First, the news was that Caitlin Clark simply didn't make
the cut for the
2024 Olympic team. Then there were rumblings she was an
alternate,
and now it's looking like someone might step aside so
she has a spot.
When word came down that Clark didn't make Team USA,
there was a cavalcade of backlash,
Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports wrote on X,
formerly Twitter, on June 8th.
Leaving Caitlin Clark off the women's Olympic team is the
dumbest I've ever heard.
All that blustery outrage may prove to be for Naughty,
though it seems Clark may have a path to Paris
after all.
WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi was one of the players named
to Team USA,
but the Phoenix Mercury guard had been dealing with a
leg injury.
On July 12th, Taurasi was set to miss her team's
game against
Clark's Indiana Fever, the New York Post noted.
That meant she missed four out of her team's last
five games.
With Taurasi's health status in limbo,
Clark was primed to take her spot.
On June 10th, news spread that Clark was among the
possible alternates for the team.
Caitlin Clark and Brianna Jones of Connecticut are taught the
alternates list 14 USA if there is needed
to be a replacement. One reason Clark was an appealing
alternate for the Olympic team was how she handled being
excluded from the roster.
People wondered how Clark would react after being left off,
but the highly touted rookie took the news in stride.
She said on June 9th.
I know it's the most competitive team in the world
and I know it could have gone either way of
me being on the team.
Honestly, no disappointment. The Indiana Fever star seemed to not
only be fine with not making Team USA,
but showed support for the women who are going to
the Olympics,
adding I'm going to be rooting them on to win
gold.
Plenty of other people were mad on Clark's behalf though.
The president of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee,
Casey Wasserman, blasted the decision to exclude Clark,
saying on June 22nd. I think it's a missed opportunity
because she's clearly a generational talent.
Columnist Christine Brennan also thought it was the wrong move,
saying Clark has proven she can draw eyeballs to to
women's basketball.
I think history will judge this so incredibly poorly.
But the team selection committee chair Jen Rosati said marketing
was not factored into choosing the roster.
She said on June 11th it would be irresponsible for
us to talk about Clark in a way other than
how she would impact the play of the team.
It's of particular interest that Taurasi may be the person
Clark ends up replacing on Team USA,
given that Taurasi has made some of the harshest comments
about Clark as the young player moved from college ball
to the WNBA,
Taurasi warned her reality is coming.
There's levels to this thing.
You're going to come with some grown women that have
been playing professional basketball for a long time.
The jab made headlines and was not forgotten by Clark's
Indiana Fever.
On June 30th, Clark's squad beat
Taurasi's Phoenix Mercury and the Fever showed they could hold
a petty grudge by trolling the vet.
The team tweeted after the victory.
Reality check, Fever win. By then,
Taurasi had already adjusted her tone a bit when it
came to Clark.
On June 10th, she expressed sympathy when it was announced
Clark wasn't on Team USA,
saying of her own experience playing at the Olympics the
first time in
2004. I had to learn the ropes too.
And after the Fevers win over the Mercury,
Taurasi was even more complimentary,
telling reporters that what Clark has accomplished in just her
few months as a Pro is nothing short of remarkable.