A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart SHOWED OUT in USA women’s basketball team’s blowout win over Japan 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/SBbinAgioj
— ESPN (@espn) July 29, 2024
So Team (W)USA’s quest for their 8th straight Gold Medal started off on the right foot yesterday with a 102-76 victory over Japan. That result is not the point of this blog, seeing as the team has not even lost a GAME in Olympic play since 1992. My eyebrows didn’t raise a millimeter when I saw they won big. However one stat from yesterday’s game that did suprise me was to hear that of all the games played thus far, Team USA’s was the least attended by a mile.
Spain vs. China – 27,021
Serbia vs. Puerto Rico – 15,324
Nigeria vs. Australia – 24,023
Germany vs. Belgium – 20,211
France vs. Canada – 20,211USA vs. Japan – 13,040. That’s over 8,000 below the average attendance over the first couple days.. Sheesh
— Future Of The Retro (@TraeK_) July 29, 2024
Best team in the world. Least popular team to watch.
Look I’m not saying that their cranky head coach Cheryl Reeve needed to bring Caitlin Clark with her on this trip to Paris to take home the gold. I think it’s more than obvious that they do not, seeing as Diana Taurasi’s 42 year old ass is starting for this team that won’t play within single digits of anyone all tournament. But what I am saying is that if Caitlin Clark WAS on this team, at least people would care about it. If a team wins the gold medal but no one watches tree falls in the woods but no one hears it, does it make a sound?
Find me another team in any league or sport where the head and shoulder favorites with the most talent and the most notable players is the lowest attended. Two times as many people went to watch Spain vs. China? More people went to see Serbia vs. Puerto Rico? Nigeria vs. Australia? This is like if everyone showed up on a Friday night to watch the JV game and then went home before the Varsity started.
And what’s crazy is that it didn’t even need to be an either or decision. Caitlin Clark would put eyeballs on the team and the sport….and probably bring some improved play as well? Even Dawn Staley alluded to yeserday that maybe they made a mistake on talent alone.
Dawn Staley, a member of the USWNT selection committee, asked about Caitlin Clark.
“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.” pic.twitter.com/hMYqTsPWzc
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 28, 2024
All I’m saying is that Team USA might be a billion and zero against the rest of the world, but Caitlin Clark is 1-0 vs. Team USA. I mean, are there any rules against adding her now? You get her on a plane to Paris and the team still wins by 40 next game, but maybe two people will actually be in attendance to see it.
