It seems every sports media personality in the country has given their take about Caitlin Clark not making the USA women’s Olympic basketball team. Most have pointed to what they consider a missed marketing opportunity for women’s basketball and the WNBA. Bomani Jones is not buying that. On today’s episode of The Right Time with Bomani Jones he came up with what he thinks is a better idea, which would invoice Caitlin Clark doing some work in the media.
Jones said he cannot understand why people in the media are getting a major attitude over the subject. “What I don’t understand about it is being passionate about the fact that she’s not on this Olympic team when you know she doesn’t deserve it,” Jones said.
“So, to me, the idea that we are sports fans and that we are into sports, and we are going to passionately advocate somebody getting something they don’t deserve,” he continued. “That’s crazy talk to me and I can only assume the people who would want to do that are the people who are… least invested in the games. It’s such a cynical outlook that I can’t believe people are getting out here, out loud and saying this.”
Jones went on to explain the viewership side of the Olympics, saying, “The Olympics is sports for people who don’t watch sports. The audience is not sports fans, you have to keep that part in mind.
“The Olympics is sports for people who watch the Today Show. The Olympics is an opportunity for NBC to showcase their fall lineup through all their ads for everybody who watches it. Now, I could make a very strong argument that that is an audience that would love them some Caitlin Clark, because I feel like that is, in part, an audience that is fueling the phenomenon of Caitlin Clark.
“You know what would get as many eyeballs on the women’s game as Caitlin Clark playing on the women’s Olympics team with that audience?…Have Caitlin Clark on the Today Show talking about the basketball. Because clearly, the people that we are talking about who want to see her that bad, don’t really care that much about the basketball, so maybe you use her to introduce the basketball. No different than having Draymond Green on the TNT set, just having a current player up there talking about it.”
Jones said he has to think Caitlin Clark is exhausted and would appreciate the time off from playing. He said he envisions a scenario where if she was on the Olympic team, the training camp would be a long hazing session for her she would probably rather not deal with. In his mind, having her on NBC programming surrounding the Olympics talking about the games and highlighting the great WNBA players on Team USA could be a win-win.
“It makes perfect sense that she is not on this team, and it is not crazy she is not on this team'” he said. “There are other ways you can use her to help further the wave we are talking about here. But the loudest voices in this discussion care the least about the basketball.”
She should be on NBC in as many was as she can Today show, Network studio, a nightly recap show on Peacock and halftime during the medal round games. She could use the Olympics to grow herself as a potential second career in media, grow her brand grow the WNBA and Women’s basketball and grow NBC’S studio shows crediabiliry around d the Olympics. If NBC does not do this ESPN should put her on sportcenter get up and first take every morning to talk Olympic basketball