Column: NBC should’ve dropped the hammer and got Caitlin Clark on Team USA
Unveiling why Clark’s remarkable growth and stunning displays make her a top contender for Team USA in the coming years. Find out what you need to know!
There will be no Caitlin Clark when the U.S. women’s basketball team begins its inevitable march to gold on Monday in Paris.
Much has been said and written about this glaring omission already, none from anyone that has the hammer, however. Who did? NBCUniversal, and they didn’t make a fuss either apparently, which is hard to understand.
In 2014, NBC paid the International Olympic Committee $7.65 billion to broadcast every Olympics through 2032, including the crown jewel – the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. When coughing up that kind of cash, wouldn’t you want to maximize your investment? Or as Bill Parcells so brilliantly put it when he quit the New England Patriots coaching job in 1997: “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.”
Nearly three decades later, NBC is the chef, and Clark is the filet mignon, beluga caviar and Strawberries Arnaud all rolled into one. Whatever the girl from West Des Moines touches, turns into gold. In this situation, that means larger TV ratings for NBC, and thus more ad revenue for the Peacock network.
Had I been running NBC (their loss), my first and only telephone call would have been to Cheryl Reeve (Team USA head coach), saying, “Yes, hi. This is NBC boss guy … 22, she’s on the team … and here’s $7.65 billion reasons why.”
This would not have been some undeserved charity case like Christian Laettner in 1992 on the original Dream Team with the likes of Jordan, Bird and Magic, a team that was literally a walking hall of fame. Clark clearly is one of the 12 best players on the planet. And even if she wasn’t, she’s one of the most famous athletes on the globe and for the Olympics, that typically trumps everything.
You ever heard of Kaleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray or Jackie Young? They’re on Team USA, fine players no doubt, but they certainly are not going to move the needle.
If there is one thing Clark guarantees, it’s eyeballs. From Iowa City, to Indianapolis and all points in between, she is Nielsen ratings magic.
Last weekend’s WNBA All-Star game was the second-most watched WNBA game of any kind ever. This season, 17 WNBA games have had more than one million viewers – Clark has played in 15 of them.
Clark’s rookie season may have started a little slow, but she’s kicked it into gear since. She ranks first in the WNBA in assists per game (8.2), 13th in scoring (17.1) and 19th in rebounding (5.8). After a ragged 1-8 start, the Indiana Fever went 10-7 heading into the month-long break, getting back into playoff contention.
This also would have been an ideal time to infuse some new energy into Team USA. Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner are legends, indisputably, but did Taurasi need a sixth Olympics? Griner a third?
The Americans are going to win gold. The B, C and D squad U.S. teams would, too. Clark’s flare for the dramatic would have been enhanced playing with the other greats of the game. It would have been flat out fun to watch.
NBC, the network that brought us Must See TV back in the 1990s with the likes of Friends, Seinfeld and ER, could have had that all over again with Clark playing with a team of legends in the Olympics. But it did not happen and it doesn’t make $ense.
