The sports world has been throwing a lot of blame around in recent days after it was announced that Caitlin Clark would not be playing for Team USA in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
While the general consensus is outrage about the snub, people haven’t been sure about who to direct their anger at.
That is, until the five members of Team USA’s Olympic selection committee were reported on Sunday morning.
And Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach who just won a 2024 NCAA Championship against Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, is one of the five members.
University of South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley thanks the team’s supporters at the steps of the capital in Columbia on April 14 after a parade to celebrate the team’s national championship.
ALEX HICKS JR./STAFF / USA TODAY NETWORK
Staley is getting dragged on social media about her involvement in this decision.
“Dawn Staley…imagine that. NO one is surprised.” one X user wrote.
“This is racism by Dawn Staley. The wnba players hate the white girl getting all the praise.” said another.
“Dawn Staley was leading the way I have ZERO DOUBT,” a third X user wrote.
Fans are clearly upset that Staley might have been a reason why Clark won’t be playing in Paris this summer.
Is Caitlin Clark a bad teammate? Reports suggest she may be rude to others in Iowa
Former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark.© LAPRESSE
Caitlin Clark faces scrutiny in Indiana Fever locker room.
Caitlin Clark, the former Iowa Hawkeyes point guard, has been facing a tough time in the WNBA since being drafted as the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Despite her impressive college career, she has struggled to find wins in the pros, with only two victories in her first 11 games.
Additionally, she has been on the receiving end of some harsh fouls, including one from Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky, which has sparked controversy.
The behavior of Clark as a teammate has also come under scrutiny. While her teammates seem to like her, there have been instances where she has not received support when facing rough plays on the court. This has raised questions about her dynamics within the team.
Furthermore, Clark’s playing style as a facilitator has led to her leading the league in turnovers. While she tries to bring out the best in her teammates, there are concerns about her impatience and anger, which were highlighted in a resurfaced story from her time at Iowa.
An article published by ESPN in March revealed: “Caitlin’s teammates meanwhile discovered her talent came with impatience and anger. She blew up a lot at practice. A lot of throwing her hands up in the air, stomping off the court and simply refusing to pass the ball to an open teammate if she didn’t believe they’d.”
“I had expectations of them and they weren’t meeting them”, was Caitlin’s response at the time.
Kate Martin videos go viral as Las Vegas Aces play pranks on WNBA rookie from Iowa
Caitlin Clark isn’t the only former Iowa women’s basketball player taking the internet by storm this WNBA season.
That’s right, Kate Martin appears to fit right in with her team on the Las Vegas Aces. Multiple videos have gone viral on social media of the former Iowa Hawkeye women’s basketball player bonding with her new team.
Here are three Kate Martin moments that captured the internet.
Kate Martin getting hyped before a game against Caitlin Clark
The WNBA posted a video of Martin doing a pre-game boogie with her teammates before facing off against her former Hawkeyes teammate. The TikTok had more than 300,000 likes and another TikTok of Martin had over 600,000 likes with the caption “this is where she is meant to be.”
Kate Martin takes rookie hazing
At the end of May, Martin’s team surprised her with some new merch before a game. Only it wasn’t Nike or Adidas. Instead, Martin was seen sporting what’s known as the “Hello Kitty rookie backpack” as her initiation onto the Aces.
She was seen in another hype video from the Aces walking with the backpack.
Kate Martin missed the Aces bus
It’s a good thing basketball players run a couple miles every game, because Martin had to put the burners on to chase after her team bus.
A video first posted on teammate A’ja Wilson’s Instagram Story showed the Aces’ team sharing a laugh while they drove off and Martin chased after the bus about to be left behind.
Regardless of the pranks, Martin seems to be settling in with her new team and having just as much as she did being a Hawkeye.
