{
  "id": 6446276,
  "title": "‘I don’t know if this is dumb, deranged or both’: Criticism mounts for Team USA after Caitlin Clark decision",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/i-dont-know-if-this-is-dumb-deranged-or-both-criticism-mounts-for",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-09T17:17:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/don-t-know-dumb-deranged-171706990.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has been the subject of significant criticism following Team USA's decision to keep her on the bench during the team's knockout-round games at the FIBA Women's World Cup in Germany. Head coach Kara Lawson stated that she preferred to keep her starting lineup intact, praising their performance and unwillingness to disrupt the established hierarchy. Clark's performance in the tournament has been inconsistent, with some games seeing her struggle while others have been strong. Despite her being the top scorer in the WNBA, Lawson's decision to keep her bench has been widely criticized by analysts, fans, and fellow athletes. Some argue that Clark is the best point guard in the world and should be starting, while others suggest that Lawson's decision is either a lack of basketball knowledge or a commitment to her chosen player lineup. Team USA has never lost a quarterfinal game in the history of the FIBA Women's World Cup; it remains to be seen if this trend continues with the current lineup.",
  "summary": "Throughout Team USA’s journey through the group stage of the FIBA World Cup in Germany, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark has been coming off the bench with mixed results. Now that the team is moving into the tournament’s knockout stage, it appears that role is likely to remain unchanged. During a press conference ahead of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}