Caitlin Clark's Olympics Snub Has Staying Power
This was not hard to predict. Caitlin Clark's Olympics omission was bound to hijack the conversation around the women's basketball team from the second it was revealed she would not be a part of the USA roster. Clark would have been in promos with the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry, and the women's squad would have been a focal point of coverage for the entire games. Instead, the most attention they've gotten is when Mike Tirico asked South Carolina coach and selection committee member Dawn Staley why Clark isn't there. With some fans even pointing out that the team was missing from one of NBC's most important promotional pieces.
What a comment this is. Said and wrote it more than a month ago and will say it again from here in Paris: USA Basketball’s snub of Caitlin Clark was the worst player selection decision I’ve seen in my 40 years covering the Olympics. What a mistake! https://t.co/CrarbsJfOD
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) July 28, 2024
Staley's reasoning was reasonable mind you. Caitlin is playing much better now than she was at the beginning of the season. However, the trajectory was not hard to foresee. And it isn't as if she would have been an unworthy selection at the time. Clark's numbers were in line with some who are in Paris when the picks were announced and that was while in the midst of the beginning of her rookie season with the Indiana Fever, one that was front-loaded and had the team play 11 games in 20 days against the top competition in the WNBA. Which doesn't even take into account what Clark did with Iowa in becoming the NCAA's all-time leading scorer. There is a precedent for first-year players making the team after all, including by current members like Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi.
Why is Dawn Staley flat out lying on National TV like this about Caitlin Clark.
— DamonG (@DamonG89403665) July 28, 2024
These were Caitlin's numbers when the team got announced, so no, she wasn't playing then like she is now, but who here was definitively better? pic.twitter.com/WPq0RFdR8T
Clark would clearly now make it on merit, given she looks like the best guard on the planet. And we all understand the growth she has brought to the game. There's still another aspect that makes her absence glaring however, the excitement factor. Caitlin's elite playmaking and passing were on display at the WNBA All-Star Game, where Team W beat Team USA (for the second time). This only highlighted how Clark would have pushed the pace and generated highlights for the U.S. squad, especially given some of the talent she would have been playing with. The All-Star performance also put an emphasis on the politics that go into these decisions, thanks to Arike Ogunbowale, who should probably also be in Paris.
Caitlin Clark already has more career assists than 75.4% of all players in WNBA history. pic.twitter.com/hntXSGOHGG
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) July 27, 2024
If Clark's career continues on the same path uninterrupted, there will certainly be books written and documentaries made about her. With this omission from the Olympics being a chapter in the journey, as it will be talked about for a long time. Heck, even The Dream Team leaving Isiah Thomas off is still discussed today. Except, for in this instance, it's more like that 1992 squad not bringing Michael Jordan to Barcelona.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!