Sometimes the world throws you a doozy.
Thus, we have Caitlin Clark and the Olympics.
It’s not that the U.S. Olympic Committee decided it didn’t need Clark on its 2024 women’s basketball team that’s stunning. Stupidity is never surprising.
No, what got me were the ‘‘knowledgeable’’ folks, ‘‘experts’’ and ‘‘industry pundits’’ who told us why it was a good thing Clark didn’t make the team.
Let me repeat that: They said it was good for us — and for her — that the most talked-about, mold-breaking, followed, in-demand, dynamic, fan-adored female basketball player of all time wouldn’t be on the Olympic team in front of the world.
I tried to think of a parallel. Hmmm. Like Taylor Swift not being invited to a global music festival so Carly Rae Jepsen and Doja Cat could be.
Anyway, let me tell you why Clark should be on the team. (I can’t believe I have to make these points, but here we go.)
Clark, who is in her first WNBA season with the Fever, was a three-time unanimous first-team All-American at Iowa. In her last two seasons, she finished first in the nation in points and assists. She led the Hawkeyes to the final of the women’s NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. She was the 2023 and 2024 Naismith Player of the Year. She won the Wooden Award as the national player of the year those same years. She was the 2024 James E. Sullivan Award winner, given to the most outstanding athlete in college and Olympic sports. And — by the way — she scored more points than anyone in NCAA Division I history, male or female.
She was the first pick in the WNBA Draft in April and recently scored 30 points in a game for the Fever, tying a rookie record by making seven three-pointers. She’s the leading scorer by a wide margin for rookies and was named the WNBA’s rookie of the month for May.
Here’s another reason Clark should be on the team, and it’s the biggest: People want to see her play.
Good Lord, what more do you need? Aren’t eyeballs the whole package, the goal? The U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team has won seven consecutive gold medals. It hasn’t lost a game since 1992. Like, Clark will damage that?
Clark has changed the game for women’s hoops. It’s that simple. People come in hordes to watch her be herself. Her passing and vision are gifts. Her three-point shot, which rivals Steph Curry’s in artistry, is the magic that leaves people breathless. Last week, the winless Mystics drew a sellout crowd of 20,333 — the most-attended regular-season WNBA game in 17 years — because of Clark.
So the selection committee didn’t think Clark was good enough? The group, which includes coaches such as Dawn Staley and DeLisha Milton-Jones, reportedly said one reason it left Clark off was because of ‘‘concern about how Clark’s millions of fans would react’’ if she didn’t play much.
This is logic that makes your head explode. I mean, keep Drake off the playlist because we might be playing mostly Jay-Z and Lil Baby.
Critics said the international game is too physical for Clark. More physical than the cheap shot she got from Sky guard Chennedy Carter?
USA Today said she shouldn’t be on the team because she never had practiced with the U.S. team. I bet Clark could figure it out. We’re talking basketball, not pairs figure skating.
Then there were writers such as the one at SB Nation who said how much this would motivate Clark in the future. Yay. Terrific. Don’t reward her — or us — now. Let us wait. Thank you.
Another writer said Clark’s defense was no good, plus she was weak. And too many turnovers. What else? Oh, yeah: Whom do we leave off if we take Clark? Oh, maybe injured guard Chelsea Gray? Maybe Napheesa Collier? Somebody.
They said Clark needs rest, time to heal. From what? She has played a total of 51 games in the last year, college and pro, about half of what Michael Jordan played in each Bulls championship season. She’s 22. Who rests at 22?
Dare I say ignorance and backward thinking seem to be winning here?
A fellow named Keldon Johnson was on the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team in 2021 in Tokyo. You’ve never heard of him. He was U.S. coach Gregg Popovich’s rookie guy from the Spurs. Somehow the U.S. men won gold anyway.
If Keldon Johnson can do it, I’ve gotta believe Caitlin Clark can, too.
