Gymnastics Fans Drag Olivia Dunne Into Caitlin Clark’s Paris Olympics Snub: “She Did Zero Routines”

EssentiallySports ^ | June 10, 2024 | Maleehah Shakeel

[MinorityRepublican]

Does popularity overshadow merit in sports? This question has gained attention recently. Take Olivia Dunne, for instance. With 8 million followers on TikTok, surpassing even Beyonce, and 5.1 million on Instagram, she’s undeniably the most famous college gymnast, boasting a NIL value of $3.9 million. But is that enough for her to go to the Paris Olympics?

Most people would say no. Then why are people backing the WNBA sensation, Caitlin Clark? While she has pushed women’s basketball to the forefront, her popularity didn’t result in her selection for the Paris Olympics roster.

Some supporters believe Dunne deserves a spot on the Paris 2024 Olympics team, citing her potential to further grow the sport. However, detractors question this opinion after how she did not compete in the finals for LSU Tigers’ first-ever NCAA title in gymnastics. Now, with the exclusion of Clark from the Paris roster, debates have intensified.

[mac_truck]

I disagree and think you’re discounting the national attention Clark garnered earlier this year when she broke the all time NCAA scoring record. Had she used that spotlight to declare her desire to play for Team USA and backed it up by not turning pro (which used to be a prerequisite to become an Olympic athlete) there would have been a ton of grass roots pressure to have her represent the USA in Paris this summer.

[discostu]

National attention is not the goal of people putting together Olympic squads. Winning gold medals is. There’s plenty of “grass roots pressure” already, but it’s silly. It’s very rare for people in any sport to go from the best in college to the same level in the pros. And she has not, she’s good, but she ain’t there yet. She’s not one of the 12 best players in the WNBA, she still needs to grow into the longer game against better players. The 12 best players in the WNBA are on the US team. And will likely walk to a gold. Which is what the architects of the team want.