Caitlin Clark and the Snub That Wasn’t, Revisited: The Gold Medal Game

Yes, I felt compelled to revisit this topic. To be honest, I’m just now posting this because I was questioning myself on whether I should; but I’ve decided on the affirmative, so here we are. After all, why not?

First, congrats to all the Olympians who competed in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, especially those who medaled. From what I’ve watched, read, seen, and heard, it was a complete success. I personally can’t remember an Olympics that I enjoyed more, and I’m especially proud of our US men’s and women’s basketball teams and our women’s football team on winning gold.

If you followed the US basketball teams this Olympics, what should’ve been very evident is that the reign of dominance we’ve enjoyed in that sport over the past 20 plus years is being challenged more and more with each international competition or tournament. What may’ve been a bit more surprising is the US Women’s Basketball Team’s close win over France in the gold medal game. Before going any further, may I add, what a great way to end the show. Whether luck or fortuitous planning, ending the 33rd Olympiad with the women’s gold medal game turned out to be as climactic of a way to go out as one could hope for or imagine.

This does, however, lead me to the topic at hand. After their one-point victory over France in the gold medal game (67-66) it was hard to miss the countless claims going around about how the close game was proof that the team would’ve been better with Caitlin Clark; as if to suggest that there would be no way France would’ve been that close to the US in that game if she were on the team. I’m not here to argue against that claim. I am here, however, to argue that we don’t know that.

As I stated in my first post on this topic, this is not to discredit Caitlin Clark. She’s undoubtedly a spectacular talent, and as the WNBA year has gone on, she’s only gotten even better. She is special…but so is every other woman that was on that team. I don’t point that out to diminish Caitlin Clark or her ability in any way, but she, just like the all-world players that were on that team, is also human. Every player has strengths and weaknesses; even her, even them.

What I saw in that game was actually quite different, apparently, from those claiming that it wouldn’t have been a close game if Caitlin Clark were present. What I saw in that game was a team struggling with the exact same issue that Caitlin Clark herself has struggled with from time to time, especially during the beginning of her WNBA tenure. In that game they were struggling with turnovers. The pressure being applied by the French National Team on defense was clearly affecting Team USA’s ability to secure the ball. You could see that they were having difficulties securing the ball while both dribbling and passing. The French women were applying tremendous pressure on the ball and in the passing lanes, making certain that everything the US women did on offense was challenged.

These women are much more experienced than Caitlin Clark, both in the WNBA and in international play. They’ve seen just about every type of defensive coverage and scheme there is on a basketball court. I saw nothing in that game to make me believe that Caitlin Clark would’ve been better equipped to handle that pressure. It took her more than 6-8 games to figure out how to handle what was coming at her in the WNBA, and in the Olympics, you only get six games and two exhibitions to become accustomed to your teammates and the international style of play. That’s all before you get to being able to thrive against the level of intensity that only grows more and more game over game as teams get better and the stakes get higher. She has gotten a lot better in a short amount of time, but that’s a lot to expect of a player who was just playing for Iowa five months ago; even one as special as her.

Another thought I’ve had in reading and hearing some of the comments made about this topic, is that maybe these people don’t know, or may’ve forgotten the difference between looking at that court and actually being on that court. If you’ve ever been a player, you know there’s a difference. How many people watch a pro game and think they themselves could actually go out on that court and be effective? Probably too many to count, but the fact of the matter is that very few would or could. Those women were feeling and experiencing things that you could only feel and experience if you were on that court. The best players in the world don’t just go willy-nilly into a gold medal game and start turning the ball over because they aren’t focused or giving 100 percent. The French had the scheme, the chemistry, and the talent to mount that effective pressure.

For this game in particular, given all the noise about how her presence would’ve been such a significant difference, I have to wonder what these “experts” would’ve said if she had been there, and they ended up losing. After all, in a one-point game, any difference could become the difference between winning and losing.

It’s possible that Caitlin Clark would’ve fared better in that game, I just don’t really think that would’ve been likely, and in the end, musing about the likelihood is really all we have. Barring any unforeseen or catastrophic turn of events, what is extremely likely is that we’ll have our chance to find out how she fares in 2028.