Team USA’s controversial Women’s Basketball Roster Decision: The Downside of The Caitlin Clark Impact
Lindsey Darvin
09/06/2024
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Caitlin Clark is one of the most followed female basketball stars in the professional world and a favorite among fans is not on the Team USA Women’s Basketball 2024 Olympic team, according to reports. The decision to cut Clark off the 2024 Olympic team has sparked tension from both media as well as fans, signalling that there could be a negative side effect of the Caitlin Clark impact on women’s basketball. Although Clark certainly has boosted the fan base in women’s basketball, in order to really see this Caitlin Clark impactdrive substantial expansion in the sport younger fans need to think beyond supporting just one player.
Many have pointed to this Caitlin Clark phenomenon as one the major driving causes behind the growth in popularity, fandom and the number of female basketball fans during the last two seasons. Sold-out arenas are becoming more frequent at both professional and collegiate levels of basketball. Caitlin Clark’s team in professional known as The Indiana Fever has experienced an incredible increase in attendance at home and has surpassed their total 2023 total home attendance of 81,336 in the initial five matches of their 2024 campaign with an overall attendance of 82.857. In the initial three weeks in the season overall attendance increased by 40% compared to 2023’s total (6,615). In the Indiana Fever, Indiana Fever has the largest growth in the year 2023 (+12,504).
The viewership of streaming and linear television has seen similar increases. After four weeks of the season and four of the five most watched 2024 WNBA games have included Indiana Fever: Indiana Fever:
- May 14 – Indiana Fever @ Connecticut Sun (ESPN2) – 2.12 million
- May 16 – Indiana Fever @ New York Liberty (ABC) — It’s a great way to get your kids involved.1.71 million
- May 18 – Connecticut Sun @ Indiana Fever (ESPN) – 1.56 million
- June 1, Chicago Sky vs Indiana Fever (ESPN) 1.5 million viewers 1.5 million
- May 18 – Los Angeles Sparks @ Las Vegas Aces (ABC) – 1.34 million
The downside of Caitlin Clark Caitlin Clark
Despite the evidence-based signs of a growing fan base as well as attendance and viewership however, younger fans are destroying the sport by supporting one player, while ignoring the long and rich tradition of the league as well as its long-standing players. But, the blame for this occurrence doesn’t just be on the shoulders of new fans’ shoulders. For many years, women’s sports as well as the WNBA have struggled with lack of coverage, resulting in the opportunity to have consistent games or exposure to players/teams.
The WNBA does not have a separate major television contract and has its ESPN agreement tied to the NBA which generates around 40 million dollars in revenue for the league, but resulting in fewer prime-time television shows. Although Caitlin Clark certainly has contributed to the increase in viewership but it’s important to know that women’s coverage and viewers was already increasing in the 2023 season, before Clark’s arrival to the NBA.
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However, sustainable growth is contingent on new fans accepting the entire league, rather than focusing on promoting a single player. Recent manifestations of discontent from Caitlin Clark’s followers after announcement of the Team USA roster announcement, that include calls for boycotts of women’s Olympic basketball matches, present an immediate threat for the female basketball scene. Historically in the past, these Olympic Games have provided a rare opportunity for increased awareness as well as coverage for women’s sports with the number of viewers and coverage figures for women’s sporting events frequently exceeding or even surpassing those of their male counterparts.
Many experts in women’s sport such as Jemele Hill, and Sarah Spain, assert that Olympic roster spots are obtained by consistent performance, not the popularity of social media or. The ability to keep this standard up is vital for maintaining respect for the values of sport, and also ensuring an excellent level of play in the courts. In addition, getting a spot on Team America’s Women’s Basketball roster is highly competitive, as is evident by the absence of powerful WNBA players such as Arike Ogunbowale. He averages 26.6 PPG in this WNBA season which ranks the second position for the league. If the newer crowd does not become familiar with the WNBA and its numerous skilled professional players, their views could remain uninformed and hamper the growth of the sport overall.
Caitlin Clark will have many opportunities to secure her an Olympic selection in the coming years. As of now, any new supporters should be focusing on all the top female athletes representing the USA in 2024’s Olympic Games, as this will surely help to improve the game for all athletes including Caitlin Clark.
