Award-winning college basketball coach Seth Greenberg is speaking out this week to say that women’s basketball is just plain “uninteresting” in the Paris Olympics without Caitlin Clark on the team.
Greenberg Sounds Off
The U.S. women’s basketball team opened their Olympic games on Monday by beating Japan by a score of 102-76. Like many other Americans, however, Greenberg had no interest in watching after Clark was left off the roster.
“I haven’t watched one second of the women’s [basketball team], and I probably would have watched if [Caitlin Clark] was playing,” said Greenberg, who describes himself as a basketball junkie. “During watching some other Olympic activity this week, they clipped [to] the game against Japan, and some 5-foot-2 player was guarding someone who was a good player.”
“It was uninteresting, to be honest with you. No disrespect, it just wasn’t interesting. It didn’t grab me. Watching women’s gymnastics grabs you. Watching beach volleyball grabs you,” he continued. “And if [Clark] played, I probably would have watched just to see what kind of pass she would throw or shoot a logo three.”
Dawn Staley Admits Clark Mistake
Indeed, this came after Dawn Staley, the South Carolina women’s basketball head coach and a member of Team USA Women’s National Team Committee, admitted on Sunday that Clark possibly should have been on the Olympic team.
“As a committee member, you’re charged with putting together the best team of players, the best talent,” Staley said. “Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA, wasn’t playing bad but wasn’t playing like she’s playing now. If we had to do it all over again, the way that she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people.”
Even without Clark, however, the U.S. women’s basketball team is still heavily favored to take home the gold. Should they win, it would be the eighth consecutive gold medal for Team USA in women’s basketball.
That’s something to be dang proud of.
The U.S. women’s basketball team will later take on Germany on Sunday. Unfortunately for them, however, they’re reportedly struggling to sell tickets to that game. Given how many eyeballs she’s brought to the sport, this likely would not have been a problem if Clark was on the team.
“Paris 2024 is having trouble selling tickets to the US-Germany women’s basketball game on Aug. 4. ‘Special offer’ tickets now available: only 24 Euros each and the seats can be anywhere in the venue. Maybe front row! Would’ve been a sellout with Caitlin Clark on the team,” the New York Times reporter Juliet Macur wrote on X.
Related: Caitlin Clark’s Absence Felt As USA Women’s Basketball Faces Low Attendance At 2024 Olympics
Clark Responds
Meanwhile, as for Clark herself, she’s taken the high road throughout this entire situation. Earlier this week, she told reporters that she’s still cheering on Team USA.
“I watched USA women yesterday. That was fun,” Clark said.
“I watched USA men. I try to watch as much as I can,” she added. “Obviously, the perfect time is during practice with the time change in Paris, so maybe Christie [Sides] should cancel practice so I can watch more of the Olympics.”
Watch Clark talk more about this in the video below.
Related: Caitlin Clark Stays Cool and Classy Over Olympics Snub
It’s become abundantly clear that leaving Clark off of Team USA was a huge mistake in multiple ways. Here’s hoping that they think twice before committing such a glaring error in the future!
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