Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called out the USA Basketball selection committee on social media on Wednesday in response to the WNBA recording its most-watched game in more than 20 years.
The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky on Sunday in what was a much-watched match up between former college rivals Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever warms up before a game against the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
For her part, Clark put up a team-high of 23 points and nine assists while Reese had 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
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The game marked the most-watched WNBA game on any network in 23 years with an average of 2.25 million people tuning in to CBS to watch. The Fever’s 91-83 victory peaked at nearly 3 million viewers.
The record game has followed a number of notable marks for the WNBA this season, and much of that has centered around Clark.
Cruz is among those that recognize Clark’s impact on the league, and in response to the latest metric, he called out USA Basketball over the former Iowa star’s snub from the Olympic team.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is seen during votes in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
CAITLIN CLARK HEADLINES MOST-WATCHED WNBA GAME IN MORE THAN 20 YEARS
“And yet these imbeciles don’t want her on the Olympic team,” he wrote in a post on X.
Clark was left off the roster for the 2024 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team earlier this month. USA Basketball selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti told the Associated Press that Clark being omitted from the team was largely due to her lack of experience.
“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team,” Rizzotti said.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever drives to the basket against Marina Mabrey #4 of the Chicago Sky during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
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“Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl [Reeve].”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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