Caitlin Clark's Snub from Team USA's 2024 Olympics Roster Sparks Debate Among Fans

USA Basketball has reportedly finalized the women's team for the 2024 Summer Olympics, and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark was notable in her omission from the list.

The No. 1 overall pick was included in the provisional roster pool ahead of the selection. Selection committee chairperson Jennifer Rizzotti told the Associated Press' Doug Feinberg the open of the WNBA season was effectively Clark's tryout for the squad.

Not surprisingly, Clark has once again become a lightning rod on social media with her Olympic status coming into focus.

Here's a sampling from the crowd who believed the 6'0" guard warranted a spot, in large part thanks to her massive popularity:

And here are the others who didn't see any issue in Clark getting bypassed, citing other deserving candidates and questioning what impact she might have had in a bench role:

There was a solid argument for selecting the 22-year-old despite her relative lack of pro experience. She was a two-time national player of the year at Iowa, and she figures to be a long-term piece of Team USA moving forward. Going to the 2024 Summer Olympics would've helped her get acclimated with the international game.

Clark's performance didn't make this a no-brainer, though. She's averaging 16.8 points on 37.3 percent shooting along with 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists. That's good but not great production for a team that's off to a 3-9 start. Purely on the merits, there are better American players than her right now.

The extent to which Clark might help to widen the appeal of women's basketball is probably being overstated as well. This isn't like in 1992, when Michael Jordan and the Dream Team playing in front of a worldwide audience was a seminal moment with a lasting legacy.

The sport at the women's level is already growing around the globe, and the 2021 gold medal game drew a viewership of 7.8 million viewers domestically.

For the United States this summer, the likes of A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart Napheesa Collier and Jewell Loyd among others will do just fine in terms of helping Team USA defend its gold medal while putting on a show in the process.