The selection committee that chose the U.S. team roster left Caitlin Clark off the team, which turned out to be a huge boon for her and the team.
Now, it’s very tempting to fall into the trap of narrative. Caitlin Clarke is being ignored! She’s the best player in the league! She’s the only reason anyone even watches! The woke mob is doing everything they can to keep her down! What a missed opportunity!
There are some truths in it, but also some lies.
First, Caitlin Clark was not overlooked. Curt Schilling was overlooked. Overlooking is when a player’s qualifications and accomplishments clearly warrant selection, and their rejection seems clearly unjust. Caitlin Clark is off to a great start and could very well be one of the best players in WNBA history. But to act like she’s clearly superior to the other guards on that team in her 12th career game is insane.
Indiana Fever’s No. 22 Caitlin Clark handles the ball against Washington Mystics’ No. 44 Carly Samuelson at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on June 7, 2024. (G Fiume/Getty Images)
Kaitlyn Clark isn’t the best player in the league. A’ja Wilson is the best player. Yes, Kaitlyn Clark is the main reason people watch the WNBA. But so what? The Olympics are not a business like the NBA or WNBA. How many weird sports do we discover at the Olympics every four years? How many we learn have been around for decades? Why has speed walking survived so long? Is it because it’s popular? The Olympics are not about “growing sports.” Most of the sports featured there are barely worth watching.
The Olympics is about putting the best team on the court and winning.
So, is Caitlin Clark good enough to make this roster? Yes. But how good? Breanna Stewart averages more points than her and is a veteran. Look at the other guards on the team: Sabrina Ionescu, Rhyne Howard, Diana Taurasi… Clark would only average 5-8 minutes on such a team. Not nearly enough to satisfy the insatiable enthusiasm of the media and fans who flock to the games and jeer at coaches for not giving her more playing time.
Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark (number 22) signs autographs after a game against the Washington Mystics at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on June 7, 2024. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
And what was the outcome?
A team of veterans (nine of the 12 players were Olympians) would have resented the fuss Clark created, the constant questions about her, the fans who only wanted to talk to her, and the storyline that focused on Clark and not them in their quest for Olympic gold. In other words, they would have carried the jealousy that had led to Clark being so violently attacked on the WNBA court onto the international stage, and that ill will have followed her back to the WNBA, exacerbating an already festering situation.
in fact, USA Today Sports Christine Brennan cited two “irreproachable” sources who have already asserted that this is the case.
“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 Awakened are trying to hold Caitlin Clark back, but not this time. They’ve done her a favor this time.
The 2024 Olympic US women’s basketball team is very very Amazing. As an organization, they have won nine of the last 12 gold medals, including seven in a row since 1996. They know what to do.
The US team celebrates with their gold medals and trophy after the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Final match between China and the USA at the Sydney Superdome on October 1, 2022. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)
If they felt they needed Caitlin Clark on the team to win eight straight titles, she would have been on the team. But she’s not on the team. Why? Because she would have gotten all the media attention, even though she was the 10th or 12th most important player on the team.
How do you think that worked in the locker room?
Caitlin Clark will represent this country again and again until it’s all over, and perhaps continue the domination that American women have had on the world. Just not this time, and that’s OK. Caitlin Clark still has everything she’s got. Who said you have to conquer the world in a year?
