USA Basketball: It would be ‘irresponsible’ to put Caitlin Clark on Olympic team for marketing reasons

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The roster for the 2024 US Olympic women’s basketball team was released on Tuesday, and as was expected, Caitlin Clark’s name wasn’t on it. Reports had surfaced Saturday that Clark wouldn’t be competing for USA Basketball at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti, who is also president of the Connecticut Sun and head coach of the US women’s 3×3 team, commented about Clark being left off the roster, responding specifically to criticism that USA Basketball is missing a chance to market and grow the WNBA by leaving Clark at home.

“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about [Clark] in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team,” Rizzotti said via the AP. “Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl [Reeve, head coach].”

USA Basketball didn’t consider marketing or growth opportunities when selecting the roster for the US Olympic women’s basketball team. There was simply too much talent for Caitlin Clark to crack the team. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)Clark, a rookie with no international experience whatsoever, responded like a champ when she was asked about missing the roster, saying she hopes she’ll be able to get to the Olympics “one day.” She knows she’ll have more chances in the future, and she’ll be ready for them when they come along.

But ESPN sports personalities (and noted yellers) Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe went off on USA Basketball when they found out Clark wasn’t on the roster, complaining that the organization wasn’t serious about growing the WNBA if they’re leaving off the most popular women’s basketball player in the country.

 

 

While marketing the WNBA is an admirable goal, as Rizzotti said, it is in no way the goal of USA Basketball. Their goal is to put together the best team possible so they can win medals, trophies, and championships around the world. They may use WNBA players, but they are a separate organization from the WNBA. If the different names didn’t flag that for Smith and Sharpe, 15 seconds of research would have led them to that conclusion. Hopefully that’s not too much time for them to spend preparing for their next WNBA segment.

HOT NEWS:

TRAVIS KELCE ADORABLY SHAKES OFF TAYLOR SWIFT QUESTION ABOUT “PERSONAL” DATE NIGHT ACTIVITY

Travis Kelce Adorably Shakes Off Taylor Swift Question About “Personal” Date Night ActivityTravis Kelce had a very delicate answer to a question about his relationship with Taylor Swift, sharing that he considers cooking for the singer to be a very “personal” act.

Travis Kelce just wants to stay in that lavender haze.

That’s why the Kansas City Chiefs tight end opted not to speak now about his home life with girlfriend Taylor Swift, playfully shaking off an inquiry about what they like to cook during a night in together.

“I respect that question,” he began during a June 11 press conference, “but I’m gonna keep that one to myself.”

The 34-year-old continued, “Because I thoroughly enjoy cooking with her, so it’s something I’d rather keep personal.”

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However, Travis did confirm the suburban legends about the singer’s culinary s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s, telling the reporter, “Taylor makes a great Pop-Tart and cinnamon roll.”

Taylor, 34, first gave a glimpse into how her and Travis’ alchemy hit like white wine in April, when she shared a video montage recapping her fortnight set to her lead single from The Tortured Poets Department. In addition to scenes of her Eras Tour rehearsal, the clip showed the Grammy winner cooking over a stove as Travis leaned in to plant a sweet kiss on her cheek.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce: Romance Rewind

Travis later shared how he manages to stay humble amid their high-profile relationship. “When you have good family and friends around you, it makes that aspect of life that much easier,” the NFL star explained during a June 6 appearance on Good Morning America. “I’ve always been a very grounded guy. I might not come off like that when I’m playing football, but off the field I just want to be a genuine person.”

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He added of his current chapter, “I’m so fortunate and so grateful of everything that’s come my way in life.”

For a closer look at Travis and Taylor’s love story, keep reading to find out why their romance works.

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images; Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

No. 1: He’s a Swiftie

Long before Taylor Swift‘s attendance at the Kansas City Chief’s Sept. 24 game became one of the definitive pop culture moments of the year, Travis Kelce was an admirer of the Grammy winner.

The star tight end’s interest in Taylor was first revealed by one of his teammates in a TikTok video posted by the Chiefs in August (which, in hindsight, was when the pair were secretly dating).

Before Travis could answer the prompt of who his celebrity crush was, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling spilled, “Taylor Swift!”

Travis smiled at the camera before holding his finger up to his moustache, saying, “Alright now!”

Plus, Travis was just one of many celebs to attend Taylor’s record-breaking Eras Tour this summer. But more on that enchanting moment in a bit…

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No. 2: He’s Not Her Usual Type (on Paper)

While he does have that daydream look in his eyes (especially when he sees Taylor on the big-screen at one of his games), Travis stands out a bit when you look back at Taylor’s dating history.

She is typically attracted to creative types, including actors (Joe Alwyn, Jake Gyllenhaal, Taylor Lautner and Tom Hiddleston) and musicians (Calvin Harris, John Mayer, Harry Styles and, most recently, Matty Healy).

But perhaps that’s why her romance with the lighthearted and cheeky athlete—who signed a four-year deal with the Chiefs worth $57 million in 2020—feels like such a refreshing option for Taylor after her six-year uber-private relationship with Joe came to an end in April 2023.

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No. 3: He Publicly Pursued Her

Looks like the eight-time Pro Bowler’s wishes came true after he all but manifested his rumored romance with the superstar through sheer will, determination and declarations of infatuation.

Travis publicly aired his failed attempt to shoot his shot and talk to Taylor when he attended the Kansas City stop on her Eras Tour July 7. As it turns out, he had a special gift for her: A friendship bracelet bearing his “number” that he hoped to give Taylor. (He wouldn’t definitely say if it was his jersey number or phone number.)

Despite his claim that he was “disappointed” he failed to meet her after the concert, Taylor confirmed to TIME that she belatedly caught his podcast pass.

“Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” she recalled. “We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other.”

So, that whole theory about the Sept. 24 game being their first official hang? As Taylor clarified to TIME, “We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”

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No. 4: She Isn’t In Hiding

Since her breakup with Joe, Taylor has been seen in public much more frequently, including outings with friends in NYC and jubilant appearances at award shows, like the 2023 MTV VMAs and the 2024 Grammys.

But her most talked-about appearance? Sitting in Travis’ suite at the Chief’s Sept. 24 home game against the Chicago Bears.

Rather than shy away from the attention, Taylor cheered and screamed “Let’s f–king go!” when Travis scored a touchdown. Like the public, even Travis admitted he was caught off-guard by Taylor accepting his invite.

“Shoutout to Taylor for pulling up, that was pretty ballsy,” Travis said during the Sept. 27 episode of the New Heights podcast. “I just thought it was awesome how everyone in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her, the friends and family.”

“She looked amazing,” he added. ” It was definitely a game I will remember, that’s for damn sure.”

Since then, Taylor and Travis have been photographed hand-in-hand on dates in New York City and have made multiple visits to a Christmas bar in Kansas City, where they were not shy about showing PDA.

And, after revealing to TIME that she retreated from the spotlight after Kim Kardashian‘s infamous leaked phone call in 2016, Taylor is going out tonight…and every night, if she wants to, thank you very much.

“Life is short,” she said. “Have adventures. Me locking myself away in my house for a lot of years—I’ll never get that time back. I’m more trusting now than I was six years ago.”

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No. 5: He Knows When to Pull Back

While Travis isn’t afraid to spill some tea on his podcast about his interactions with Taylor, he still expressed his boundaries about addressing his personal life moving forward.

“I know I brought all this attention to me,” he explained. “I did the whole friendship bracelet thing and told everyone how butthurt I was that I didn’t get to meet Taylor.” However, he continued, he didn’t plan to give a full play-by-play of their relationship.

“What’s real is that it is my personal life and I want to respect both of our lives,” he explained. “I’m enjoying life and I sure as hell enjoyed this weekend. So everything moving forward, I think me talking about sports and saying ‘alright nah’ will have to be where I keep it.”

He doubled-down on his desire to play it cool in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

“Everybody around me telling me: Don’t f–k this up! And me sitting here saying: Yeah—got it,” he told the outlet, before addressing the media attention. “That was the biggest thing to me: make sure I don’t say anything that would push Taylor away.”

But that doesn’t mean he’s been able to resist publicly talking about his girlfriend—crediting her for the boost in sales of his jersey and calling her “amazing” after she was booed by New England Patriots fans at his Dec. 17 game.

“I’ve never been a man of words,” he admitted to WSJ. “Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been f–king mind-blowing. I’m learning every day.”

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No. 6: He’s Family-Oriented

Like Taylor, who is close with her parents, particularly her mother Andrea, Travis hails from a tight-knit fam, including his parents Ed and Donna Kelce.

Donna became a beloved public figure when she became the first mother to have two sons playing against each other in a Super Bowl, when Travis faced off against his older brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, in the big game last February.

“For all the stars to align and for them to get through high school and college and the pros. And for them to both play in the Pro Bowl and to play in the Super Bowl, and then for this to happen,” Donna told ET at the time. “This is just like a dream come true. I can’t express enough how special this is for the family and it’s just crazy.”

Donna, who was married to Ed for 25 years before they divorced, supported both of her sons by wearing a half-black, half-red Eagles and Chiefs jacket.

After the Super Bowl, which saw the Chiefs best the Eagles, Travis and Jason got emotional while reflecting on sharing the experience with Donna.

“The moment I saw mom is when I got really emotional,” Jason said on the brothers’ New Heights podcast. “It was so awesome…She was on top of the world for a week.”

“She was the heavyweight champ man,” Travis added. “She was on top of it, and she shined the whole time.”

Ed Zurga/AP/Shutterstock

No. 7: He’s Super-Close With His Brother

Like Taylor and her younger brother Austin Swift, Travis has a special bond with his older brother Jason, who inspired him to play football.

In addition to their impressive careers as NFL players, Travis and Jason launched their podcast New Heights in September 2022, a project that has only strengthened their relationship.

“What this did was gave us a scheduled two to three hour window where we have to talk to each other and we have to talk about what we’re going through, throughout the week and throughout the games,” Travis told NBC Sports in February. “It’s almost been like therapy, man.”

Instagram/Aaron Rodgers

No. 8: They Have a Mutual Friend

Sure, the pair technically never met until this year, but there have been a few invisible strings tying them together.

Taylor and Travis both count Miles Teller as a friend, with the Top Gun: Maverick star and his wife Keleigh Sperry even being recruited by Taylor to star in the music video for “I Bet You Think About Me” off Red (Taylor’s Version) in 2021.

Travis, meanwhile, joined Miles and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for golfing practice ahead of the American Century Championship in 2022.

Miles tweeted a photo of himself on the golf course with the athletes, writing, “Grip it and rip it.” Travis proved the bromance was real when he reposted the shot and added, “Back at it like we never left!!”

(Interestingly enough, Miles is a noted diehard Philadelphia Eagles fans, so perhaps he put in a word with Jason to broker an IRL meet-up between Travis and Taylor?)

Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

No. 9: The Squad Is Shipping

While Taylor attended the Sept. 24 game solo, she brought an entourage of celebrity friends with her when she attended the Chiefs’ match-up against the New York Jets at New Jersey’s Metlife Stadium on Oct. 1.

She was accompanied by BFFs Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds and his friend Hugh Jackman, as well as Sophie Turner, Sabrina Carpenter and Queer Eye‘s Antoni Porowski.

While their attendance at the game spoke volumes, even more telling was Ryan following Travis on Instagram.

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No. 10: He Can Handle the Pressure

Not only has Travis played in three, soon to be four, Super Bowls, winning two of them (NBD!), but he’s also hosted Saturday Night Live, so you know he can handle intense spotlight with ease.

That may seem trivial, but Taylor has penned several songs regarding her fear that her level of fame could prove to be too much for her romantic partner to handle. (See: “Peace” and “The Archer.”)

“It all depends who you’re with,” Taylor said in, “If they have a serious issue with it, I guess you’ll hide or whatever, but I don’t really like that, because it makes me feel like I’m running from the law or something. I don’t want to feel like a fugitive, like, ‘Oh my god, we’re having a relationship, better hide!’

“I feel like if you can be in a relationship and have it seem normal, that would be good.”

And in his WSJ interview, Travis proved he’s more than ready for the pressure that comes with dating someone as powerful as Taylor.

“Obviously I’ve never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them…I’ve never dealt with it,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it.”

“The scrutiny she gets, how much she has a magnifying glass on her, every single day, paparazzi outside her house, outside every restaurant she goes to, after every flight she gets off, and she’s just living, enjoying life,” he added. “When she acts like that I better not be the one acting all strange.”

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No. 11: They Support One Another

Further proving their love is worthy of a rom-com treatment, fans were swooning after a concertgoer captured video of Taylor running into Travis’ arms and exchanging a passionate kiss after performing in Argentina Nov. 11. And that was after she changed the lyrics in Karma from “the guy on the screen” to “the guy on the Chiefs,” much to Travis’ surprise as he attended alongside her father, Scott Swift.

Turning out for one another’s stadium takeovers—Taylor has now attended 12 Chiefs games and is expected at the Super Bowl despite a Feb. 10 concert in Tokyo—is a show of how serious their relationship is.

“I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Taylor told TIME of their public support. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”

And if her presence at the NFL games annoys you, well, Taylor can’t even be bothered to have bad blood with you.

“There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once,” she said. “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”

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No. 12: His Birthday

Travis turned 34 on Oct. 5 meaning he was born in—are you ready for it?—1989. Screaming, crying, throwing up, etc.

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13. A Special Connection

Speaking of Killa Trav’s birthday, did you know he shares his with Taylor’s late grandmother Marjorie Finlay, the subject of her song “Marjorie” off of 2020’s evermore? If we didn’t know better, we’d think this is a sign…

HOT NEWS:

DIANA TAURASI GETS BRUTALLY HONEST ON CAITLIN CLARK’S OLYMPICS ROSTER SNUB

Diana Taurasi gets brutally honest on Caitlin Clark’s Olympics roster snub

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Caitlin Clark’s controversial treatment in WNBA sparks differing reactions from Diana Taurasi, Geno Auriemma

Where Taurasi and Auriemma agree is fans need to be more educated

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Instead of the Connecticut Sun’s red-hot start or A’ja Wilson’s early dominance, the prevailing conversation about the WNBA thus far this season has seemed to be focused on one rookie — Caitlin Clark — and the rest of the league’s treatment of her.

WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi came under scrutiny for saying Clark would have a transition period when she entered the WNBA. Earlier in the year, WNBA legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes also received public backlash for saying more of the same.

Despite these players’ observations, a sector of fans has weaponized the comments to the point where women’s basketball players and coaches across the game are chiming in.

“You have to really focus on doing your research, and that’s for everyone,” Taurasi told CBS Sports.

Taurasi is the latest player to add her voice to the chorus. She joins players like Aces forward Alysha Clark, Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike and her Phoenix teammate Natasha Cloud — to name a few — who want newer WNBA fans to respect and appreciate the players in the league and the level of competition required to compete night after night.

Although Taurasi hadn’t heard the comments her former UConn coach Geno Auriemma made about “delusional” fans directly, she does feel there is a base level of knowledge often missing from the prevailing WNBA debates this season.

“Players, fans, reporters — just do your research,” Taurasi said. “Gather the facts. I think we’re in a day and age where anything that is said is taken for a fact or that’s the way it is, and I think we just got to make sure we know who’s good at basketball and who’s not.”

Auriemma was more pointed with his comments.

“The delusional fan base that follows [Caitlin Clark] disrespected the WNBA players by saying she’s gonna go in that league and tear it apart,” Auriemma said on The Dan Patrick Show last week. “There were actually odds on — she’s third or fourth in betting odds of being MVP in the WNBA. These people are so disrespectful and so unknowledgeable and so stupid that it gives women’s basketball a bad name.”

Taurasi and others remind their rookies and the general public often that the WNBA has always been a physical league. The WNBA merges college players with athletes 19 years their senior, as is the case when 41-year-old Taurasi competes against 22-year-old Clark, and there is bound to be a learning curve.

“Entering the WNBA it’s just a whole different league,” Taurasi said. “It’s like anything, it’s a different level of competition and you know, I had to get used to that.”

Although Caitlin Clark herself has said she’s focused on basketball, there have also been moments the Iowa legend and Fever coach Christine Sides have felt the physicality has gone too far. At the top of the list is likely Chennedy Carter’s hip check to Clark while the ball was out of play.

“It’s tough, but that’s just the fact of the matter,” Clark said. “This is a very physical game, and you’re going to get pressure, this is professional basketball. It is what it is, honestly.”

Former Pacers guard Reggie Miller sat down with Mark Jackson on the “Come and Talk 2 Me” podcast and expressed that nobody should be surprised by the elite competition and physical play in the WNBA.

“I’ve known this for years because I grew up in it,” Miller said of the WNBA’s increased coverage.

The five-time All-Star Miller is a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team, but he self-admittedly isn’t even the best basketball player in his family. His older sister and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller never played in the WNBA due to a major injury in college, but she is regarded as one of the best to play the game.

While Reggie Miller is glad folks are joining him in appreciation and respect for women’s basketball, he isn’t on board with the notion Clark is being hated on.

“Why are people so shocked? Right, you’re playing against grown women. The same thing happened to us as rookies,” Miller said while pointing back and forth between him and former Knicks star Mark Jackson. “Going against [Michael Jordan] — they’re trying to embarrass you. It’s nothing personal … these are grown women.”

And Clark understands that.

When asked if she felt Carter owed her an apology after their exchange, Clark responded, “No. I mean, basketball’s competitive. I get it.”

“She’s having a tremendous season,” Clark added, while saying she herself has let emotions get the best of her throughout her basketball career. The Fever guard collected her third technical foul in a game against the Seattle Storm last month.

However, there is a conversation to be had about officiating in the WNBA. The latest head-scratcher occurred last Tuesday when Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese was ejected after being issued a double technical foul. The league rescinded the second technical Wednesday, but that did little for the 2023 NCAA champion who missed the final two minutes of the matchup against New York.

For Taurasi, adapting to how the game is called is part of the learning curve from college to the pros.

“It’s the way the league has been, it’s a physical league,” Taurasi said. “That is just the way our game is set up. It’s the way it’s officiated. The way the rules are. I don’t know it any other way.”

Leagues like the NBA and MLB have adjusted rules to protect players from close-outs or put outs, but regulating all contact from sports is unlikely to be successful.

“I know the NBA is taking huge strides and making the game a little bit more free flowing, but at the same time, you know, there’s extremes to everything,” Taurasi said. “So I think there’s a happy medium of making sure that the game is what the game is, and that’s dribbling, passing, shooting, letting people be creative with the basketball. I think that’s as a player that’s what you want. As a fan. I’m sure that’s what you want.

“And then at the same time, the flip side of that is, you want people to compete. That is what sports ultimately is about. And when you lose confidence of the competition, then I think you lose the confidence of the fans.”

What we do know is Taurasi and Clark are competitors. They will win games and they will lose games throughout their careers. And yes, they will also collect technical fouls and get into arguments with other players.

Yet, if you ask their college or now professional teammates if they like their odds to win when Taurasi and Clark are on the court, it’s not hard to imagine several would say yes, definitively.