You can like Caitlin Clark. You can detest Caitlin Clark. You can love her Iowa roots. You can loathe her Iowa roots. You can like her simply because she’s white, or dislike her for the reason that she’s white. Exact same goes for currently being straight. You can adore the media’s fascination with her, or detest it. You can like the historic Television scores and market-out crowds, or despise them. You can like her interviews, or hate them.
But there is one particular thing that we all know to be correct:
With Caitlin Clark on the 2024 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball staff, players who have been mainly overlooked by the sports activities media at each individual Summer months Olympic Online games that I have lined, which is just about every one particular due to the fact 1984, would have finally obtained the spotlight they are worthy of from a nationwide and worldwide viewers.
Likely into the Games, with nationwide feeling Clark on the roster, I believe the major storylines for the People in Paris (and pretty a handful of intercontinental reporters) would have been these: 1. Simone Biles, 2. Katie Ledecky 3. Caitlin Clark.
Possibly you insert an athlete or group or two in this article or there, U.S. women’s soccer, U.S. men’s basketball, just take your choose, but which is the common thought. With Clark continuing to set data for Television set rankings and attendance in her 1st eye-popping month in the WNBA as she did in NCAA basketball, it would have been unavoidable: she would catapult U.S. women’s basketball to a area it so richly has deserved but has by no means attained — coverage from broadcasters and news companies not just in the U.S. but all-around the earth, headlines every single day, and most essential, vastly increased regard from a nevertheless male-dominated worldwide athletics media that has for many years focused almost exclusively on the U.S. men’s basketball group instead than the girls, who are so good they haven’t missing since 1992.
But adhering to Clark would have intended following substantially much more than Clark. She would have launched all individuals Olympic viewers and audience — several of whom are not huge sports fans and have by no means watched a women’s Olympic basketball sport — to the entire U.S. crew.
You have by no means viewed Breanna Stewart on one particular of her two preceding Olympic teams? You would have been seeing her this summer time since America’s fascination and even obsession with Clark would have brought you there. Same goes for Brittney Griner, assuming she’s balanced.
But Clark isn’t coming to Paris, until an individual withdraws or is hurt. Clark won’t be there to carry the informal sports activities lover who fell in appreciate with her at Iowa and now is aware the variance between ION and Prime to finally and rightfully watch Diana Taurasi and Jackie Youthful at the Olympics.
She will not be there, so all people supporters will not be there, for the reason that they are in no way there. And 1 could only have imagined the international charm of Clark as soon as writers and reporters from all around the world dropped in and viewed a couple brand 3s drop from the sky and a couple of hundred extra autographs be recorded for posterity. Possibly minimal ladies in Europe and Africa would have been just as entranced as girls in The us are. That’s not taking place anymore, and it’s all on Usa Basketball, whose mission assertion fascinatingly incorporates “promoting, developing and elevating the recreation at all degrees.” (Would seem to be Caitlin Clark’s career description these days.)
Because this wonderful chance to publicize international women’s basketball has been removed, the broad vast majority of broadcasters and reporters will be in a position to aim as they normally have on the swimmers and gymnasts and runners, and go away the U.S. women’s basketball crew by itself.
I have viewed all this come about in genuine time. I have lined at the very least five of the U.S. women’s gold-medal basketball online games at the Olympics, additionally a great number of other women’s basketball stories at the 5 other Summertime Video games I’ve attended. When I have appeared all over and observed a 50 percent-empty press tribune and wondered why, the response I received from my friends usually was that the People are just also very good for their individual good. Individuals currently know they’re likely to gain. And they are appropriate.
But one thing peculiar and perhaps much most impactful is percolating all around the snub of Clark. Two sources, both equally extensive-time U.S. basketball veterans with decades of experience in the women’s sport, explained to me Friday that issue about how Clark’s thousands and thousands of enthusiasts would react to what would likely be constrained playing time on a stacked roster was a aspect in the conclusion creating.
If real, that would be an extraordinary admission of the existence of serious pressure that the outdated guard of women’s basketball harbors for this multi-million-dollar feeling. The two individuals spoke on the ailment of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
But if the gamers and United states Basketball officers think not having Clark in Paris signifies people today will not be talking about Clark all over them, very well, that’s just not likely to come about. It is a confident detail that just one of the to start with concerns they will get at their opening press meeting at the Game titles will be: “Why isn’t Caitlin Clark here?”
And if the staff is lacking 3’s, or has a scare, or doesn’t enjoy perfectly, or, horrors, loses, Clark’s title will not be considerably powering and most likely will turn into omnipresent back again on the residence front.
Speaking of 3’s, there appears to be a idea out there that Clark did not have earned to be place on the workforce on merit. Which is preposterous. Initially of all, the conclusion is subjective, so you can make a situation for just about everyone and everybody.
But how about some stats? Clark is 13th in the WNBA in points for every game. (Taurasi is 15th.) Clark is fourth in helps for every match. (Sabrina Ionescu, 8th Kelsey Plum, 11th and Jewell Loyd, 14th, all are on the record for the Olympic workforce). Clark is second in 3-pointers created, two ahead of Taurasi.
In her to start with 10 games, Clark scored more than 150 details and had far more than 50 rebounds and 50 helps, a feat previously attained only by Ionescu in WNBA record. She also became the first rookie and only the fourth participant at any time in the league to record 30 points, 5 rebounds, five assists, 3 steals and a few blocks in a sport, signing up for Taurasi, Stewart and Angel McCoughtry.
Just hours before she discovered out she wasn’t going to be on the Olympic team, Clark created a WNBA rookie record-tying seven 3’s and scored 30 points in front of the largest WNBA group in 17 decades: 20,333 in D.C., additional than double the group Chicago drew the evening right before in the exact arena. She turned the initially player in WNBA history with 200 details and 75 assists in her first 12 job games.
And then United states of america Basketball dumped her.
Clark has done all of this even though dealing with the fiercest defensive pressure statistically in the league. No a single has obtained the kind of attention she has as a rookie. She is not the very best participant in the league, but she’s plainly the most critical.
Never offered a real possibility to attempt out — United states of america Basketball preposterously scheduled her tryout in the course of the Women’s Last Four, when she was major Iowa to the countrywide title activity for a next consecutive year — Clark now has been explained to by the U.S. national governing system of basketball just one very simple term: No.
No, Caitlin Clark, we really do not want you on our Olympic group.
I’ve noticed some poor crew and athlete selection conclusions in the 40 yrs I’ve protected the Olympics, but this is the worst by much. Then again, we possibly shouldn’t be stunned. As we’ve regarded for yrs, the last amateurs still left in the Olympic Games are the people today running them.
