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Listen, folks… Errol Marks is back, and I gotta tell you—sometimes sports gives you stories that are so ridiculous you don’t even need to write jokes.
The joke writes itself.
Enes Kanter Freedom got thrown out of a WNBA game.
And I’m sitting here thinking…
WAIT A MINUTE—HE’S NOT EVEN PLAYING!
This man wasn’t on the roster.
He wasn’t checking into the game.
He wasn’t arguing with the referee.
He wasn’t running a pick-and-roll.
THE MAN WAS SITTING IN THE STANDS!
Apparently, that was already enough cardio for the afternoon.
Kanter Freedom showed up to the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game wearing a black T-shirt that said:
“WOMAN — adult human female.”
And apparently that shirt had more offensive firepower than half the NBA benches!
Now here comes Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud, who apparently wasn’t a fan of the message.
During a timeout, Cloud walked toward Kanter Freedom and the two started going back and forth.
Kanter gets up.
Cloud is yelling.
Kanter is yelling.
Security is looking around like:
“WE CAME HERE TO WORK A BASKETBALL GAME. WHY ARE WE BREAKING UP A DEBATE TEAM?”
Security eventually stepped in and escorted Kanter Freedom out.
And Kanter wasn’t exactly leaving quietly.
This wasn’t:
“Excuse me, sir, you need to leave.”
And him saying:
“Absolutely. Have a wonderful evening.”
NO!
He was pumping his fist, waving to the crowd, mocking Cloud’s talking with a hand gesture and basically turning his ejection into his own personal halftime show.
I’m surprised he didn’t grab the PA microphone and say:
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending the Enes Kanter Freedom Comedy Tour. Security will now escort me to the lobby.”
Then he gets outside and posts:
“I just got kicked out of a WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!”
OH, IT SANK IN, ENES!
It sank in like a center falling through the floor on defense!
But here’s where this gets really interesting.
Because Kanter Freedom wasn’t just some random fan who wandered in wearing a controversial shirt.
He’s a former NBA player.
Eleven years in the NBA.
He knows what it’s like to be around professional athletes.
And he’s been very vocal in the debate surrounding transgender athletes and women’s sports.
So he knew exactly what he was walking into.
And that’s where I think the debate gets GOOD.
Because here’s my question:
Was Kanter Freedom ejected because he was being disruptive—or because of what his shirt said?
Because those are two completely different conversations.
If you’re screaming at players, getting into an altercation and creating a disturbance?
SECURITY! GET HIM OUTTA HERE!
I understand that.
But if somebody is sitting quietly wearing a shirt expressing a political or social opinion that you don’t like?
Now we’re entering a completely different neighborhood.
And that’s where the WNBA has to be careful.
Because this league has spent years trying to build its audience.
You don’t want every game turning into:
“Tonight’s matchup: Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky… presented by the United States Supreme Court.”
I came to watch basketball!
I want Caitlin Clark hitting threes.
I want players talking trash.
I want coaches yelling at referees.
I want somebody getting cooked on a switch.
I DON’T WANT SECURITY GUARDS RUNNING THE PICK-AND-ROLL!
And Sky coach Tyler Marsh basically said the same thing in a much nicer way.
His message was simple:
Come to the game to enjoy basketball.
And honestly?
That’s probably the biggest issue here.
The players shouldn’t have to become political punching bags every time they walk into an arena.
But fans also shouldn’t have to check their opinions at the door simply because somebody might disagree with them.
There’s a difference between expressing an opinion and disrupting an event.
That’s the line.
And Natasha Cloud clearly felt Kanter Freedom crossed it.
Kanter Freedom clearly felt the league crossed it by throwing him out.
Now everybody is arguing.
And guess what?
THAT’S EXACTLY WHY THIS STORY IS GOING VIRAL.
Because nobody is talking about the 113-90 basketball game anymore!
We’re talking about a T-shirt!
The scoreboard could have said:
Chicago 113, Indiana 90
But social media is saying:
KANTER FREEDOM 1 — SECURITY 0 — T-SHIRT 47 POINTS!
And here’s my favorite part.
Kanter Freedom actually spoke to police officers before leaving and was heard saying:
“This is unacceptable.”
Brother…
You played 11 years in the NBA.
You’ve dealt with NBA referees.
You’ve dealt with NBA fans.
You’ve dealt with NBA Twitter.
AND SECURITY AT A WNBA GAME IS WHERE YOU DRAW THE LINE?!
ERROL MARKS CANNOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP!
And let’s be honest—this entire situation is exactly what the WNBA says it doesn’t want.
Coach Stephanie White basically said:
Don’t give it any gas. It’s a social media thing.
Well…
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!
Because social media saw this story and put premium fuel in the tank!
Now everybody has an opinion.
Kanter Freedom has an opinion.
Natasha Cloud has an opinion.
The fans have an opinion.
The coaches have an opinion.
And I’m sitting here thinking:
CAN WE PLEASE GET BACK TO TALKING ABOUT BASKETBALL?!
Because if I buy a ticket to a WNBA game, I want to leave talking about who scored 30.
Not:
“Did you see what Enes was wearing?”
But here’s the debate I want to have on the show:
Should Kanter Freedom have been thrown out?
Was the shirt itself enough to get him removed?
Or did the verbal confrontation with Natasha Cloud cross the line?
Because if he was simply sitting there wearing a shirt, that’s one conversation.
If he was provoking players, yelling, escalating the situation and creating a disturbance, that’s another.
And that’s where I’m landing:
You can disagree with the message. You can hate the shirt. You can think the shirt is ridiculous.
But the question isn’t whether you like Enes Kanter Freedom.
The question is:
Did he actually break the rules—or did everybody just get offended?
And THAT, ladies and gentlemen…
is where Errol Marks is opening the microphone.
Because this isn’t just a WNBA story anymore.
This is a free speech, sports, fan behavior, player safety and “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AT THE BASKETBALL GAME?” story.
And you already know what time it is…
THE SPORTS LOUD MOUTH HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING!
Twitter: @ErrolMarks34
LinkedIn: Errol Marks
Instagram: @rollothamouth34
www.omahasteaks.com/NYSSportsLoudMouth
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My name is Errol Marks and I’d like to tell you why I believe I can be a major asset to your station. I’m from a small town in Long Island, NY and from a very young age I’ve always had a love for sports talk radio. Growing up, I would listen religiously to shows like Mike and the Mad Dog, Mike and Mike, and Imus in the Morning and studied what made those shows so great. I’ve made it my goal to be as influential as the hosts I grew up listening to, and with my knowledge of all major sports, enthusiastic and fearless personality, and my preparation skills, I know I can get to that level. This is an art and a medium that I’m passionate about and one that I feel can never be replaced.
What makes my story so unique goes beyond my 10+ years of experience in sports media. In addition to over ten years of creating and hosting sports talk radio shows, I created the World Wide Sports Radio Network - one of the first ever digital sports radio networks - in 2012. Since the network began, we have had some of the best content in digital sports media. We have six quality shows on our network covering all sports and sports betting. I’m currently hosting New York’s Sports Loud Mouth, and you can find that show and the rest of our great shows at https://worldwidesportsradio.com/.
Our network’s content and listenership has grown significantly year to year and, in the past year, we’ve achieved 3.6 million minutes listened on our audio stream, over 29k followers on tik tok, 500k viewed on YouTube, 1.7 million downloads on Apple Podcasts, and 906,917 plays on Spotify. While we are enjoying a continued increase in growth, I feel that we can take this to a new level and a new audience with your help.
My goal since the day I started is to become the greatest and most recognizable sports radio show host in the country. I can guarantee that nobody in this industry currently has my passion, personality or ability to shape the future of sports broadcasting and entertainment like I do. If given the opportunity, I hope to further share my story and many talents with you and your station.
Twitter: @ErrolMarks34
LinkedIn: Errol Marks
Instagram: @rollothamouth34
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