Should Clark be on the Olympic team?

[Gamecockfan77]

I look at first time 5x5 Olympians such as Copper, Plum, Young and Thomas who have all spent anywhere from 5-11 years in the WNBA grinding away for this opportunity. The tears of these players who wasn't sure if this day will ever come despite resumes and accolades that show they earned their spots. To take that away from these players for the sake of one player's popularity is slap in a a face to those who truly earned it.

And at this time I have yet to see Clark's popularity help elevate anyone else's popularity so far in the WNBA. So I'm not sure how her sitting on the end of the bench at Olympics will elevate any of the other players that some have claimed. What I have seen was Clark's fans attack her teammates and coach since the season started. I have also seen these new fans attack and talk down anyone who plays decent defense on her or happens to foul her.

So I'm glad she's not on the team. Having something to work towards is something that could really be motivating for her in the long run. The distraction and negativity that surrounds anything involving lately it isn't worth for Team USA. Also I hate that all of a sudden viewership is more important than merit at the Olympics of all places. The whole thing just feels hypocritical and this discussion would only happen with women's basketball. I haven't heard any cries for Tiger Woods to represent Team USA in golf or if it's really about viewership numbers then a 60 year old Michael Jordan playing with LeBron James and Steph Curry is what the men's team is missing then.

That doesn't really make any sense.

 

[huskeynut]

What we are seeing hearing and experiencing is social media hype!!! Caitlin Clark is the unfortunate target of all this stuff. And the "pundits/ experts" are to blame.

The Olympic selection committee has spoken about their process. Popularity and fannies in the seats is not part of their selection process. Clark did not participate in the tryouts/ workouts in March/ April. She had a valid season, the NCAA tournament. She has not played with the members of the Olympic team. Like it or not, her turn will come for the Olympic team. And it is not now.

Clark needs to improve her game. Her defense is suspect as it was in college. Shooting logo 3's is not enough. I believe she will improve.

What I really object to is the press, media and social mavens saying Clark was snubbed. That is a bold faced lie. She didn't get snubbed. She didn't go thru the selection process so she was not elligible. Their articles are putting a lot of pressure on her, the Fever, the Olympic selection committee and the WNBA in general. It's not good and we are seeing the results.

 

[Floridaduck]

Casual fans (aka new to WBB) seem to believe Clark invented the 3 point shot and no one else had ever done it like her. But if you check the 2023-24 NCAA individual stats you will find Clark sitting at 55th in 3 point percentage. Her WNBA 3 point % isn't much to write home about either. Not in top 10.

I like Clark and having her on the team would be fine. I like the new eyes and new fannies in the seats she has brought with her. But the all too common idea she "invented" wbb or the logo 3 is over the top for a WBB fan for 50+ years like myself. No sense of history for with noveau crowd and it is tacky.

 

[CajunHusky]

Casual fans (aka new to WBB) seem to believe Clark invented the 3 point shot and no one else had ever done it like her. But if you check the 2023-24 NCAA individual stats you will find Clark sitting at 55th in 3 point percentage. Her WNBA 3 point % isn't much to write home about either. Not in top 10.

I like Clark and having her on the team would be fine. I like the new eyes and new fannies in the seats she has brought with her. But the all too common idea she "invented" wbb or the logo 3 is over the top for a WBB fan for 50+ years like myself. No sense of history for with noveau crowd and it is tacky.

for the same number of shots attempted, a 33% success rate for 3's gets the same number of points as a 50% success rate from 2. If your team can't shoot better than 33% from 3, maybe they should be concentrating on points in the paint.

 

[Vowelguy]

The W is expected to lose $50M this year. But yeah the problem is that Clark is getting too much attention.

You’ll never go wrong betting on the dumbness of the public.

WNBA Expected to Lose $50 Million Despite Popularity: Report

The WNBA's next television contract, negotiated in tandem with the NBA's next deal, is expected to provide financial windfall to a league long in the red.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Puppy Love]

The W is expected to lose $50M this year. But yeah the problem is that Clark is getting too much attention.

You’ll never go wrong betting on the dumbness of the public.

WNBA Expected to Lose $50 Million Despite Popularity: Report

The WNBA's next television contract, negotiated in tandem with the NBA's next deal, is expected to provide financial windfall to a league long in the red.

www.newsweek.com

It’s click bait at best. The loss is largely because of the addition of chartered flights about two years before they were expected. Since the WNBA media deal is currently being renegotiated, it’s pretty much expected that the WNBA will be in the black once that is complete. It gets complicated because the WNBA rates are negotiated as part of the package deal with the NBA rights and there’s a lot of accounting options for how things are allocated.

And no, I’m not that dumb.

 

[Dogdude]

It’s click bait at best. The loss is largely because of the addition of chartered flights about two years before they were expected. Since the WNBA media deal is currently being renegotiated, it’s pretty much expected that the WNBA will be in the black once that is complete. It gets complicated because the WNBA rates are negotiated as part of the package deal with the NBA rights and there’s a lot of accounting options for how things are allocated.

And no, I’m not that dumb.

I'm also skeptical of the accounting once the new deal is made. It's possible that some of the NBA owners are using Hollywood accounting, meaning all sorts of expenses are being thrown into the WNBA mix to lower income for tax breaks.

 

[ahmed69]

What we are seeing hearing and experiencing is social media hype!!! Caitlin Clark is the unfortunate target of all this stuff. And the "pundits/ experts" are to blame.

The Olympic selection committee has spoken about their process. Popularity and fannies in the seats is not part of their selection process. Clark did not participate in the tryouts/ workouts in March/ April. She had a valid season, the NCAA tournament. She has not played with the members of the Olympic team. Like it or not, her turn will come for the Olympic team. And it is not now.

Clark needs to improve her game. Her defense is suspect as it was in college. Shooting logo 3's is not enough. I believe she will improve.

What I really object to is the press, media and social mavens saying Clark was snubbed. That is a bold faced lie. She didn't get snubbed. She didn't go thru the selection process so she was not elligible. Their articles are putting a lot of pressure on her, the Fever, the Olympic selection committee and the WNBA in general. It's not good and we are seeing the results.

She was the number one overall pick, and is driving ticket sales for the WNBA that no player has done in a long time. Don't overthink it, let her play lol