WNBA thread… 28.5 ain’t your pay cut

Sources: Clark left off USA Basketball roster

 

This is a sport that struggles to get out of its own way:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...s-olympic-womens-basketball-team/74025937007/

Diana Taurasi will be playing in her 6th Olympics. Obviously crucial she got another gold.

However...this team will be covered more by the sports media, either out of the willingness to take the sport's dare to get non-Clark coverage, or out of the "if we don't we're bad people" social media guilt that journalists often feel when it comes to stuff like this.

 

Excuse me, but isn't the idea to win the gold, not make marketing opportunities for Clark? And won't showing there are athletes not named Clark who are damn fine players be a good thing?

 

Maybe.

But it’s like the minor-league baseball crowd. They don’t care ever who wins a minor-league baseball game. They just want the show and to see the cool uniforms on Star Wars Night and they’ll leave in the top of the 4th.

Five years from now, no one in this crowd will be able to tell us whom Team USA beat in the gold medal final.

Yet we all know the US had to beat Finland in 1980 after the Soviets. That’s the difference in sports that succeed and sports that don’t.

When the crowd cares about the winning and not the scenery, that’s the difference.

 

Dawn Staley's reserves at South Carolina could win a gold medal.

 

Laettner on the Dream Team was a travesty that Chuck Daly should never have permitted.

Ironically, before the Games were over, they really needed another point guard; Magic and Stockton both got hobbled to some extent. But remember also, Daly was under orders to pull back on the throttle (ie, shave points) as much as possible.

 

They haven't lost since 1992. They could send two DII guards and win going away.

Marketing opportunities for Clark? She is not in need of them. I'm sure her sponsors are thrilled with the decision though. I'm sure that'll learn 'em, tho, and also inspire them to shift their dollars to the truly great players.

 

Chuck Daly never got out of his seat throughout the Olympics.

 

More to the point...Taurasi was on the Olympic team right out of college. As were a few others.

It's like Brennan wrote...she was snubbed out of concern for her popularity.

 

We all know past performance doesn't mean a thing for the future. Nor does just thinking you can throw an all-star team out there. Ask the 1988 or 2004 men's teams.