Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) responded to Dave Portnoy’s two-day troll spree regarding unionization, and in the process, gave both him and Barstool Sports exactly what they were hoping for.
Sorry AOC, now youse can’t leave.
On Monday, August 13, Bill Simmons’ The Ringer announced that editorial was unionizing and encouraged followers to support their efforts. In response to the news, Barstool Sports’ El Pres decided to recycle an old blog he penned when Gawker decided to unionize.
The article is clearly satire and was put forth in a joking manner both when it was originally published and now, but nevertheless, Portnoy continued to troll with it this week while promising that he would “smash” any effort by Barstool employees to unionize.
The entire thing is very obviously a big joke, since it has been clear for years that Barstool employees are among some of the happiest workers in the digital media space.
In an industry that is continuously and mercilessly either laying people off or abusing them with bad pay, Barstool has reportedly provided perks like 401K and medical – without ever needing a union to force their hand.
Naturally, Portnoy’s union troll job angered a lot of people on Twitter. That was to be expected. What was unexpected, however, is that a sitting United States Congresswoman would take the bait.
And yet that is exactly what AOC did.
On Tuesday morning, the New York congresswoman tweeted out:
“If you’re a boss tweeting firing threats to employees trying to unionize, you are likely breaking the law &can be sued,in your words, “on the spot.”
ALL workers in the US have the protected freedom to organize for better conditions.
See @NLRB &union orgs like @AFLCIO for tips. https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1161268795278790658 …”
If you’re a boss tweeting firing threats to employees trying to unionize, you are likely breaking the law &can be sued,in your words, “on the spot.”
ALL workers in the US have the protected freedom to organize for better conditions.
See @NLRB &union orgs like @AFLCIO for tips. https://t.co/bU7WlHrp1d
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 13, 2019
Portnoy, in turn, issued a response of his own:
“Hey @AOC welcome to thunder dome. Debate me.”
Hey @aoc welcome to thunder dome. Debate me. https://t.co/XEmEvt12N4
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 13, 2019
The irony here is, once again, worth noting. All of this anger and outrage directed towards Portnoy and his tweets, and yet he is one of the only media moguls at the head of a digital media company that actually treats employees well both financially and in terms of editorial freedom.
AOC may not have known enough about Portnoy and Barstool to avoid falling into his trap, but it’s too late now.
Should be interesting to see where this whole thing goes.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
