Is this really a spiteful, in-your-face disregard?
Was leaving Caitlin Clark off the U.S. team one of the most egregious mistakes the Olympic selection committee has made? Is Clark clearly more deserving than the 12 women who supposedly made the team before her?
Caitlin Clark herself doesn’t seem to think so.
“I’m really rooting for the girls that are on the team,” Clarke told reporters on Sunday, acknowledging reports that she had been left off the team. “I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way with or without me on the team. I’m rooting for them to win the gold medal. I’m a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, so it’s going to be fun to watch them compete.”
Yes, that would be the case, but I’m sure that if Clarke had been on the team, many more viewers would have been joining in the fun rather than just watching.
A gross neglect? No. A missed opportunity? A big one.
Clark attracted legions of fans and advertisers last season at Iowa, chasing and then breaking NCAA scoring records with her ability to blast 3-pointers from the field. Her arrival in the WNBA this year coincided with record-breaking television ratings, attendance and merchandise sales, but her Indiana Fever had won just three of their first 12 games before Monday.
On Friday, the day Clark was informed she had not been selected to the team, 20,333 fans turned out to watch the Mystics in Washington, the most-attended WNBA game in 17 years, despite the teams having a combined record of 2-19.
Making the Olympic team is not a popularity contest, but it would not be a stretch to add the 22-year-old Clark to the roster. The roster has not been officially announced by the USABasketball Association but has been reported by multiple media outlets. Clark has struggled with turnovers, but he is the league’s 14th-leading scorer and has recorded 30 points twice, most recently on Friday when he made seven 3-pointers, tying a rookie record.
The WNBA has clearly benefited from the Caitlin Clark effect, so why wouldn’t the U.S. team want to do the same?
The question has been the subject of much speculation, but ultimately the selection committee decided to emphasize experience and continuity in picking a team that will try to win an eighth consecutive gold medal. There are nine players on the team with Olympic experience, and none younger than 26, including Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas’ Jackie Young.
It’s hard to complain about a team that reportedly includes multiple MVPs and All-Stars, including A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, Brittney Griner, Napheesa Collier, Jewel Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Ka’Aliah Cooper and Chelsea Gray.
Team USA has historically been blessed with talent but has never received the recognition or coverage it deserves. Despite winning nine gold medals in the past ten Olympic Games, how many casual sports fans watched the 2020 games, or even knew who the U.S. beat in the gold medal match?
The U.S. women’s Olympic team, despite its dominance over the men’s in recent years, doesn’t get the same attention as the men’s team because, unlike the men’s, most of the women’s teams aren’t as well-known. But that’s starting to change in the WNBA, with Clark, already a big name, drawing more and more fans to the league.
Yes, there always seems to be some drama swirling around Clark. Can she be the best college player ever without ever winning a championship? Would she get the attention and support she does if she wasn’t straight and white? Are opposing WNBA players fouling her too hard?
Currently, the reasons for her exclusion seem to be in dispute, with theories ranging from various biases against her on the selection committee to some concern that millions of fans would be upset if Clarke was selected but not given playing time (what will they do? storm the courts?).
Hopefully neither of these theories are true, because adding Clark to the team would have been good for women’s basketball and good for the WNBA. Can you imagine a better storyline than Taurasi and Clark being teammates? How about Taurasi teaming up with Breanna Stewart, the former Connecticut player who was heavily criticized for her play in this year’s Final Four?
There’s still a chance Clark could go to Paris. USA Basketball doesn’t typically release the names of replacements, but Clark is on the list. Gray is still recovering from a foot injury she suffered in last year’s WNBA Finals and hasn’t played this season. If she can’t play, Clark would be a logical replacement for Gray’s ball-handling ability.
That may be the best solution for everyone: the selection committee has shown its loyalty to the women who have shaped the game, but if given another chance, it should also show its respect for the future.
