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Clay Travis loves to stir the pot, and he has basketball Twitter in a tizzy today.
Recently on his "Outkick" show, Travis pledged to give the WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces $1 million if they could beat a high school boys state championship team in a game.
Aces point guard Chelsea Gray called Travis a "dumbass." Sixers guard Patrick Beverley said Travis should be drug tested for making the claim that the high school team would win.
Today, Travis announced that his million has been matched by gambling company BetOnline.ag. The online sportsbook is backing the WNBA team and would fork over $1 million should the women lose to the boys.
"We want to see this game happen...heck, I think the whole basketball world wants to see this happen, and that's why we've committed to pay the million to the boys team should they win," BetOnline.ag Brand Manager Dave Mason said. "This would be an enormous event that would shatter viewership records and generate a ton of attention for the high school, the WNBA and the sport as a whole."
There hasn't been a true "Battle of the Sexes" contest since Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in 1973. The match was viewed by an estimated 50 million people in the United States and 90 million worldwide.
Gambling company @betonline_ag has offered $1 million to the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces if they can beat a high school boy’s state champion of my choosing. The WNBA team now no longer has to put up $1 million, they just have to win and they get $1 million.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 9, 2023
Twitter chatter is arguing both sides of this matchup. In a case for the Aces, people point to professionalism and root fundamentals. Supporters of the high schoolers argue that the sheer physical disparity would be too much for the women to overcome.
BetOnline, which offers a multitude of women's sports odds markets beyond basketball such as NCAA hockey and volleyball, said that this potential matchup would be the most wagered on "WNBA game" ever.
"It's proven that sports fans want to see these types of events happen," Mason said. "Whether it's Floyd Mayweather fighting Conor McGregor or an NFL player competing against PGA golfers, this stuff sells. And with this being a new-age 'Battle of the Sexes' competition...that only adds to the intrigue and entertainment value."
Mason said that they would offer betting odds for the game, but that they couldn't provide early projections without knowing the teams, format and rules.
Travis' pinned tweet link is below, and here is the copy of a post he wrote an hour ago in response to a comment:
A member of the world champion Las Vegas Aces called me a dumbass for saying a high school boy’s state champ team would beat the WNBA champ. I offered a million dollar bet for her to prove me wrong. Now a gambling company has put a million on the line for them without asking for anything. I don’t see how this is mean spirited at all. I’m putting my money where my mouth is. All they have to do is show up and win and they get a million and can prove I’m a dumbass. Zero dollars risked. Seems like a great deal to me. Especially since WNBA players are so underpaid.
- BetOnline Press
