Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, who starred at Iowa and is a key reason for the boom in popularity of women's basketball over the last couple of years, was reportedly left off Team USA's roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
There's an argument to be made that Clark would be at the end of the bench if she did make Team USA this summer, but it's still a curious decision to leave her off the roster given her draw in media.
While Clark has been up-and-down in her first season as a professional, she brings eyeballs to the television and the arena, as exhibited by the sellout crowd of 20,333 in attendance to see Clark and the Fever take on the Washington Mystics on Friday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The sellout crowd was the largest WNBA crowd in 17 years.
Largest WNBA crowd in 17 years—20,333—sees Fever beat Mystics, 85-83.
Caitlin Clark makes 7 threes, scores 30 points, adds 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals.
The two teams are a combined 3-20. pic.twitter.com/zqlNMMXyht
Clark had her best game of her rookie season in front of that crowd, scoring 30 points on seven made threes, while adding eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Clark joins Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale as notable snubs for the summer Olympics roster. Here's who Team USA will be bringing instead, which is undoubtedly a loaded group.
The Team USA Women's Basketball Olympics roster has been announced, per @ShamsCharania and @joevardon 🇺🇸
A'ja Wilson
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi
Alyssa Thomas
Brittney Griner
Napheesa Collier
Jewell Loyd
Kelsey Plum
Jackie Young
Kahleah Copper
Sabrina Ionescu
Chelsea Gray pic.twitter.com/222FOOhAAh
On television draw alone, many expected Clark to make the roster. Now that she hasn't, basketball fans across social media are outraged.
Christian Laettner made the Dream Team. Caitlin Clark can’t make the women’s Olympic basketball team? What mostly pays for the Olympics — oh wait — revenue generated from broadcasting partners. As in TV. As in Caitlin is TV GOLD. Opportunity wasted.
Caitlin Clark has been left off the Olympic women’s basketball roster. Women’s basketball hates its fans and doesn’t want to grow their game. That’s the only conclusion you can draw from their treatment of Clark. She would quadruple their viewership by herself. No brainer.
I don’t know enough about USA women’s Olympic basketball to know if Caitlin Clark’s omission is a snub. I do know that, right now, she would be the only reason I would remotely care about USA women’s Olympic basketball. https://t.co/IAP8bulQXg
I really want to hear the decision making behind leaving Caitlin Clark off the USA Basketball roster. Because I can’t fathom an explanation that makes sense.
Leaving Caitlin Clark off Olympic team is terrible for NBC Sports, which is paying billions for U.S. TV rights.
She would have absolutely super-charged Olympic TV audiences the way she did in college and now in the pros.
Short-sighted doesn't begin to describe this decision. https://t.co/bRLVA6ZEbB
Caitlin Clark being left off the women’s Olympic team shows you how dumb their marketing team is.
It’s laughable at this point.
MIKE MCDANIEL
Mike McDaniel is a writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided, and more. Mike hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of his professional life, he is a husband, father, and an avid golfer.
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