Two weeks after battling his Fox Sports colleague Emmanuel Acho on social media, Doug Gottlieb embroiled himself into more Fox drama by slamming Skip Bayless.
On his Tuesday radio show, Gottlieb discussed Russell Westbrook’s resentment after being chided by fans as “Westbrick,” a jeer meant to mock the point guard’s head-scratching shooting woes.
Bayless is notorious for his name-calling, previously labeling LeBron James “Drama King” and “Queen James,” while similarly insulting Chis Bosh as “Bosh Spice.” This year, the Fox Sports hot take artist also made “Westbrick” one of his favorite quips.
“I understand he works for Fox Sports,” Gottlieb said. “I understand he makes a ton of money. I think it’s disgraceful what Skip Bayless has done.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUOkbv7bD1U
Earlier this week, Westbrook explained why he no longer tolerates the insult, telling reporters he recognizes the pride his son has when writing his last name in school. The nine-time All-Star said he now considers the jeer to be shaming.
“You can’t normalize this behavior,” Gottlieb said of Bayless’s name-calling. “It’s a lot like the Trump conversation. You can tell me whatever you want about his politics, but the way in which he would speak to people, treat people, handle sensitive information was not that of the president of the United States…it’s unacceptable behavior.”
“If you’re gonna make a reported $6 million or whatever he makes to be on TV you know what you shouldn’t be? You shouldn’t be a name-caller,” Gottlieb added of Bayless. “What are you doing? You’re 70 years old. You’ve been covering sports your entire life, you don’t call people names. You can say he’s a terrible shooter.”
While the term Westbrick is not derogatory or even offensive at first glance, when Westbrook spoke about the pride his son has in his last name, it becomes easier to understand why the All-Star point guard isn’t a fan of the tired pun.
“Don’t call people names, it’s not that hard,” Gottlieb said of the 70-year-old Bayless. “Let’s just grow up a bit.”
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com