Caitlin Clark Might Join The Olympic Team After All
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.
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00:00First, the news was that Katelyn Clarke simply didn't make the cut for the 2024 Olympic team.
00:06Then there were rumblings she was an alternate.
00:08And now, it's looking like someone might step aside so she has a spot.
00:13When word came down that Clarke didn't make Team USA, there was a cavalcade of backlash.
00:17Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports wrote on Ex, formerly Twitter, on June 8th,
00:22"'Leaving Katelyn Clarke off the women's Olympic team is the dumbest s---- I've ever heard.'
00:26All that blustery outrage may prove to be for naught, though.
00:29It seems Clarke may have a path to Paris after all."
00:33WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi was one of the players named to Team USA,
00:38but the Phoenix Mercury guard had been dealing with a leg injury.
00:41On July 12th, Taurasi was set to miss her team's game against Clarke's Indiana Fever.
00:46The New York Post noted that meant she missed four out of her team's last five games.
00:51With Taurasi's health status in limbo, Clarke was primed to take her spot.
00:55On June 10th, news spread that Clarke was among the possible alternates for the team.
01:00"'Katelyn Clarke and Breonna Jones of Connecticut are top the alternates list
01:04for Team USA if there is needed to be a replacement."
01:08One reason Clarke was an appealing alternate for the Olympic team was how she handled being
01:12excluded from the roster. People wondered how Clarke would react after being left off,
01:17but the highly-touted rookie took the news in stride. She said on June 9th,
01:21"'I know it's the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone
01:24either way of me being on the team. Honestly, no disappointment.'"
01:28The Indiana Fever star seemed to not only be fine with not making Team USA,
01:32but showed support for the women who were going to the Olympics, adding,
01:35"'I'm gonna be rooting them on to win gold.'"
01:38Plenty of other people were mad on Clarke's behalf, though. The president of the 2028
01:42Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, Casey Wasserman, blasted the decision to exclude Clarke,
01:48saying on June 22nd,
01:50"'I think it's a missed opportunity because she's clearly a generational talent.'"
01:54Columnist Christine Brennan also thought it was the wrong move,
01:57saying Clarke has proven she can draw eyeballs to women's basketball.
02:01"'I think history will judge this so incredibly poorly.'"
02:05But the team's selection committee chair, Jen Razzati,
02:08said marketing was not factored into choosing the roster. She said on June 11th,
02:12"'It would be irresponsible for us to talk about Clarke in a way other than how she
02:16would impact the play of the team.'"
02:18It's of particular interest that Tarassi may be the person Clarke ends up replacing on Team USA,
02:23given that Tarassi has made some of the harshest comments about Clarke
02:27as the young player moved from college ball to the WNBA. Tarassi warned her,
02:32"'Reality is coming. There's levels to this thing. You're gonna come with some grown women
02:36that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.'"
02:38The jab made headlines and was not forgotten by Clarke's Indiana Fever.
02:43On June 30th, Clarke's squad beat Tarassi's Phoenix Mercury,
02:47and the Fevers showed they could hold a petty grudge by trolling the vet.
02:50The team tweeted after the victory,
02:52"'Reality check. Fever win.'"
02:54By then, Tarassi had already adjusted her tone a bit when it came to Clarke. On June 10th,
03:00she expressed sympathy when it was announced Clarke wasn't on Team USA,
03:04saying of her own experience playing at the Olympics the first time in 2004,
03:08"'I had to learn the ropes too.'"
03:10And after the Fevers' win over the Mercury, Tarassi was even more complimentary,
03:14telling reporters that what Clarke has accomplished
03:16in just her few months as a pro is nothing short of remarkable.