'Angel and Caitlin should have been there': Debate rages on despite USA gold medal win

A gold medal has done nothing to silence critics of the USA women’s basketball team, following superstar Caitlin Clark’s shock omission from the Paris Olympics.

Clark, the no. 1 WNBA draft pick for the Indiana Fever, has been something of a revelation for women’s basketball, proving to be not just a great addition to the game thanks to her skillset, but also a huge drawcard for new fans of the WNBA.

Her rivalry with Angel Reese, the no. 7 pick for the Chicago Sky, has been a big factor in that as well, giving fans and analysts much to talk about during their rookie seasons.

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Despite this, Clark was controversially omitted from the squad, sparking outrage from the basketball community. And that hasn’t gone away despite Team USA winning gold after their nailbiting win over France 67-66 in the final.

American sports identity Stephen A Smith has doubled down on his earlier criticism, saying that both Clark and Reese should have had a place in the team.

"I'm just of the mindset that when you look Team USA basketball, I'm still think Caitlin Clark should have been on the team," Smith said, as reported by ESPN. "And to a lesser degree, Angel Reese. I think she should have been on the team too. But definitely Caitlin Clark."

Smith continued: "Congrats to them – it was far more thrilling than it needed to be. They got it done. I was just of the mindset that Caitlin Clark needed to be on this team. I'm not running from it. You came home with gold, you handled your business. But when you talk about marketing the sport I think Team USA missed an opportunity to elevate the profile of women's excellence in basketball."

Prior to the Games, Smith was outspoken on the matter, telling ESPN, "It was a stupid decision. Because it compromises what your ultimate goal is, which is to elevate the WNBA brand."

According to Jen Rizzotti, the selection committee chair, selecting Clark would have been, "irresponsible", per the Associated Press, as the USA Women’s team is first and foremost about winning, not popularity.

Rizzotti summarized her and the selection committee’s view, "it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team."

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Christine Brennan, who writes for USA Today, concurred with Smith, claiming Clark’s omission was a "huge missed opportunity."

Brennan continues, stating she believes Clark’s inclusion in the Olympic team would "have introduced all those Olympic viewers and readers — many of whom are not big sports fans and have never watched a women’s Olympic basketball game — to the entire U.S. team."

David Portnoy, the head of the outspoken Barstool Sports network, had a similar sentiment, although was perhaps less subtle in his wording. Portnoy took to X (formerly Twitter) to record a video rant in which he claimed, "You can argue that Caitlin Clark is the most popular, most puts-a**es-in-the-seats, single basketball player in the world. You can argue that. And you leave her off the Olympics team?"

Some, such as the US Olympic selection committee, may argue viewership is not the goal for a competitive sports team, but when Clark’s Indiana Fever is attracting 1.32 million viewers a game, per CNN (a near threefold increase from last season), perhaps there is some merit.

Clark herself handled the media storm around her omission as well as can be, telling reporters, "Honestly, no disappointment. I think it just gives you something to work for. It's a dream, hopefully one day I can be there."

Given Clark’s popularity and the recent rise in popularity of the WNBA behind Clark, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink’s rise to stardom, including the former Hawkeye would have irrefutably drawn eyeballs, but is that the aim of the Olympics? Let us know in the comments!

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