Did Caitlin Clark’s popularity work against her when it came to her admission from the USA Basketball’s women’s national team?
According to USA Today, it may have.
Two sources told the outlet that there was some concern over how fans would react to her seeing in limited Olympic action on a loaded roster.
The team chosen to represent the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris includes, among others, current stars Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray.
Rookies have been included on U.S. Olympic teams in the past, most notably Christian Laettner on the 1992 Dream Team.
The uber-popular Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft who led Iowa to back-to-back national championship game appearances, has taken the women’s game by storm.
Clark, who’s helped bring record viewership to the sport in both college and the pro ranks, equaled a WNBA rookie record with seven 3-pointers on Friday night for the Fever in front of the largest WNBA crowd in 17 years with 20,333 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. women’s team last lost an Olympic game in 1992, winning seven straight gold medals since.
The 22-year-old Clark has become a national sensation.
Fans line up before and after games for her autograph.
She has become a topic on the hot take circuit.
Clearly, Clark would have created more notoriety for the team, no matter what she did on the court.
But the decision-makers opted against including her, a move that has created backlash on social media from several different avenues.
