In a move that feels like deja vu for frustrated basketball fans, USA Basketball has once again found itself at the center of a heated controversy regarding its handling of superstar Caitlin Clark. Following the highly publicized decision to leave Clark off the 2024 Olympic roster—a move widely criticized as a missed opportunity to capitalize on her unprecedented popularity—the organization seems to be doubling down on its questionable marketing strategies.

The latest firestorm centers around the announcement of the Women’s National Team Training Camp roster, set to take place in Durham, North Carolina, this December. On paper, the roster is a dream come true for fans of the “new era” of women’s basketball. It features household names like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and JuJu Watkins alongside established stars. However, the promotional graphic released to advertise this star-studded lineup has left the sports world scratching its collective head.

The “Invisible” Superstar

Despite being the undeniable face of the WNBA’s recent surge in popularity, Caitlin Clark is completely absent from the visual marketing materials. The promotional poster, which serves as the primary tool to grab attention and drive engagement on social media, features players like Kahleah Copper, Jackie Young, and Alyssa Thomas. While these women are undoubtedly talented athletes, they lack the global recognition and crossover appeal that Clark commands.

Ben Daniel, host of the Ben Daniel Podcast, did not mince words when analyzing this decision. “If you want to grow the game, you put your best marketing assets on the poster,” Daniel argued. He pointed out the absurdity of the situation by suggesting a “street test” in New York City. If you showed the current graphic to 150,000 random pedestrians, the vast majority would likely have no idea who the players featured are. Conversely, Caitlin Clark has become a household name, transcending the sport itself.

“You see this roster, you see Kelsey Plum, and you keep scrolling,” Daniel remarked, highlighting the failure of the graphic to stop the endless scroll of social media feeds. “There is no Caitlin Clark on this roster graphic. Clear misstep.”

Marketing Malpractice or Deep-Seated Resentment?

The omission is so glaring that it has led many to speculate that this is more than just incompetence; it feels personal. The decision to hide the sport’s biggest draws—including Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese, who are also missing from the visual—suggests a resistance to the changing of the guard.

“It is clear as day that the people that made the decisions to put out this poster is somebody that is still pushing back against the ‘Caitlin Clark is the reason why we’re all here’ narrative,” Daniel asserted. He described the move as stemming from “pure old guard jealousy, spite, and hate.”

This sentiment echoes the critique from veteran sports journalist Christine Brennan, who recently noted that the National Governing Body’s (NGB) mission is to not only win medals but to grow the sport. By failing to utilize Clark’s image, USA Basketball is objectively failing at half of its mandate. The organization seems content to cater to a niche audience rather than welcoming the millions of new fans Clark has brought to the table.

Dropping the Tray of Cash

To illustrate the magnitude of this failure, the situation can be compared to a bumbling waiter in a cartoon. Imagine a server carrying a towering stack of pots, pans, and cash, only to slip and send everything crashing to the floor. That is USA Basketball right now. They are holding a “cash cow” in Caitlin Clark—an asset that guarantees ticket sales, TV ratings, and merchandise revenue—and they keep fumbling every opportunity to showcase her.

“They have all this cash that they’re holding right in front of them, and they’re slipping,” Daniel explained. “Every move that they make, every misstep that they do, they’re just dropping the cash all over the floor.”

A Pattern of Failure

This latest incident is not an isolated event but part of a disturbing pattern of promotional failures across the women’s basketball landscape. From the WNBA to the Indiana Fever and major sponsors like Nike, there has been a consistent struggle to adequately market the generational talent they have in their lap.

While the roster itself is a step in the right direction—acknowledging the younger generation by including Clark, Reese, and Bueckers—the refusal to center them in the marketing tells a different story. It suggests an organization that is reluctantly dragging its feet into the future, rather than embracing the gold rush that has arrived.

As the training camp approaches, fans are left wondering: When will the decision-makers finally put their egos aside and give the people what they want? Until then, USA Basketball remains a case study in how to squander a golden opportunity, one “misstep” at a time.