{"id":2264343,"date":"2024-06-10T18:07:09","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T22:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-stephen-a-smith-lights-up-womens-olympic-basketball-over-caitlin-clark-snub-how-dare-you\/"},"modified":"2024-06-10T18:09:40","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T22:09:40","slug":"watch-stephen-a-smith-lights-up-womens-olympic-basketball-over-caitlin-clark-snub-how-dare-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-stephen-a-smith-lights-up-womens-olympic-basketball-over-caitlin-clark-snub-how-dare-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: Stephen A. Smith Blasts Women&#8217;s Olympic Basketball for Overlooking Caitlin Clark &#8211; &#8216;How Dare You?!"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwatch-stephen-a-smith-lights-up-womens-olympic-basketball-over-caitlin-clark-snub-how-dare-you%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2264343&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the\u200c controversy surrounding\u200d Caitlin Clark&#8217;s exclusion\u200b from the \u200c2024 U.S.\u2062 women&#8217;s Olympic basketball\u200b team.\u200d ESPN \u2063commentator Stephen A. Smith expressed outrage \u200dover the decision on his show &#8220;First Take,&#8221; arguing that despite not deserving a spot over any other selected player on\u200d basketball merits, Clark should have been included \u2063for her notoriety and potential to draw viewership, \u200bsimilar to Christian Laettner&#8217;s inclusion in the 1992 &#8220;Dream Team.&#8221; Smith&#8217;s arguments centered on the importance\u200b of media presence \u200dand public interest, which he felt\u200d Clark\u200b could\u2062 have significantly contributed to due to her profile. Despite his criticism, he acknowledged that the chosen players\u200b were deserving, and commented on the overall strength\u2062 of U.S.\u2062 women&#8217;s basketball, which has been dominant in the \u2062Olympics since 1996. The article also touches on\u200c broader issues of meritocracy in sports selection processes and contrasts with historical \u2062snubs like Isiah Thomas in 1992. It\u2063 concludes \u2062with suggestions that while Clark&#8217;s inclusion might have made \u200bthe Olympics more intriguing \u200bfor viewers, the \u2062selection should ultimately focus on basketball credentials and team dynamics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>    <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/%20\"><span>Bryan Chai<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 10, 2024 at 12:09pm <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>Oh, brother.<\/p>\n<p>If you were looking for an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/caitlin-clark-snubbed-left-off-olympics-womens-basketball-roster-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">actual analysis<\/a> about Indiana Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark\u2019s snub from the 2024 Olympics U.S. women\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-official-announces-legislation-to-protect-national-anthem-in-wake-of-nba-controversy\/\" title=\"Texas Official Announces Legislation to \u2018Protect\u2019 National Anthem in Wake of NBA Controversy\">basketball team<\/a>, you certainly wouldn\u2019t go to noxious ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith for it.<\/p>\n<p>What you would go to Smith for, however, is incoherent screaming about a topic he knows little about \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-espn-commentator-stephen-smith-says-michelle-obama-beat-trump-hands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an SAS specialty<\/a>, if you will \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly what viewers got on Monday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Smith, a man who somehow speaks in all caps, took to the airwaves on his ESPN show \u201cFirst Take\u201d to bloviate about Clark\u2019s exclusion from the team, and it included a stark-raving mad rant \u2014 another SAS specialty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, [the U.S. women\u2019s basketball team has] won seven straight [gold medals at the Olympics],\u201d Smith began. \u201c\u2018They might not get eight, they might not get eight.\u2019 Stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith or without Caitlin Clark, they\u2019re gonna probably win the gold again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>(The U.S. women\u2019s team has won the gold medal at every Olympics since 1996.)<\/p>\n<p>OK, so \u2014 what\u2019s the problem then?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not what this conversation is about,\u201d Smith continued, as co-hosts Shannon Sharpe, Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter looked on.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Should Clark be on Team USA?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Smith then unloaded on the decision makers who opted to leave Clark off the Olympics squad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is about what I will personally label the idiocy of Team USA women\u2019s basketball,\u201d he said. \u201cHow dare you make this decision? It\u2019s stupid, and I\u2019m going to tell you why it\u2019s stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith prefaced his argument by saying all of the women who made the squad were deserving of it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCaitlin Clark does not deserve a spot ahead of any of the players on this roster, OK, if we\u2019re just talking basketball,\u201d he proclaimed, sort of nullifying the entirety of his point.<\/p>\n<p>Smith continued to argue, however, that Clark\u2019s presence goes beyond basketball.<\/p>\n<p>The ESPN blowhard tried to justify that line of reasoning by bringing up former Duke Blue Devils basketball superstar (and villain) Christian Laettner making the 1992 U.S. men\u2019s basketball team \u2014 better known to many as the \u201cDream Team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith argued that Laettner was not deserving of his spot on that roster, particularly over future NBA legends such as Shaquille O\u2019Neal and Alonzo Mourning. In his eyes, Laettner made the team because of his notoriety and his skin color.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHE WAS WHITE,\u201d Smith eloquently said.<\/p>\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/txygXzptMRU?si=seAFTdX6Hf7MrHBf&#038;start=492\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He appears to believe that if notoriety and skin color were all it took, Clark should have been a shoo-in for Team USA.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s probably some truth to that, but it can\u2019t be understated that Laettner won two national championships in a much more crowded field. Clark, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-caitlin-clark-shakes-off-cheap-shot-controversy-breaks-wnba-record-sensational-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">as amazing as she is<\/a> and has been, doesn\u2019t have a single college championship on her r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also the topic of positional need within a team \u2014 Laettner was a center, while Clark is a guard \u2014 but you wouldn\u2019t expect Smith to dive into that sort of minutiae when he has decibel levels to hit.<\/p>\n<p>The ESPN host\u2019s arguments also gloss over the fact that Clark is hardly the best or most notorious player to be snubbed from a U.S. Olympic basketball team.<\/p>\n<p>That \u201chonor\u201d belongs to legendary Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas, who was left off that very same 1992 \u201cDream Team\u201d despite being the best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mamba-mentality-6-stories-of-kobe-bryants-crazy-work-ethic\/\" title=\"Mamba Mentality: 6 Stories of Kobe Bryant\u2019s Crazy Work Ethic\">point guard<\/a> on arguably the best team of the late \u201980s.<\/p>\n<p>While the true reason for Thomas\u2019 snub has never been fully divulged, most fans agree with one of two theories:<\/p>\n<p>1. Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan refused to play with Thomas because of the legitimate bad blood over the way Thomas\u2019 \u201cBad Boy\u201d Pistons throttled a nascent Jordan\u2019s Bulls. The Pistons also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-dems-speak-out-after-stacey-abrams-latest-humiliating-defeat\/\" title=\"Georgia Dems Speak Out After Stacey Abrams\u2019 Latest Humiliating Defeat\">infamously refused<\/a> to shake the hands of Jordan or the Bulls when Chicago finally did beat them in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>2. The \u201cBad Boy\u201d Pistons\u2019 collective swagger, attitude and physical play didn\u2019t exactly endear them to the rest of the NBA. Many fans surmised that both common and petty jealousy played a role in Thomas\u2019 snub.<\/p>\n<p>Look, sports is the last true meritocracy in existence, and it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trans-cyclist-defeats-women-race-reportedly-didnt-place-racing-men\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">slowly<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/transgender-mma-competitor-bloodies-female-opponent-chokes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">painfully<\/a> eroding due to a litany of factors. Let\u2019s not hasten its demise, shall we?<\/p>\n<p>Would Clark being on Team USA have made it must-watch television? Apparently so, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/caitlin-clarks-championship-matchup-shatters-viewership-record-89-surge-even-shocked-numbers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">for many<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s not how an Olympic basketball team \u2014 or any Olympic team, for that matter \u2014 is built. Complimentary skill sets and team chemistry (a potential issue given vocal Clark critic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wnba-star-calls-fans-sensitive-tearing-apart-caitlin-clark-criticism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Diana Taurasi<\/a> is on Team USA) take precedence over viewership.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, the Olympics are the Olympics. Clark\u2019s singular presence, as massive as it is, simply wouldn\u2019t make or break the Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>This all sounds negative against the former Iowa star, so let me end with this: Should Clark have made it to Team USA? Yeah, probably \u2014 but for actual basketball reasons.<\/p>\n<p>Her numbers are just as good as, if not better than, those of veteran guards Taurasi and Jewell Loyd, both of whom are on the team (the raw statistical comparison does grossly undersell defense, which Clark has struggled with at times due to her thinner frame).<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Clark \u2014 being the wunderkind that she is \u2014 has said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/indiana-fever-coach-warns-wnba-says-caitlin-clark-olympic-snub-controversy-woke-monster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">all the right things<\/a> about using this snub to motivate herself. She acknowledged that there\u2019s plenty of room for improvement (her Fever sat at a paltry 3-9 going into Monday night\u2019s road tilt against the Connecticut Sun) and offered nothing but praise for the 12 women who <em>were <\/em>selected to go to Paris.<\/p>\n<p>That should hold a little more weight than what Stephen A. Smith thinks, no?<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>An Important Message from Our Staff:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We who work here at The Western Journal have fought for years against Big Tech and the elites who want to shut us down and then shut America down. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Make no mistake \u2014 nothing will be the same after November 2024. Will you help us fight? Will you <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>help us expose the America-hating elites<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  who will do everything they can to steal this election? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We\u2019re a small group of people fighting to save the country for our readers and for our own family and friends. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Can we count on your help?<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><i><span>At this point, Big Tech has cut off our access to 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone took 90% of your paycheck and there was nothing you could do. They\u2019re trying to starve us out.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Donations from readers like you have literally helped keep our lights on, and <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>we need you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  now more than ever. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We operate on a shoestring budget, but with that budget, we terrify the globalists. Please help us continue the fight. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>, and we will never surrender.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Thank you for reading The Western Journal and for believing in America. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>It is a pleasure to serve you.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. Please don\u2019t let the America-hating left win. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Stand with us today<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44778\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44778\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44778\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44778\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44778\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate. <\/p>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Hawaii <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN. <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  Phoenix, Arizona <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English, Korean <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Sports, Entertainment, Science\/Tech <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Commentary by Bryan Chai, June 10, 2024: If you&#8217;re seeking genuine analysis on Caitlin Clark&#8217;s omission from the 2024 U.S. Olympic women&#8217;s basketball team, ESPN&#8217;s Stephen A. Smith isn&#8217;t your go-to. His expertise lies elsewhere<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2015,"featured_media":2264344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Smith-Clark.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2264343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Smith-Clark.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2264343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2015"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2264343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2264343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2264344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2264343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2264343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2264343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}