Caitlin Clark Spurned by Team USA in Dumb Move

Team USA omitted former Iowa and current WNBA star Caitlin Clark from its Olympic basketball roster for this summer's Olympics in Paris. Publicly, Clark says she was not surprised by the move and that she will be rooting for the women to win Gold.

Privately she said the Olympic committee woke a giant. The decision will motivate her. If Friday night's 30 point performance with a WNBA rookie record 7 three pointers made is any indication, Clark is about to go scorched earth on the WNBA.

One other note from that game against the Mystics. The Fever and the Mystics combined for two wins this season. In fact the Mystics were 0-10. And 20,000 people showed up to watch. By comparison, 19,000 people showed up for Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Boston.

Caitlin Clark is producing great numbers on a bad Fever team. Imagine what she might do playing with the best in the world. So why was she left off the team?

Pettiness. Jealousy. Stupidity. Those are just some of the reasons.

The old guard of the WNBA doesn't want to share the limelight with the rookie. It reminds me of when Michael Jordan did not want Isiah Thomas in the 1992 Dream Team. The difference here is that the NBA would thrive with or without Thomas on that Dream Team. And fans would still root for the other superstars. That might not be the case in this situation this summer and beyond.

The jealous old guard of the WNBA fails to realize a popular Caitlin Clark is a rising tide that lifts all boats. More fans, more ratings, more merch, more money. More everything! But they are too dumb and egotistical to realize this. For more on this story, tune in to Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida each weekday from 2-6.

There's something so classic about boxing. It's not just men, of course. Today, the best female boxers in the world really stand up to any of the guys. So, which female boxers are currently ruling it in the ring in 2024?

Before we get into the best female boxers in the world right now, let's look ahead to a major boxing event happening later this summer. The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be a big chance to spotlight the best female and male boxers in the world. Boxing has been a part of the Olympics for more than a century. It made its debut at the modern Olympic Games in 1904, and boxing has been part of every Summer Games since, except for the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, because Swedish law banned boxing back then. At the first Olympics with boxing in 1904, the U.S.A. won it all in St. Louis, because it was the only NOC to compete in the event. Over the years, Team U.S.A. athletes have dominated in boxing, winning 117 medals overall. Other countries that have done well include Cuba with 78 medals and Great Britain with 62 medals. Women's boxing first became part of the Olympic program at the London 2012 games.

The rules are a bit different in Olympic boxing. "Only amateur boxers are allowed to compete, which means the Olympic Games are often the starting point of a glittering career for some of the biggest names in the sport, including none other than Muhammad Ali," the official Olympics website states. Also, "between 1984 and 2012, male boxers were required to wear protective headgear, but the rule was abandoned for the 2016 Rio Games," although "female boxers are still required to wear head guards." In Olympic boxing, each bout is disputed in three rounds of three minutes each for men and four rounds of two minutes each for ladies. After each round, each of the judges picks a winner based on the judging criteria. The winner of that round gets 10 points. The loser can get between seven to nine points, depending on their performance level. At the end of all the rounds, the judges do the math to see who won.

So, if you're a boxing fan, you have the Olympics up ahead. Now, onto the best female boxers in the world in 2024, from Claressa Shields to Natasha Jonas and more. These are professional boxers, so you won't see them in Paris. If you love boxing, send me your favorite female boxers. My dad was a boxer, so it's in my blood.

Natasha Jonas recently went up against Mikaela Mayer and kept her IBF welterweight title with a split-decision win. Two judges gave the fight to Jonas 96-94 and 96-95, and the other gave it to Mayer 97-93. The former Olympian's next fight is to be determined.

Chantelle Cameron went up against the great Katie Taylor back in May, and although she didn't win, she was very impressive in the ring. Many have their eyes on Cameron as the next big thing in female boxing. Her next fight is to be determined.

Amanda Serrano is currently the reigning undisputed featherweight champion, but in the past, she's been champion in a rage of lighter weight classes. The Puerto Rican professional boxer is also versed in mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. Her next fight is to be determined.

Los Angeles' Seniesa Estrada is the WBA minimumweight champion. She's beaten a range of big names, including Marlen Esparza and Tenkai Tsunami. Her night fight is to be determined.

Irish professional boxer Katie Taylor was an Olympic gold medalist and went pro in 2016. She has beaten everyone from Jessica McCaskill to Victoria Bustos to Eva Wahlstrom. Her next fight is to be determined. She's the undisputed lightweight champion and undisputed super lightweight champion.

This Flint, Michigan, native is arguably the greatest female boxer of today. She's the middleweight undisputed champion. Shields is also the only boxer, male or female, to hold all four major world titles, WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO, at the same time in two weight classes. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is moving up two weight classes to challenge women's WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in July at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.