I know the title is a little dramatic.
But it’s true! As a Clark fan, we’ve got time to kill during the Olympic break — thanks, Cheryl Reeve.
So, how can we pass the time? I’ve got some ideas!
Cheer on Team USA
The obvious answer on how to spend this time is to cheer on the ladies of Team USA! Clark may have brought me to the WNBA, but I’ve learned so much about the other players and love cheering them on, too.
The Team USA roster is stacked with talented vets who will deliver fantastic games, including A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and Kelsey Plum, among others.
Some additional WNBA players will be representing their countries, too. Watch for Australia’s team, which Sandy Brondello (NY Liberty) coaches. The roster includes Bec Allen (Phoenix Mercury), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Jade Melbourne (Washington Mystics), Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx), Steph Talbot (Los Angeles Sparks), Kristy Wallace (Indiana Fever), and Sami Whitcomb (Seattle Storm).
Team Canada has Aaliyah Edwards (Washington Mystics), Kia Nurse (LA Sparks), Laeticia Amihere (Atlanta Dream), Bridget Carleton (Minnesota Lynx), and Natalie Achonwa (former Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx).
Team USA is competing in several games — the complete schedule is here — with the first one on July 29. It’ll be fun to see the competition and “meet” players from around the globe!
Watch previous games
Another way to survive the next 40 days is to watch previous women’s basketball games. Maybe you need to catch up on Clark’s college games?
I admit I’m a late-comer and only started following Iowa after they beat LSU.
You can watch any prior WNBA game in the app as long as you have the WNBA Pass (which you should get if you don’t have it).
If you’ve watched all the Fever games, choose another team to watch. I like watching NY Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces.
Buy merch
Show your fandom and support the WNBA by purchasing official merchandise! My best friend recently gifted me a Clark t-shirt (from the Fever shop) and I love it!
I also really like a lot of the generic WNBA merchandise since there are so many players I like to watch.
Watch Related movies & documentaries
One way to pass the next month or so is to watch female sports movies and documentaries. There are some good ones out there! Consider watching:
Women’s sports movies: “Bend it Like Beckham” (soccer), “Blue Crush” (surfing), “Bring it On” (cheerleading), “Girlfight” (boxing), “A League of Their Own” (baseball), “Love & Basketball” (basketball), “Million Dollar Baby” (boxing), “Nyad” (swimming), “Stick It” (gymnastics), “Whip It” (roller derby), “Battle of the Sexes” (tennis), “I, Tonya” (ice-skating), “Soul Surfer” (surfing), “She’s the Man” (soccer), “Center Stage” (ballet), “Against the Ropes” (boxing), “Believe in Me” (basketball), and “Ice Princess” (ice skating).
Women’s sports documentaries: “Under Pressure: The US Women’s World Cup” (2023 FIFA World Cup), “Sisters on Track” (Sheppard sisters, Junior Olympics), “The Fastest Woman on Earth” (Jessi Combs, professional racing), “Lorena, Light-Footed Woman” (Lorena Ramírez, running), “Naomi Osaka” (Osaka’s upbringing as a tennis prodigy), “Unmatched” (tennis legends Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova), “Women of Troy” (1980’s USC women’s basketball), “The Founders” (the women who created the Ladies Professional Golf Association), “Break on Through” (episode of Reel Rock, American climber Margo Hayes), “Zero to 100” (Lakey Peterson, surfer), “Power Meri” (Papua New Guinea’s first national women’s rugby league team), “The Deepest Breath” (Alessia Zecchini, Stephen Keenan, free diving), “As We Rise: 25 Years of the WNBA” (women’s basketball history), and “Full Court Press” (Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, Kiki Rice, NCAA tournament).
Drink Gatorade
You’ve probably already seen the Gatorade ads featuring our girl Caitlin, but—as Gatorade says—is it in you?
I haven’t had a Gatorade in over a decade, but why not? Let’s support the brand that gave Clark a whopping $28 million and have a sip or two.
I remember liking the Frost flavors; do they still make those?
See Women’s Basketball murals
Women’s basketball players are celebrated via murals and installations across the country. If you live near one, go check it out!
Women’s basketball murals: Caitlin Clark (Indianapolis, Indiana); Breanna Stewart (Syracuse, New York); Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and Jewell Loyd (Seattle, Washington); Becky Hammon (San Antonio, Texas), Sheryl Swoopes (Houston, Texas), and Chiney Ogwumike (New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia). This isn’t an exhaustive list (these are hard to find!) so if you know of more, please let me know!
And that’s how we’re going to survive these next 40 days!
If you’ve got additional ideas, feel free to share 🙂
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