Jemele Hill Says It's 'Good For' Caitlin Clark Not Being On Olympic Roster
Team USA elected to leave the greatest women's college basketball player in history, Caitlin Clark, off of its Olympics roster for the upcoming 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
Many people have questioned that decision for a multitude of reasons. The first, and perhaps most important, being that Clark is the biggest star in women's basketball and one of the most famous athletes in the country right now.
She draws massive audiences to WNBA games both on television and in the arenas. It's safe to say that the audience would likely carry over to the women's Team USA basketball squad. Thus, leaving her off feels like a big miss for women's basketball in America, something that is finally growing in popularity.
That being said, there is an argument to be made that Clark not playing the Olympics isn't the worst thing for her, personally. Jemele Hill, who I generally disagree with on many topics, made some decent points with a social media post Saturday.
Hill posits that Clark will benefit from some time off from basketball, and I agree with that. She went right from a long college basketball season, in which her Iowa Hawkeyes reached the National Championship, to the WNBA Draft and then to a packed WNBA schedule.
The Indiana Fever played 11 games in the first 20 days of the season. So yes, all of that is fair.
Hill also said that she doesn't consider Clark's exclusion to be a "snub."
Again, this isn't a terrible argument. I don't necessarily agree with that, since Clark is immensely talented and brings a skill set to the table that no other WNBA player does, but it's not egregious to think she might not be one of the best 12 American women's basketball players right now.
That all being said, I do take issue with some of her rationale. First, the idea that Clark will "eventually make" the Olympic roster is not a guarantee. This is sports, and a lot can happen in four years, specifically, with injuries.
Remember, Derrick Rose was left off the USA Olympic roster in 2012, and people thought "he'll get there next time." Injuries destroyed his career and it never happened. Not saying that's going to happen, obviously, but you cannot just throw it away like it's not a possibility.
In addition, Hill says that Clark being left off the roster is good for Clark because she gets to take a break from basketball. Yes, that could be a positive.
Caitlin Clark wasn't selected to Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Jemele Hill thinks it's a good thing for her.
(Getty Images)
However, athletes have limited opportunities to appear on Olympic rosters. Clark is 22 years old and will be 26, 30 and 34 during the next three Summer Games. Any missed opportunity to participate is just that – a missed opportunity.
In that same vein, Clark is the biggest star in American women's basketball. Getting her experience on an international stage – even in limited minutes – is probably good for her and good for Team USA basketball overall.
Plus, spending time on the same team with many other WNBA stars – many of whom probably don't care for Clark's popularity – could have helped build some relationships for her moving forward, especially with the team representing the United States.
There was one other post from Hill that I want to address, the one where I think she got the most things wrong.
Again, we cannot assume the health of professional athletes. Injuries have derailed many careers. The idea that she's definitely going to have a 15-year NBA career is far from a guarantee.
Second, I don't agree with the assumption that the WNBA is just popular now and that's the way it's going to say. I wrote a lengthy article about it, and I stand by that. Here's what I wrote:
People in and around the WNBA believe that the league is here to stay. It might be, but we don't know that. The league certainly caught fire with Caitlin Clark, but there's no guarantee that she keeps public interest for years to come.
Caitlin Clark wasn't selected to Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Jemele Hill thinks it's a good thing for her.
(G Fiume/Getty Images)
We've seen things like this before in sports. Surely, when Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were battling for the heavyweight belt, people thought boxing would continue to rule the American sports world. It didn't. It came back when Mike Tyson came around and then mostly went away again.
We've seen similar trajectories with soccer in America. Whether it was Freddie Adu, Landon Donovan, David Beckham or Lionel Messi, we've heard many times that soccer is going to take off in America. It's had brief moments of increased popularity and exposure, but always fades.
Then, there was Ronda Rousey. She made women's MMA incredibly popular for a very brief moment in time. That passed. Can you name a single female UFC fighter right now?
I'm not saying that'll definitely happen to the WNBA, but I wouldn't be quick to bet that it's here to stay, either. If I were to bet, I'd probably lean more toward the latter, quite honestly.
That's what brings us back to Clark, the Olympics and Team USA. This is a golden opportunity for women's basketball and the WNBA to capitalize on something that's captured the nation. They are making short-sighted decisions that seem to suggest that they agree with Jemele Hill – WNBA popularity isn't going anywhere.
Don't be so quick to accept that assumption.