Specifically, the writer is Christine Brennan, who has covered Olympic Sports for many cycles.
Yes, she did make the argument that the U.S.A. Selection Committee missed a chance to elevate Women's Basketball at the Olympics:
"Even at the women’s gold-medal basketball games at the Olympics, the press tribune is almost always half-empty, if not worse. Clark of course would have changed all that, igniting interest not just among U.S. media but reporters around the world."
What I find most interesting is something she claimed two sources told her:
"Two other sources, both long-time U.S. basketball veterans with decades of experience in the women’s game, told USA TODAY Sports Friday that concern over how Clark’s millions of fans would react to what would likely be limited playing time on a stacked roster was a factor in the decision making. If true, that would be an extraordinary admission of the tension that this multi-million-dollar sensation, who signs autographs for dozens of children before and after every game, has caused for the old guard of women’s basketball. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter."
If there's any truth to this, It's interesting that U.S.A. Basketball chose to have two neophytes represent the Olympics on the 3x3 team at the Olympics -- Cameron Brink and Hailey Van Lith, along with a player not in the WNBA, Cierra Burdick -- while opting not to have a new player on 5x5. As noted on another thread, why did Allisha Gray -- arguably the best U.S. player on the last 3x3 team in the Olympics -- not make any U.S.A. team? She's certainly playing well enough.
Caitlin Clark, who scored 30 points for the Indiana Fever last night, was left off the US Olympic women's basketball team for Paris.
www.usatoday.com