According to reports, the U.S. team decided to leave Caitlin Clark out of the 2024 Olympic roster due to concerns that fans would be upset that she would be given minimal playing time among a team filled with veteran players.
Christine Brennan USA Today Sports Quote Two “unimpeachable” sources claim the rookie phenom’s non-selection had more to do with social media outcry than basketball.
“Two other sources, one with years of U.S. basketball experience and the other with decades of experience in women’s basketball, told USA Today Sports on Friday that concerns about how Clark’s millions of fans would react to a player pool that would likely receive limited playing time played a factor in the decision,” Brennan reported. “If true, it would be a stunning admission of the strain that this multi-million-dollar sensation, who signs autographs for dozens of kids before and after every game, has placed on veteran members of women’s basketball. The two sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.”
The internet was abuzz with reactions to Clarke being dropped from the team.
Rant here: Removing Caitlin Clark from the women’s Olympic team is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. pic.twitter.com/RXg0XwFwtN
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 8, 2024
I don’t know enough about US Women’s Olympic Basketball to know if leaving out Caitlin Clark is a slight, but I do know that at this point, she’s the only reason I care at all about US Women’s Olympic Basketball. https://t.co/IAP8bulQXg
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) June 8, 2024
Brennan’s report makes sense. Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu are all at least as good, if not better, than Clark. If the team had accepted her, her playing time would have been minimal. And, certainly, the reaction to her limited playing time would have been extremely negative and likely distracting to the team.
In other words, Clarke is a good enough member of the team, but she wouldn’t be able to contribute enough to the team to offset the drama she would cause.
But the reported reasons for Clarke’s exclusion from the U.S. team are unlikely to make her fans feel any better.
