The entire sports world is also mocking Trump administration's 'alternative facts'

Jokes on jokes on jokes.
 By 
Sam Laird
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Donald Trump aide Kellyanne Conway entered the history books and became late-night comedy fodder when she tried to rebrand falsehoods, untruths and outright lies as simply "alternative facts" during a nationally televised TV interview Sunday.

The sports world hasn't stopped laughing since. Conway's ignominious line is now popping up in press conferences, game notes and even on jumbotrons.

Our most recent arrival to the alternative facts party is Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team has struggled recently. Following a loss to the Celtics on Wednesday night, D'Antoni was asked about his team's 3-5 record since Jan. 13.

"Actually we won all those games," D'Antoni said, per team beat writer Jonathan Feigen. "I'm going with that alternative fact thing."

Good one, Mikey D. But perhaps the funniest sports joke came earlier in the week courtesy of an NHL team.

The Dallas Stars announced attendance for a for a home game as 1.5 million fans -- the number of people Conway insisted attended Trump's inauguration, despite numerous estimates putting the crowd at far less than half that size.

Now that's well played -- and surprisingly subversive from a sports team located in the heart of a very red state. (It's worth noting, however, that Dallas County voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a wide margin. She got 61% of the vote to his 35%.)

But we're not done here, folks. Sports people got jokes!

Before a University of Tennessee basketball game this week, the program's communications staff included a section of "alternative facts" in its pre-game notes. Included was a bullet-point claiming that Volunteers legend Allan Houston had only 1,100 Twitter followers when he enrolled at Tennessee in 2009. Another gag noted that current Vols forward Kyle Alexander first took up basketball after seeing the movie Teen Wolf when he was a high school senior in 1985.

Before his Golden State Warriors played the Orland Magic recently, coach Steve Kerr was asked about his short-lived stint in Orlando as a player. Kerr played less than a full season there in the early 90s, and averaged under three points per game in a Magic uniform.

But, in a nod to Trump's truth-challenged press secretary Sean Spicer, Kerr referenced a legendary Magic career in which he scored 14,000 points.

Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens has gotten in on the act, too.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, however, got more serious about the Tump administration's disregard for facts, truth and transparency.

"We've got to a point where you really can't believe anything that comes out of his mouth," Popovich said, per ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "You really can't. All those thousands that were on the rooftops after 9/11? There were like two. And 'We went to Hawaii and checked (Obama's) birth certificate and investigators couldn't believe what they found! There wasn't anything there. That kind of thing."

Popovich didn't give Conway or Spicer a pass, either.

"The Sean Spicers, the Kellyanne Conways, the Reince Priebuses that know that know who he is and actually have the cynical approach and disingenuous attitude to really defend him and try to make it look like he didn't say what he said," Popovich added, per Nichols. "And so when he's mad at the media for reporting what he said, that boggles my mind."

On second thought, maybe this whole alternative facts thing isn't so funny after all.

Topics Politics

Mashable Image
Sam Laird

Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Stephen Colbert condemns the Trump administration's reaction to ICE shooting
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage. The caption reads, "They're telling you to believe them and not eyes."

'SNL UK' cold open mocking Keir Starmer gets shared by Donald Trump
A worried man sits behind a desk.

Stephen Colbert mocks Trump administration walking back allegations against ICE shooting victim
Stephen Colbert on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.'

Jimmy Kimmel ridicules Trump response to ICE shooting: 'How stupid do you think we are?'
Jimmy Kimmel on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.'

Nintendo sues Trump administration over 'illegal' tariffs that delayed Switch 2 pre-orders
Nintendo Switch 2

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!