It appears the WNBA has denied another credential request to Fox Corporation-owned Outkick.
The site founded by Clay Travis is at odds with the league after Outkick claims that the WNBA refused to accommodate its credential requests on multiple occasions. According to Dan Zaksheske, the right-wing sports media outlet attempted to obtain credentials for two games featuring Britney Griner of the Atlanta Dream.
They were denied twice.
Jemele Hill and Riley Gaines, the latter of whom has ties to Outkick, publicly clashed over alleged comments made by Brittney Griner during a recent game between the Dream and Indiana Fever. Outkick says it sought to ask Griner about what she supposedly said, what a certain faction on social media claims was “f*cking white girl” directed at Caitlin Clark, based on a few seconds of a viral, soundless clip.
Outkick argues the WNBA denied its credential request to avoid tough questions, while others suggest the entire premise hinges on an unconfirmed, bad-faith interpretation of a video with no audio.
The requested media credentials were for two Dream games: one against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 27, and another against the Connecticut Sun on June 6. Both requests were denied by the respective teams.
“Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate your request for a media credential for Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream on Friday, June 6,” the Sun wrote Outkick in an email, per Zaksheske. “Due to very limited space, priority is given to those that are associated with outlets that have consistently covered the organization for previous seasons.”
Zaksheke notes that the Sun granted Outkick several media credentials last year, including one for a playoff game featuring the Fever and Clark. But, this is also not new territory for the WNBA, which previously denied Outkick’s media credential request for the 2024 WNBA Draft. That came after Zaksheske generated headlines when he used the press conferences before the women’s national championship game as a platform to ask South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and Iowa’s Lisa Bluder about transgender women’s inclusion in sports.
The WNBA, like any professional league, has the right to approve or deny media credentials, especially when demand outpaces space and when policies prioritize outlets with a consistent track record of coverage. Outkick, however, is not a fringe blog or independent outlet; Fox Corporation owns it and carries the weight and reach of a major media entity.
Outkick believes it’s being excluded for asking uncomfortable questions.
The WNBA and its teams say they’re simply following standard credentialing procedures.
As the league continues to grow in visibility and attention, these kinds of disputes are likely to become more frequent.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.