Angel City's David Dobrik Dilemma
On a PR nightmare that didn't need to be one.
If you’ve seen this talk cropping up in places but are frustrated by a lack of clear timeline, the connections between David Dobrik and the NWSL, why you should care at all, or if you have no idea who David Dobrik is, let’s just start with a basic run-down of facts.
David Dobrik is a social media star and extremely popular YouTuber. You’ve probably seen him pop up on Instagram giving away a Tesla every now and then. He makes videos and podcasts, usually with a rotating cast of people he dubs “the Vlog Squad.” A lot of his content involves pulling pranks on people.
David Dobrik was announced in December as an owner of Angel City FC, the new Los Angeles NWSL club that features a fully-stocked celebrity roster in their ownership department, from Serena Williams to Natalie Portman. He also bought a share of the club for one of his assistants as a birthday present, and filmed a video about it. If you need to know one thing about Dobrik, it’s this: everything is content.
Last week, a member of Dobrik’s Vlog Squad was accused of sexually assaulting a girl after getting her drunk. Dobrik included the girl in a since-deleted video just before the assault allegedly occurred. The implication is that Dobrik not only knew that this allegedly happened, he allegedly facilitated it.
Dobrik released a two-minute apology video in which he claimed consent was “super, super important” to him, which was also subsequently deleted after intense negative feedback from his fans who saw it as a bad-faith attempt to rescue his public image (which it was). Brands dropped his sponsorship deals en masse.
Angel City, after some initial confusion over the exact nature of Dobrik’s involvement with the club, announced he was no longer an owner or investor.
That’s it, the end. Right?
Not really. It took Angel City far too long to respond to the allegations made against Dobrik and his role with the team, and their supporters let them know it.
And here’s the other thing you should know about David Dobrik: this isn’t even close to the first time he’s been accused of misconduct, ranging from gross to possibly illegal, in the last year. In the last month. There’s a full timeline of allegations made against him in this article from Vulture, but some highlights include:
allegations of racism from a former Vlog Squad member in June 2020
allegations of ableism and, in general, being a mean-spirited bully for content from a former disabled Vlog Squad member in February 2021
numerous pranks filmed for content where consent is easily questionable, ranging from tricking a Squad member into kissing another, to hiding in a Squad member’s bathroom to scare the member’s girlfriend, who appeared to be naked at the time
Angel City’s vetting process didn’t appear to turn up any of that stuff, although they did claim they ran a criminal background check on Dobrik, but declined to share its results, probably for legal reasons. This is not a court of law, however, and these are not things you need a criminal background check to find. This is a private entity invested in its public image. And to that end, you would think a couple quick Google searches would be able to turn up the stuff that you would normally deem problematic.
Ah.
Look, at the end of all this business talk and public relations strategy, there are real people that were hurt in ways we cannot fathom here. That’s the ultimate truth that lies at the core. That fact becomes inextricably linked with Angel City, whose own website commits to “igniting higher expectations on and off the field with our players, our communities, and our youth.” It’s a women’s club owned in part by several high-profile women. It’s supposed to be progressive. It’s supposed to stand for lofty ideals. Higher expectations is baked into what Angel City is supposed to be. Or at least, that’s how it was sold to the public. The club doesn’t have a manager, any players, and hasn’t played a single second, but the sheen on the new club and its lofty mission statements already looks a little tarnished. And I’m not saying they gave a free pass to Dobrik on some of those earlier allegations because he had some sort of working relationship with Alexis Ohanian. But the two did clearly have some sort of business connection, and Dobrik did clearly get a pass, in some regard, as a walking PR nightmare and probable detriment to the values of the club. At absolute best, Angel City did not do their due diligence on checking him out prior to welcoming him to the investor group.
UPDATE: Alexis Ohanian’s venture capital firm, Seven Seven Six, publicly distanced itself from Dobrik on Monday and stated their intention to donate any profits from Dispo to an unnamed organization that works with sexual assault survivors.
And what makes me the most angry about all this is that in all probability, Dobrik was just doing this for clout and attention. The same reason he gave away Teslas on social media, the same reason he filmed all those pranks and stunts regardless of how the people around him felt about it. Becoming a sports owner was content. Angel City was content. And Angel City saw the dollar signs and attention that Dobrik himself brought, and went right along with it, until they couldn’t any longer.
The dilemma, as many fans see it, is that if Angel City really was who they say they are, Dobrik would’ve never been brought on in the first place, or at least would have been dismissed much quicker than they did. But there’s not even really an admission of wrong-doing in President Julie Uhrmann’s statement, no culpability. Just references to “doing hard things” and the announcement of Dobrik’s removal, as if picking off the scab heals the scar.
Angel City might very well be a great club that stands for its progressive values in meaningful ways in the months and years to come. They’re certainly not a lost cause, and there are plenty of people at many levels of the organization that whole-heartedly believe in its cause and that the club can be exactly who they say they are. This is the beginning of the club, after all. Not the end.
But, hopefully, the Dobrik situation becomes a lesson for the club to learn from, and not instruction on how to do things in the future.
Now Let’s Cleanse the Newsletter with a Nutmeg
Welcome to Stock Up/Stock Down, where Chike Nwoye tells us what we should know about player form. Fresh off accurately predicting that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s poor form could temporarily cost him his spot with England, here’s Chike with a new batch of players (and manager) taking the stand.
STOCK UP
Jesse Lingard (West Ham United)
We all love a great comeback story, don’t we? After battling a bit of depression due to the challenges faced in his personal life, it’s great to see J.Lingz back scoring, assisting, and most especially, smiling again.
Jose Fonte (Lille)
With 30 games gone, Lille are currently levelled on points with PSG at the top of Ligue 1. They have the fewest losses (3) & have conceded the least goals (19), and Jose Fonte has arguably been their most influential player. The 37-year old is determined to end his career with a bang and winning Ligue 1, against all odds, would do just that. Plus, there’s a real chance Portugal might retain the Euros with him partnering Ruben Dias at the back.
Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City)
Permit this momentary bias as a Nigerian, but boy am I relieved that we finally have a striker lighting it up in Europe’s toughest league. With Leicester City battling multiple injuries & Mr. Vardy currently enjoying his annual goal drought, Kelechi has stepped up and ensured his team remains in the race for a top four finish. A spot in the FA Cup semis for the first time in 39 years isn’t bad, either.
STOCK DOWN
Tammy Abraham (Chelsea)
Scoring just once since the arrival of Tuchel, Tammy Abraham seems to be the first casualty of the German’s reign. To put this into context, Tammy has played just 5 times under Tuchel and has battled injuries but his poor form has seen him left out of the England squad. With Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford on hot form, Tammy’s chances of getting on that plane ahead of the Euros keeps shrinking.
Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santo (Man Utd)
Henceforth, I shall address him using his full government name or (when I don’t have the luxury of using the copy & paste function), Frederico. He does NOT deserve to be referred to by a single name like other legendary Brazilians. Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santo is the proverbial pimple on the buttocks of Manchester United and his days at the club are numbered.
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)
We love him over here. We refer to him as our Lord & saviour but, by Juventus’ standards, he’s been poor this season. Just a little over a week after being knocked-out of Europe, the Old Lady’s chances of catching up Inter got even smaller, no thanks to the home loss to Benevento.
Hey, it’s the ominpotent voice here again. I had Monti make a new graphic of Chike for the Stock Up/Stock Down segment. So here’s that.
Things You Should Know
I want to give some love to the FA WSL striking a big broadcasting deal with Sky Sports, because investing in the women’s game is worth it and this could be a game-changer in Europe.
Live show today! We start at 3 PM EST/12 PM PST, but you can always head over there early and click that follow button on Twitch, so you always know when we’re live.
Goal of the Day
Armand Laurienté scored this goal for FC Lorient, and yes, I did need a triple-take on his last name and the name of his club to make sure I wasn’t just reading the club name on the back of his kit. But really, we should all be paying more attention to Laurienté, because in addition to this all-timer, he’s not even a month removed from another free kick banger.
Armand Laurienté: extremely good at kicking the ball.