OPINION:
I have been watching the Caitlin Clark drama, and one thing that strikes me as wrong is the Olympic selection process (“Caitlin Clark snub was ‘missed opportunity’ for women’s basketball, head of 2028 L.A. Games says,” web, June 23). When did the U.S. Olympic Committee turn over the selection to the WNBA?
Basketball at the Olympics has been radically changed — and not for the better — by the decision to allow in professionals. And there seems to be a targeted effort to keep out not just Ms. Clark, but all the other younger players as well. Why are they putting in fading, older players who have been to the Olympics multiple times? What is the justification for putting Brittany Griner, who was sidelined virtually all season with a foot injury and has entered the latter phase of her career? The Olympics is not just about being the best; it’s also about representing your country.
Other Olympic team sports allowing in pros are using a mix of younger and older players — and often the older players simply decline to let younger ones have slots. Ms. Clark’s situation shines a spotlight on the mess with women’s basketball, but it’s not limited to Ms. Clark. The decision process is at best opaque and has allowed for charges of discrimination. The actions of some of the players near retirement
also raise serious questions.
The whole fiasco has a distinctly unpleasant odor to it, and the public knows it. Shame on Team USA for allowing this to happen.
JAMES BARENDS
Wayne, Pennsylvania
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