The Athletic has launched a series of sports debates in which two writers break down a specific topic. In this soccer-basketball crossover edition, Meg Linehan and Chantel Jennings debate the roster decisions made for the USWNT and Team USA women’s basketball.
The rosters for the USWNT and Team USA women’s basketball team have been finalized for the Olympic Games, and there is a pretty significant split between the two. The women’s basketball team — selected by a six-member committee — didn’t bring a current or recent WNBA rookie (unlike past Olympic cycles), instead skewing older. The youngest players on the team are 26-year-olds Sabrina Ionescu and Jackie Young, and the 12-player roster includes 42-year-old Diana Taurasi, who will be competing in her sixth Olympics. Meanwhile, the USWNT roster, selected by coach Emma Hayes, took another approach, leaving its most notable vet — 35-year-old Alex Morgan, who would’ve been appearing in her fourth Olympic games — off the 18-player roster (as well as out of the four named alternates) and calling in just four players with at least 100 caps.
So, these roster differences beg the question: To vet? Or not to vet?
Jennings: I know the roster selection processes for these teams are completely separate, but I have to say,…
