This Caitlin Clark Olympics Conversation Has Gotten Out of Control

Today on A Fast Break, Zoe is breaking down all the discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark not making the USA Olympic roster. Should she have made the team? Is she one of the 12 best players in the world? Will this snub actually be good for her?!
#sportsnews #caitlinclark #womensbasketball #wnba
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00:00 Intro
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[@michaeldwight3212]

Caitlin has won 5 gold medals on team USA 16U and 19U and 2021 FIBA competition playing with 2 or 3 of the Olympic team. MVP on two those teams. She has international experience

[@Penguins95268771]

Tha k you for this info.

[@jasonledger7932]

Caitlin's stats are actually comparable to every other guard stat that were selected so how can you say she should not be selected based on stats. Then there is the fact that Chelsey Grey is currently injured and hasn't played since October. Also you're telling me that in the era we are in team USA couldn't use an elite passer and ball handler. Not to mention someone that can go get you 9 points in 40 seconds.

[@kennethcook3127]

Nonsense. She shoots way more. He shootings percentage isn’t, her turnovers aren’t. She isn’t better than dianna

[@user-ev2ez2iq1c]

Caitlin Clark has brought a spotlight which has illuminated many of the long standing problems with a league that has never been a winner. The truth is the WNBA would not exist without subsidies from the NBA. One of the principle reasons is the WNBA game itself is ugly. It is ugly because the fundamental rules we all learn as little boys and girls, when we first step foot on the court, are ignored. This makes for a game with little integrity. An ugly, overly physical (basic rules are ignored) slow moving and often low scoring game. No one wants to pay for ugly. Example: The following are just two of the many rules of the game which are most often, or selectively ignored. B. Personal Foul Section I: Types a. A player shall not hold, push, charge into, impede the progress of an opponent by extending an arm, leg or knee or by bending the body into a position that is not normal. b. Contact caused by a defensive player approaching the ball holder from the rear is a form of pushing or holding. Section IV-Flagrant Foul a. If contact committed against a player, with or without the ball, is interpreted to be unnecessary, a flagrant foul-penalty 1 will be assessed. Even the most casual observer can see these rules are not regularly enforced. Selective enforcement makes the problem even worse because it suggests other motives. The argument that the physicality is just part of the game holds no water because there would be no rules against this physicality if it were. Enter Caitlin Clark. A player who like all of the other WNBA players played against college level competition before entering the WNBA. Clark however achieved things against that competition that NO OTHER, not even the GOATS of the league had achieved. Her ability has been proven. However watching the defensive pressure and physicality used against Clark even in the exhibition games must raise questions. No one else, not even the scoring champs and MVP's receive 94 feet of pressure, double teams and the blatant physicality Clark faces for the entire game. The defense typically used in the last minute of a close game Clark faces all game long. Yet in the first 12 games of a career no one in the history of the WNBA has more ( points, assists, and rebounds ) in combination than Clark. The numbers don't lie. Neither do the Attendance and viewing numbers. Record after Record after Record on visiting floors no less. Is she one of the 12 best its hard to say. Her number historically say she is. Could any of the 12 players selected facing the same defensive pressure and physicality still achieve enough to be considered in that group. Difficult to say. Having said all of that It was a huge mistake to leave her off of team USA. IF THE WNBA IS TO SURVIVE IT MUST CHANGE. WHAT IT HAS BEEN HAS NOT WORKED.

[@buddyforbes7157]

Respectfully, you've presented yourself well. Unfortunately, I think you see the trees instead of the forest. I agree, CC needs a rest. Also, I don't want her to be imprisoned in Paris with 11 other "players" who are diametrically opposed to her beliefs and lifestyle. I also believe this is where the jealousy lies. Have you read the Christy Brennan report?\ My take on this is if you view the WNBA as a business first. Your assumption, coming from watching college basketball, I suspect, is that the WNBA is a financially profitable league. It is not. It has on the average lost 10 million dollars a year since it began. This year, a new report by the Washington Post projects that it will lose 50 million dollars. It only exists because it relies on the NBA to subsidize it. Now sports, in order to succeed, has to be profitable first. That should be the driving reason for every WNBA decision. Why? You have to survive first before you can even think of the nuances of what's best for this player, what's best for this coach, etc.. Here comes a golden opportunity to grow the game (i.e. make it profitable) in fascination with Caitlin Clark. People love her as you know. People follow her. If she's exposed to the International community in the Olympics, can you guess how much more people will become fans?? So the choice of the select committee is simple. We can reserve one slot for Clark and the 11 other players can already guarantee the win of Team USA (do you know, this is they are going for their 8th medal? they dominate!), but would bruise egos, make other narrow minded players bitter. Don't tell me that with 11 other great WNBA players and inexperienced player (which Caitlin is most assuredly NOT, look at her stats and compare!) they cannot win the medal?? Really?? The other choice is be concerned about egos, best fit, who will be left out, we cannot leave her out, she's a legend, she fits(that no one knows outside their small circle of fans) etc. etc.. AND Lose the opportunity to grow the WNBA. Look at hat happened with the men's basketball team in 1992 in Barcelona. But don't worry, it looks like they're following their script and leaving her out, which is good for her, thank God. But please, don't spread their lies. They don't care about meritocracy or fairness. Diana Taurasi, the legend you spoke about, was a rookie with less statistical accolades than CC and she still was included in the Olympic games in 2004 . Actually its bad that they've gone with veterans exclusively. In the past they've included rookies in order to prepare for the future. Guess they just have to double down on their supposed reason huh? Sad.

[@TemT8]

Okay let me this this strait. You want the best players on the womans BB Olympic team right? But its ok to have Taurasi play because she WAS once one of the best players. Thats kind of a contradiction in my thoughts. So, have you looked at CC's stats in the league so far? Also, the womans BB Olympic team is the best 12 woman, not necessarily all from the WNBA. I am glad CC is not playing for the team, as she would just get snubbed by those women anyways. And that's not healthy.

[@FrankDrebbin-de3te]

Gray hasn't played all year. Griner played one game. Taurasi is a 42 year old dinosaur who's not even close to top 12 numbers. The moment you say "is she one of the best 12 players in the world" you exposed yourself. If you then pivot and try to claim "only popularity" (which is a pathetic strawman) then you've missed the mission statement of the Olympics and the fact that 1st pick WNBA rookies have always been chosen for Team USA. Taurasi was chosen for Team USA despite never playing a single WNBA game. Furthermore, her international skills as a rookie were much worse than Clark. When Taurasi wasn't surrounded by her All-American UConn team she suffered one embarrassing loss after another on the international stage. The more people try to justify the snub the dumber they look.

[@Penguins95268771]

Yes sir, thank you.

[@joeterzio7175]

Taurasi is one of the best to ever play women's basketball. She's a legend. It would be like the '92 dream team leaving Larry Bird off it because he had a bad back. And Taurasi can still play; her stats are as good as Clark's.

[@michaeldwight3212]

You say she is not one of the top 12 in the W. It is because she is on a lousy team. If she was on a really goodvteam she would be better.

[@gejost]

True but would she be one of top 12? She's apparently weak defensively but amazing on the offense.

[@FrankDrebbin-de3te]

@@gejost CC is literally one of the best defenders on her team.

[@kennethcook3127]

@@FrankDrebbin-de3tethat’s a bold faced lie

[@FrankDrebbin-de3te]

@@kennethcook3127 Look up the stats. Indiana fever has the worst defense in the WNBA. You're innumerate.

[@JasonRichmond-pb6gh]

The W would be insolvent as a business if it weren’t for the NBA subsidizing their fiscal deficits. Women’s basketball finally has an opportunity to improve their product + branding on a global stage which translates to salary increases, valuable licensing + media rights deals, et. al. Clark, Brink, Reece + Watkins should all be on this team to ensure global stardom for the next decade especially heading into their new tv deal negotiations. This is such a self own by the WNBA.

[@joeterzio7175]

I'm tired of hearing the WNBA is subsidized by the NBA argument. They give $15 million a year, the amount a good bench player in the NBA makes in a season. That's hardly what is keeping the WNBA solvent.

[@user-qo5hh9bw4w]

A’ja Wilson got a total of 95,860 fan votes for last year's W all-star game. I predict CC will have that number the first hour of voting tomorrow (June 13).

[@stevezuspann4711]

expect the rule to be that no rookie named CC can recieve any fan votes.

[@rodchau9012]

I think you're missing the point that most of Sport fans and commentators were taking about. There's already an understanding that Caitlin is a Rookie and inexperienced compared to the 12. However, it makes more business sense to bring Caitlin and a couple of rookies or even, a more experienced and talented younger player into the USA Women team in replace of the Diana (old) and Gray (not playing for a year). Look, the US Women will win GOLD regardless of who they put on the team. It is a missed opportunity to bring in more exposer globally to the WNBA which is in desperate need for higher incomes for the players. Not to mention transitioning into the building of the US Women team for the future.

[@MsNerdsRevenge]

Change the records and respect Sue Bird. She is the woman for the WNBA logo with dual citizenship for America and Israel. Still souls come here degrading our sports.

[@Judhes]

The WNBA has never been lacking in skilled players, what it lacked was marketable ones. They've had young, dominant monsters like Caitlin Clark before but the world outside of basketball purists did not care about them, hence why the WNBA is a welfare league that bleeds money every year and is funded by the NBA. With or without Caitlin the USA women's bball team is going to flatten all competition on their way to the gold anyway. It's not about getting the absolute best players or most tenured and respected players on the squad, it's about putting your most popular star on the global stage because everybody wants to watch her because it's a once in 4 years opportunity to grow the WNBA brand. It happened with the men's game with the USA Dream Team in 1992, you hear NBA players from outside the US say that when they were kids, they really seriously started playing basketball after watching the US Dream Team playing against their country's team or meeting the members of the Dream Team. It was quite popular before already, but the NBA as a brand and men's basketball in general really exploded after the 1992 Olympics. The NBA was losing money too at one point, the players had day jobs as firemen, plumbers, janitors, electricians, etc. It took a lot of marketing and marketable players that the public wanted to see in order for the league to get as big as it is today. Most, if not all the WNBA players play in overseas leagues during the WNBA offseason, the same way the NBA players back then had to get other jobs, because the league was not profitable and they weren't being paid enough to live their lives. Many guys like me want to see the WNBA succeed, and we're upset because we recognize that this was the WNBA's big chance to ride the Caitlin Clark wave (absolute gift from the heavens golden opportunity with the peak of her popularity coinciding with the Olympics rn) and explode in popularity. It's a business, and it's failing because of the WNBA players' cattishness and pettiness and jealousy lol

[@buddyforbes7157]

Very well said. If I'd seen this, I wouldn't have commented already. Take care of business first. I don't think most ladies understand that.

[@goodguy5595]

The conversation should be why are some ladies going to the Olympics 5 and 6 times in a row are there other women in this sport that would like to go what is the deal how is that fair I mean come on let some other people play that's what the scandal should be

[@johngurganus3348]

If you admit you are not an authority don"t act like you are. Griner played one game this season ,not to mention he is anti American.

[@jinku77]

It is simply a missed opportunity to promote the sport and to develop a future player of the team.

[@brianwhetton9621]

I think that you have mentioned a lot of hypothetical scenarios regarding Clark; I agree that she should not be in the Olympic team but disagree with your comment that you agree with the selection. Mr. GRINER, drug criminal, should NOT BE SELECTED.

[@Rob89139]

Wait, did you say that many of the so called experts screaming about Clark being kept off the team are the same people who didn't pay attention to the WNBA until just a couple months ago and that's why their opinion doesn't matter? Im asking because you also started off by claiming to not paying attention to the league until Clark entered. Did I get that right? If so, how does your opinion on the topic matter if you started paying attention at the very same time as those you bash

[@annajordan243]

I think the problem with some catlin clark fans is ...they only watch HER GAMES . If they watched other games, they would see

[@FrankDrebbin-de3te]

No, I watch other prison ball games too

[@gemmaphill5351]

Thanks for this commentary the best I have listen to so far you spoke the truth

[@annajordan243]

You can tell you're a TRUE fan

[@PhilipClark-wp8qu]

Caitlin is the best player in the world period.

[@Mark-jn3wo]

No she isn’t

[@amanrush7722]

Liar. You're NOT a Caitlin Clark fans. 😂😂 Contradicting yourself. Just stop.

[@user-rn9ge8pk5y]

Boycott the Woman's Olympic Basketball team.

[@gejost]

Why? I mean, select the best players, mostly to win. Don't make a big deal about whether any rookies make team this year or not

[@FrankDrebbin-de3te]

@@gejost The best players were not selected. If you're going to say something racist and petty just don't make it so obvious.