The anticipated exclusion of Caitlin Clark from the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball roster for the upcoming summer games is a significant “missed opportunity,” according to Dan Dakich, host of OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me.” On Sunday, Dakich shared his views with co-host Will Cain on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” expressing his disappointment.
“They could have attracted more viewers to women’s basketball, which would have boosted the sport’s profile and strengthened the league’s season finish. Now it’s the same old story. No one’s going to pay attention, and that’s a really dumb missed opportunity,” Dakich stated.
His comments followed a report by The Athletic indicating that the Indiana Fever star would not be included in the final roster for the 2024 Paris summer games. Although Clark was named to the national team’s 14-person roster for a training camp in Cleveland, Ohio, in early April, she was unable to attend due to her commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes during the NCAA tournament.
Despite the speculation, USA Basketball has yet to formally announce the roster for this year’s Olympic team.
While some reports suggest that Clark’s rookie status might be a factor in her exclusion, others, including Dakich, find the decision perplexing.
“There’s no basketball player that’s a bigger draw right now in the world — in the world, I would argue — than Caitlin Clark,” he emphasized. “Let’s be honest, most people didn’t even know they had women’s basketball in the Summer Olympics. Now you have a chance to capitalize on her popularity, and you don’t take it…”
Clark has been credited with significantly boosting attention to the WNBA, which has long struggled with viewership. For example, the Washington Mystics played against Clark’s team before a crowd of 20,333 at Capital One Arena on Friday, marking the largest attendance for a WNBA game since 2007, according to AP, citing data from Across the Timeline.
“All I’ve heard for years is, ‘We’ve got to grow the game, pay attention to us, love on us,’ and now you have a real opportunity…” Dakich added.
The decision has drawn criticism from several others as well.
Former U.S. men’s soccer star Alexi Lalas, in a recent conversation with Fox News Digital, commented, “I don’t know enough about USA women’s Olympic basketball to know if Caitlin Clark’s omission is a snub. I do know that, right now, she would be the only reason I would remotely care about USA women’s Olympic basketball.”
Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, expressed his dismay on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “Leaving Caitlin Clark off the women’s Olympic team is the dumbest s— I’ve ever heard.”
OutKick contributor and “Gaines for Girls” host Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer, echoed the sentiment: “Caitlin Clark should be on the Women’s US Olympic Basketball team. That’s it. That’s the tweet.”
