The news that Caitlin Clark will not be making the 2024 U.S. Women’s Basketball National Team roster was not well received.
On Saturday, the final roster was revealed to include Kaalia Copper, Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, Jewel Lloyd Kelsey Plumb, Jackie Young and Sabrina Ionescu.
The U.S. women’s basketball team’s Olympic roster has been announced.@Shams Charania and Joe Vardon 🇺🇸
Aja Wilson
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi
Alyssa Thomas
Brittney Griner
Napheesa Collier
Jewel Lloyd
Kelsey Plum
Jackie Young
Kalea Copper
Sabrina Ionescu
Chelsea Gray pic.twitter.com/222FOOhAAh— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 8, 2024
But it did not include the most popular player in women’s basketball, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, which outraged fans, who felt it was a missed opportunity to give fans a real reason to watch the game.
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
Christian Laettner made the Dream Team. Caitlin Clark doesn’t make the Women’s Olympic Basketball Team? A big part of the cost of the Olympics is revenue from broadcast partners. TV revenue. In Caitlin’s case, TV money. A wasted opportunity.
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) June 8, 2024
Am I the only one who’s glad Caitlin Clark wasn’t on the Olympic team? Now we don’t have to watch angry, America-hating feminists play basketball.
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) June 8, 2024
Yet Caitlin Clark isn’t even selected for the US Women’s Basketball Team heading to Paris for the Olympics?!?! All she does is promote basketball, fill arenas, and set rookie records. What a shortsighted decision. A missed opportunity. https://t.co/vsOAaUZSJn
— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) June 8, 2024
It’s incredible how both the WNBA and USA Basketball teams have failed in every respect with Caitlin Clark.
They have had the attention and the spotlight they have wanted for decades, but they refuse to accept it because they don’t like the person bringing it to them.
— Brandon Walker (@BFW) June 8, 2024
Team USA’s decision to keep their biggest superstar home for the Olympics was the stupidest thing ever.
Caitlin Clark is literally filling NBA arenas and breaking WNBA records.
But sure! Why not boost Team USA’s ratings, make them cool, and increase jersey sales to infinity? 🙄
— Kayce Smith (@KayceSmith) June 8, 2024
Leaving Caitlin Clark off the Olympic team would be terrible for NBC Sports, which pays billions of dollars for U.S. television rights.
She will undoubtedly thrill Olympic television audiences just as she did in college and now as a pro.
“Short-sighted” is an insufficient word to describe this decision. https://t.co/bRLVA6ZEbB
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) June 8, 2024
However, not everyone was disappointed or angry about Clarke being left out of the national team.
Arike Ogunbowale averaged 26.6 points but didn’t make the Olympic team, and her numbers (and experience) far surpass those of Caitlin Clark.
This isn’t just about singling out CC. It’s always been hard to make the US Olympic team; there are just too many great athletes. pic.twitter.com/0yqeYXm73m
— Master (@MasterTes) June 8, 2024
Honestly, it’s probably a good thing that Caitlin Clark didn’t make this year’s Olympic team. In the space of a few weeks, she went from playing college basketball to playing professional basketball and playing a demanding schedule. A few weeks off probably isn’t the worst thing in the world.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) June 8, 2024
I would venture to say that Caitlin Clark, who sits on the bench for 98% of the Olympic games but dominates 98% of the coverage, hasn’t contributed as much to the growth of women’s basketball as you think she has.
— Chris Boombaca (@BOOMbaca) June 8, 2024
Clark would have had to fight hard for playing time on a veteran-heavy Olympic roster, and USA Today’s Christine Brennan reported that fears of fan backlash over Clark’s minimal playing time played a major role in the decision to leave her off the roster.
“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.”
But as mentioned above, Team USA will likely face backlash either way.
