Team USA decided not to select Caitlin Clark for their roster for the 2024 Paris Olympic games, and one opposing fan seems to think that was a mistake.
On Monday afternoon, Team USA began its run through the Paris Olympic Games with a group-stage showdown against Japan. And as Team USA warmed up before the game, they noticed a Japanese fan in the stands holding a sign that taunted them for the decision not to bring Caitlin Clark to the Olympics.
“You need Caitlin Clark to beat us,” the sign read.
Team USA 👀 a sign that reads, “You need Caitlin Clark to beat us.” USA-Japan tipping off shortly. pic.twitter.com/ymyJ6mSuXQ
— Kerith Burke (@KerithBurke) July 29, 2024
Team USA star A’ja Wilson was the first to notice the sign, and she quickly pointed it out to the rest of her teammates.
Given the popularity of Clark and the controversy surrounding the decision not to include her on the team’s roster, the sign quickly went viral on social media.
ok kinda crazy how famous caitlin is but im gonna need people to stop setting my
girl up like this 😩 https://t.co/4a97YA2llZ— 🎀 (@sapphireauras) July 29, 2024
cc: @usabasketball
🤔 need y’all to take it personally, limit their threes in the second half!! https://t.co/EEODIDq1ml
— 1 of 1, number 1, the only 1 (@ag_tooslim) July 29, 2024
Wow she really got a Jordan effect her rookie season. Ngl her impact by on the game may need to be studied in universities like Yale https://t.co/RIQykK8jBa
— MikeWillfyb (@MikeWillTvEnt) July 29, 2024
Yeahhh this game is over before it even started https://t.co/YqOyShTMjV
— Paul Chaunt (@paulyc1117) July 29, 2024
OMG they saw it too… USA by 50 https://t.co/a1rvAPgBQ2
— amy (@yamstone) July 29, 2024
They definitely don’t, but the sign is still funny. 😆
— just1n (@just1nvest) July 29, 2024
Who paid him to write that because Clark is not needed to beat Japan.
— Michael Askew aka Skew (@VaArcAngel80) July 29, 2024
Finna get Japan beat by 40 if they take it serious
— MeloMan (@MadeMenMelo) July 29, 2024
It’s worth noting that while the sign is funny, Clark herself acknowledged that the team was quite talented even without her.
“They’re really good. They have plenty of talent on that team. Four years prior I’m pretty sure Team WNBA beat Team USA, [and] they were perfectly fine in the Olympics,” she said.
“If anything, it shows how good this league is. It shows how much talent is in this league and how you have to show up and prepare every single night. There’s a lot of players that aren’t even here tonight that could be here too. It just shows the amount of talent we have.”
We’ll have to see how Team USA continues to perform without Clark throughout the tournament.
