C’monnnnn Unc!
Source: (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) / (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Shannon Sharpe is facing criticism over comments some perceive as anti-Black, aimed at a Megan Thee Stallion fan who he said “robbed a horse of its hair,” after going viral for his fierce defense of WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark.
On Sept. 25, backlash ensued as netizens took issue with Sharpe’s assertion on First Take that Clark, the popular player for the Indiana Fever, brought unprecedented attention to the WNBA during her rookie season. Critics were quick to point out that he failed to acknowledge the significant contributions of past players who paved the way for the league before Clark’s arrival.
An X user named @SpikeTeeJoint, was the first to slam the Club Shay Shay host, calling Sharpe’s comments disrespectful “to rest of the women of W.”
“My issue is @ShannonSharpe never speaks on the disrespect the rest of the women of the W experienced. Always defending Caitlin. The WNBA disrespect didn’t START with Caitlin, they’ve been disrespected for YEARS. Caitlin’s buzz made that hate way worse and people who tried to have the other women’s backs got called ‘haters’ by people like Shannon/SAS who wanted us to be thankful for ratings boosts,” the user penned.
Instead of apologizing, Sharpe, 56, doubled down on his support of Clark.
“That’s your issue not mine. I have no issue with anything I’ve said in regards 2 WNBA and its players past or present,” he replied to the netizen.
A female user named @UnGodlyWests, who had an image of Meg as her profile pic, stepped in to throw another shot at the former Denver Broncos star, writing sarcastically that she was “sure” Sharpe had no issue defending the 22-year-old basketball sensation, who he claimed brought “ratings” and “merchandise sales” to the league this year during his First Take rant.
However, the ESPN personality fired back decisively with a shady comment about the user’s crown.
“Why are you [on] my page? Don’t you have another horse 2 rob of his hair? Stop trying 2 kill my vibe.”
Social media users went in on Sharpe.
X users were quick to call out Sharpe, pointing out that he inadvertently mocked Megan’s profile picture instead of a random internet user.
“You never beating the anti-Black allegations,” wrote one user. Another X-goer commented, “Does Shannon Sharpe have an obsession with hair or does he just hate Black women?”
At first, Sharpe, famously known as “Unc,” tried to defend himself from the anti-black allegations.
“What’s even more anti black is the ish y’all say 2 black ppl you don’t even know,” he wrote in a follow-up post. “I don’t go on ppl tl and talk reckless but some of y’all do and when the response isn’t what you hoped 4. You’re anti black, buck dancing. Get what you give.”
After facing backlash from numerous X users, the ESPN host ultimately decided to stop arguing on the Internet.
“Sept 25 2024 at 6:06 pm. I will no longer respond 2 any negativity,” he penned. “It’s not [that] serious 4 me. I’ve got kids and I would [be] upset with them IF* they responded in this manner. This is beneath me. Y’all pray 4 me tho.”
Shannon Sharpe is having quite a year. What do you think of his comments? Was it giving anti-Black?