National Women’s Hockey League kicks off their two-week bubble tournament in Lake Placid, New York, Nardini has heavily promoted the women’s game on her social media accounts and featured NWHL players Kelly Babstock and Rebecca Russo on her podcast, Token CEO.  In early December, Nardini got support from Metropolitan Riveters’ captain Madison Packer, who endorsed a tweet about Nardini potentially being involved in the NWHL.  In the past, several women’s hockey players have also shown support for Barstool’s NHL podcast, Spittin’ Chiclets.

On the surface, these are innocuous enough interactions, but considering Barstool’s long reputation for sexist, racist and misogynistic behavior, fans and media members (myself included) questioned why the NWHL, which has claimed to embrace diversity and inclusion, would associate with a brand that emboldens and embraces such repugnance.

For a brief primer, there’s the time the site’s founder Dave Portnoy used the N-word, and then refused to apologize. Or the time Barstool stole jokes from a women and then harassed her for it. Or the targeting of ESPN’s Sam Ponder. Or, as recently as earlier this month, when a Twitter mob descended on San Francisco Chronicle writer Tara Duggan for calling the site “controversial.”

Barstool’s problematic history is not just long, but foundational to their way of operating. The site, and its devoted followers, see themselves as victims of “cancel culture,” and gin up grievances over any small criticism. Instead of acknowledging and apologizing for clearly reprehensible actions, Barstool, as a collective, turn to targeted harassment, bombarding anyone who dares to speak up against them with threats and insults.

It’s no surprise then, that any alliance with Barstool, whether it be through Portnoy or Nardini, means legitimizing a toxic cesspool of bad behavior. As the site’s CEO, Nardini could take a firm stand against such behavior, but under her leadership that kind of behavior has not just continued to thrive, but she has actively participated in it.

In response to backlash against NWHL players aligning with Barstool, Nardini complied a video reel of critical tweets, subjecting many of the young, female reporters and NWHL staff to social media harassment. The move was not just ill advised, but a potential safety threat to women who, for little to no money sometimes, have done the hard work of growing women’s hockey for years.

In a move practiced by people who don’t want to engage with the actual issue, Nardini brushed off the criticism as the work of “haters” without acknowledging and taking accountability for her own role in upholding Barstool’s culture. Ganging up and punching down is the epitome of the brand, and Nardini has not just doubled down on it, but decided to sell t-shirts.

Until Nardini released the video, her and Barstool’s NWHL fandom would have likely emerged unscathed. But, Nardini miscalculated and went way too far. In calling out one of the NWHL’s social media managers and attacking reporters who have long established relationships with the league, she pushed the league and players, several of who took a knee during the national anthem, to speak up.

Just hours after Nardini’s video went up, the Riveters’ Saroya Tinker, one of the NWHL’s few Black players, was the first push back against Nardini’s false narrative and stand up for the marginalized women being attacked.

“WE, as a league do not want support from ANY openly racist platform. Point blank,PERIOD. If you, as the CEO cannot recognize that your platform promotes that of white supremacy & only further divides the athletic community, perhaps we need have a conversation. Pls keep your money,” she wrote.

The burden of speaking out against racism and sexism often falls on the shoulders of marginalized players, and this case is no different. Tinker was the first to say no to Barstool’s toxicity, a move that her white teammates should have taken the lead on long ago. After Tinker’s tweet, several of the NWHL’s players echoed her statements, denying Nardini not just legitimacy, but the ability to claim victim status.

Nardini hasn’t commented on the direct accusations, and has instead stuck with Barstool and Portnoy’s playbook of dismissing valid concerns as just more proof of “haters.” On social media, she’s continued to promote the NWHL and released a previously shot video featuring the Riveters’ Babstock.

All of this has placed the NWHL in a situation where they must now disavow the site completely. Despite voicing their commitment to diversity and social justice, with End Racism patches and slogans painted on shoes, the league has struggled with combating prejudice.  As long as players maintained soft associations with Nardini, the NWHL were free to not comment. Now, with player speaking up and actively pushing aside any association with Barstool, the NWHL has no choice but to do the same.

According to Marisa Ingemi, who covers the NWHL for Sportsnet and NBC Sports, the league was “disgusted” by the video.

Of late, Barstool’s defenders have pointed to the site’s fundraising efforts for small businesses, pointing towards that charity as a sign of their inherent good will. Yet, even with that enterprise, all Barstool is doing is reaping good PR for other people’s money. Several celebrities have donated large sums to the pot, which is in the tens of millions, while the bulk of donations have come from regular people eager to help. Founder Portnoy says he donated $500,000 out of the $30 million raised so far, but has lapped up the all good press. Now, the Barstool Fund gets used as a shield against any accountability for their other actions.

For Barstool, sexism, racism and harassment is treated as a good business strategy, one used to sell t-shirts and grow the brand. What it makes for is untenable relationships with anyone who doesn’t want to be associated with those things. And to make it clear, if a league or player does associate with Barstool, that is the behavior they are embracing. There is no supporting only one part of the enterprise. Supporting Nardini means supporting Barstool. It is toxic, it is dangerous, and it has to stop.

Update: The NWHL issued a statement condemning Nardini’s video.

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