Sports
Team USA Snubs Caitlin Clark From 2024 Olympics “It’s a Big Mistake”
Caitlin Clark, the rookie making waves in the WNBA, will not be joining the US national team in the Paris Olympics, according to sources. According to NBC News, sources close to the issue confirmed that the all-time college scoring leader will stay at home.
According to the insider, who spoke confidentially with the broadcaster, the team will consist of 12 veterans, which means Clark will not be present.
One of the women believed to be joining the squad is Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, who was held in Russia for 10 months on alleged drug possession charges before being repatriated to the United States in a prisoner exchange in December.
According to the source, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty are also considered likely teammates.
The roster of players that will travel to Paris has yet to be formally revealed by Team USA.
WNBA’s rookie of the month
Clark just had the best game of her professional career, scoring 30 points and making seven three-pointers in Friday night’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics. Despite her laurels (she was voted the WNBA’s rookie of the month in May), Clark, like any other rookie, is still working on her game.
In her brief professional career, she has made only 32.7% of her three-point shots and has allowed the most turnovers in the league, averaging five per game.
Even still, some are perplexed by the team’s alleged decision not to invite her along.
In a post on X, Bartsool Sports founder Dave Portnoy described the decision as the “dumbest thing I’ve ever heard”.
“How dumb are these people?” Portnoy asked. “Never grumble about women’s pay again. Make that team fly commercially. “Unreal dumb.” He described Clark’s games as “appointment TV.”
“I’d rather watch grass grow and paint dry. “I’d rather see dirt moved around because Caitlin Clark isn’t on the team,” he remarked. “If she’s there, it’s appointment television. You people, whoever did this, take your brain, put it in a museum, and study how stupid you are.”
According to the New York Post, Justin Termine, a Sirus XM analyst, believes it would be dumb not to feature one of the sport’s most talked-about stars at a time when the league is attempting to increase viewership.
“Even if she stinks, which she doesn’t, that’s horrible vision,” he wrote.
Colin Cowherd, a Fox Sports host, agreed, suggesting that by not include Clark, the Olympics and league were leaving money on the table.
“Christian Laettner made the Dream Team.” Can’t Caitlin Clark make the women’s Olympic basketball team? Cowherd written. “What largely pays for the Olympics — oh wait, revenue produced by broadcasting partners. As in television. As in, Caitlin is TV GOLD. “Opportunity wasted.”
Cheryl Reeve, the Minnesota Lynx coach who will also coach Team USA this summer, was reportedly the one who decided the team should be mostly made up of veterans.
According to the New York Post, she was also critical of the WNBA’s current focus on Clark during the preseason.
However, raising buzz by focusing on a bright newbie to basketball has before proven successful; LeBron James was making waves in the NBA world before he even graduated high school.
Why excluding Caitlin Clark from Team USA is a mistake
If Clark had played for Team USA, more people would have watched them on the court. That is undeniable, but to what extent? The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were the least viewed ever, thanks in part to the postponement of the events due to COVID-19.
Given the rise in women’s collegiate basketball and WNBA ratings, this would be an excellent opportunity to expose the women’s game to the rest of the globe, even if Clark was only a role participant. It limits the game’s potential for further expansion, no matter how minor.
On April 7, four-time Team USA gold winner Lisa Leslie told Sporting News that Team USA needs to find a way to get Clark on the roster.
Leslie was a member of the 1996 Olympic team, which competed a year after the WNBA began play. That team, which also included Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley, and Rebecca Lobo, had an impact on the game’s growth. It was the women’s version of the Team USA men’s basketball Dream Team of 1992.
“I never want to forget about the history of women’s basketball,” Leslie told Sporting News. “It was our time.” We got the WNBA started, and now it’s time for the women. Caitlin Clark’s time has come. We, the veterans, are supportive and proud.
Clark’s moment in the Olympic spotlight will have to wait. In the present tense, this will lead to more discussion about why she was left off, and make no mistake: everyone will have an opinion. Is it truly about performance? Is it jealousy? Politics? All of this is coming, but it will not solve the question.
Why would a game that has been striving for growth – and found it – overlook its finest up-and-coming rookie in the Olympics? If the answers involve paying dues or appreciating veterans who came before Clark and incoming fans who need to know their position, it’s a self-destructive combination that will only drive those viewers away. Gymnastics, track and field, swimming, and a variety of other sports are on offer at the Olympics. That is precisely what they will do. Nobody loves being advised how to watch sports when the only goal should be enjoyment.
Clark is an entertaining player on the court. She has accomplished this through 3-pointers, full-court passes, and an exuberance that has brought new young fans to the game. The viewership speaks for itself.
Caitlin Clark, like Shaquille O’Neal and the Dream Team, will be a footnote on this team regardless of whether they win or lose. Why wasn’t he chosen over Christian Laettner? It didn’t matter, but it would’ve been interesting to witness. We are still discussing it today.
You’ll have to wait until 2028 in Los Angeles to witness Clark on the Olympic stage. There are many things to consider, but unneeded is at the top of the list.
Source: Sporting News, AOL
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics promises to be unlike any other.
In a novelty for the Games, the show will be held on Paris’ famed River Seine rather than in a stadium.
Here is everything you need know about the ceremony…
What to expect from the spectacular opening ceremony.
The eye-catching celebration will take place over a 6km stretch of the Seine. It will start at Austerlitz Bridge and culminate among the gardens, fountains, and palaces in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero.
Almost 100 boats will carry over 10,000 athletes and dignitaries as they cruise past Paris’ prominent monuments such as Notre Dame Cathedral and Pont Neuf.
The boats will transport the parade’s participants as well as the artistic portion of the celebration, which will highlight Paris and France’s history and culture.
The performers’ identities, however, have been kept a mystery.
Thousands of people are still expected to line the river and streets, with millions more watching on television all over the world.
“I’d like to show France in all its diversity,” said Thomas Jolly, the French actor and theatre director appointed as the ceremony’s creative director, a post previously played by Danny Boyle in London 2012.
“Illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration.”
The ceremony will also involve the ceremonial opening of the Games, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Many of the finer elements have been maintained as a surprise.
What is the date and time of the opening ceremony?
The ceremony will commence at 19:30 local time (18:30 BST) on Friday, July 26.
It is scheduled to take little under four hours, with the last parts taking place as the sun sets over the French city.
Fortunately, the Paris weather forecast for Friday evening is positive.
In what sequence will the nations be introduced?
In accordance with tradition, Greece will be the first nation introduced during the ceremony.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, an NBA star, is one of their flagbearers for the games.
Greece will be followed by the Refugee Olympic Team, with hosts France being the last to be unveiled.
Because of their countries’ involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, Russian and Belarussian athletes participating as individuals will not participate.
How to follow the opening ceremony on BBC.
The opening ceremony will begin live at 17:45 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app.
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will provide radio coverage beginning at 19:00 BST.
There will also be live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app, bringing you all the action from Paris.
Source: BBC
Sports
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
PARIS — Coco Gauff, a tennis player, will join LeBron James as a flag bearer for the United States Olympic team at Friday’s opening ceremony.
Coco, the reigning US Open winner, is ready to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games, becoming the first tennis player to carry the American flag. Team USA athletes selected her and James.
“I believe the Olympics are the priority. It’s equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn’t put it above or below because I’d never played before. “This is my first time,” Gauff explained earlier this year. “I always want to do well and get a medal.”
Coco Gauff | AP News Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
Coco and James, the 39-year-old NBA’s all-time top scorer, engage in sports outside the traditional Olympic realm and receive media attention year-round rather than every four years.
Coco, 20, joined the American team for the Tokyo Olympics as a youngster three years ago but had to withdraw because she tested positive for COVID-19 just before flying to Japan.
Coco, who now lives in Florida, has won Grand Slam titles in both singles and doubles. She earned her first major triumph in New York in September, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the singles final of the U.S. Open, and then won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June with Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova.
The Paris Olympics will be played on the same clay courts at Roland Garros used for the French Open. The bracket draw will take place on Thursday, and play will begin on Saturday.
Coco is seeded second in singles, matching her current WTA ranking behind Poland’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and will be one of the medal favorites.
Coco Gauff | AP news Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
She and her normal doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, are seeded first in the women’s doubles. Gauff may also compete in mixed doubles; however, those pairs have yet to be determined.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on it, because I want to fully enjoy the experience,” Gauff said of her Olympic debut. “Hopefully I can have the experience multiple times in my lifetime, (but) I’ll treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
SOURCE | AP
When LeBron James was chosen for his first Olympics in 2004, he was unsure what the opening ceremony entailed.
This time, he’ll be a star of the show.
His fellow American Olympians chose James to be the male flagbearer for the United States at the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday night. He is the third basketball player — and the first men’s player — to carry the United States flag at the start of an Olympics, following Dawn Staley in 2004 and Sue Bird in 2021.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James told reporters. “As a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only me, but to my family, all the kids in my community, my teammates, other Olympians, and so many more people throughout the country with huge dreams. Sports have the capacity to unite us all, and I’m honored to be a part of this historic occasion.”
The 39-year-old James learned of the distinction Monday in London, just hours before the United States men’s team was supposed to play its final pre-Olympics exhibition game against World Cup champion Germany.
“We understand how much of an honor it is to be in that position and I think Bron’s entire career, on and off the court, speaks for itself as him being worthy of that honor,” Curry said on the video announcing his nomination.
“He has represented what it means to be excellent both on and off the court in his commitment to service and to uplifting the community in all ways that he knows how has been a lifelong passion,” Curry pointed out. “And the work speaks for itself.”
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
The female U.S. flagbearer is anticipated to be revealed on Tuesday. In 2020, the International Olympic Committee announced that country delegations would have two flagbearers at the Olympics’ opening ceremony, one male and one female, to encourage gender equality. The United States is set to send around 600 competitors to the Paris Games, with approximately 53% women.
“Being chosen by your teammates to carry the flag is a tremendous honor—and a testament to LeBron’s passion for Team USA and dedication to his sport,” U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said.
James, a global icon, four-time NBA champion, and the league’s all-time leading scorer about to begin his record-tying 22nd NBA season, is set to compete in the Olympics for the fourth time, having previously won bronze in 2004, gold in Beijing in 2008, and gold again in London in 2012. He participated in the opening ceremony at his previous three Olympics.
This will be an unprecedented Olympic opening ceremony, with thousands of participants sailing along the River Seine at nightfall toward the Eiffel Tower. According to Olympic officials, the route is a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) one, with some 320,000 spectators expected to watch from the river bank and an estimated 1 billion more watching on televisions around the world.
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
Not all Olympic athletes attend the opening ceremony; many miss it for logistical reasons, such as having to compete the next day. James and the four-time defending gold champion U.S. men shall begin Olympic competition on Sunday, when they face Serbia in Lille, France.
James and the American Olympians will have to wait longer than virtually any other nation for their voyage on the Seine. According to IOC protocol, Greece will lead the march, with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo serving as one of its two flagbearers. The Refugee Olympic Team and over 200 more national delegations will follow. The United States is slated to be next-to-last in the procession because Los Angeles will host the next Summer Olympics in 2028.
As the host, France will be the last nation to participate in the opening ceremony procession. Its men’s basketball team, which includes reigning NBA rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, begins Olympic competition on Saturday and is not scheduled to attend the opening ceremony.
SOURCE | AP
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