Caitlin Clark isn’t just a spunky, trash-talking rookie guard for the Indiana Fever, who, like Steph Curry, launches long-range shots with the audacity of the crazy brigadier general in *Dr. Strangelove*.

Through no contrivance of her own, she has become iconic. A female icon for the sporting world. An American icon for her country… which she will not be allowed to represent.

Despite her impressive achievements and growing influence, Clark was not named to the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team.

This, in the same fortnight in which she was flagrantly fouled frequently and violently enough that a legion of numskulls drew comparisons to the Neanderthal NBA of the 1980s and 1990s — an era the NBA has been trying to outgrow for the past two decades.

They have spited their noseless faces. They have bitten their feeding hand. They are ignorant of the buttered side of their bread.

This is so dumb. Clark should not be beaten and hidden, like my golf game. She should be protected and displayed, like a priceless work of art.

It was so easy.

The WNBA should have sent a message. The message: Knock it off.

They should have suspended Chicago Sky enforcer Chennedy Carter, the most egregious assailant thus far, who hip-checked Clark to the floor in a game on June 1. Carter could have appealed her suspension from one of the chartered flights whisking her hither and thither; the WNBA is flying private for the first time this year, thanks in no small part to the financial windfall that is Caitlin Clark.

Witnessing the blatant hip check on Caitlin Clark yesterday was disgusting. The jealousy from opposing players is glaring. Sportsmanship should come first

USA Basketball should have sent a message and named her to the squad.

The message: She’s bigger than all of us, and we will profit from her presence.

AT&T, Microsoft, and the alcohol vendors must be thrilled that Caitlin Clark, the most popular athlete in a wealthy nation, won’t be showcasing their brands this summer. Nike, which recently signed her to a $28 million deal and sponsors the Olympics, will miss out twice. They must be disappointed she won’t be wearing her signature shoe in front of a global audience in one of the world’s most fashion-forward cities.

The WNBA and Team USA, like many “traditionalists,” appear to miss a crucial opportunity:

This is the WNBA’s golden moment.

She is Caitlin Clark.

Women’s basketball finally boasts a crossover superstar. There’s a fleeting chance to capitalize — maybe a six-month window. The Caitlin Clark phenomenon is still fresh in people’s minds. They should immerse us in all things Caitlin (no, not Jenner). This is their prime opportunity to sell season tickets, WNBA jerseys, and Team USA gear; their best shot to showcase their incredibly talented league and thrilling game.

It doesn’t matter if Clark isn’t the most spectacular player on the court. She’s the most significant player, perhaps in league history. Consider: She drew over 20,000 fans to a game in Washington, played at an arena five times larger than the Mystics’ usual home court where the game was originally scheduled. This marked the WNBA’s largest regular-season crowd in 25 years. These fans didn’t come for stellar basketball. The competing teams had a combined three wins and 20 losses.

Clark is that big.

For the past two years, despite the dominance of golfer Nelly Korda and the brilliance of reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and the continued existence of the greatest gymnast in history, Simone Biles, it was Clark who captured the hearts of American sports fans, playing an electric game out of backwater Iowa City. Why? Because she’s audacious and authentic, crass and efficient. She owns her faults and fights her own battles.

In other words, she’s the quintessential American.

She just won’t be representing America.

She’s a trailblazer unlike any since Billie Jean King, cutting through barriers as the girl next door. Caitlin Clark transcends race and orientation, resonating universally.

Enough with purity arguments. Olympic sanctity? Christian Laettner made the ’92 Dream Team over pros like Shaquille O’Neal and Isiah Thomas. Baseball mandates every team’s representation at the All-Star Game, even the Pirates.

As for the cheap shots … she’s no ordinary rookie.

You know what happens if Clark lands and breaks her wrist after Carter’s hip check? She’s out until the playoffs. Say bye-bye to those ratings and ticket sales. WNBA ratings have skyrocketed. Attendance is up 40%. Angel Reese is not the reason (nobody tell her).

Clark is a special sort of unicorn. The only basketball player in the TV era who caused this type of pre-career buzz was LeBron James, and, yes, LeBron got beaten up, but the NBA didn’t need LeBron to make it relevant. Wilt, Kareem, Doc, Magic, Larry, Mike, and Kobe had already done that.

Rarefied air

Clark matters to her sport and to her demographic more than any of them did. She matters like Venus and Serena, like Annika and Martina, and the empress of women’s sport, the divine Ms. King.

She should be protected as a pro and exploited as an Olympian. We should be fed Caitlin Clark like Oliver was fed gruel: exclusively, and pining for more. We should be absolutely nauseated by her omnipresence; by her pin-straight hair and her crooked grin and her taunts and her flops; by her outrageous range and her dumb turnovers and her lousy defense.

She’s not a great player yet, and might never become one. That’s irrelevant. She has charisma and talent, and her narrow shoulders are broad and strong enough to expose lazy American sports fans to the most underexposed elite league in the world, the WNBA.

Neither Stewart, nor A’ja Wilson, the best player on the best team (Vegas), nor Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner or Elena Delle Donne has been able to do what Clark has done:

Make you read this column.

Be nicer (and smarter)

So don’t beat her up. Don’t freeze her out.

Don’t let the league’s bullies bully her (yeah, it was kind of a flop, but still). Don’t leave her off the Olympic team. Not unless you want the canoe slalom to outperform USA Women’s Basketball on NBC (canoe slalom actually is pretty dope, but nobody watches).

Besides, it’s not like Clark can’t play.

She clinched Rookie of the Month in her debut month and recently dropped 30 points on Friday, bouncing back from a low-scoring game before that. While she may not fit Team USA’s strict criteria, she won’t disgrace the United States in France, unlike a former president did six years ago on the rainy 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.

Even if Clark faces tough competition or lacks qualifications, it’s about more than just stats. Olympic participation can carry immense symbolism.

In 2008, Jason Kidd, at 35, went to China as a symbolic leader, playing limited minutes and taking fewer shots. Even Diana Taurasi, the “White Mamba” praised by Kobe Bryant, has had a less impressive season statistically than Clark. Despite her ability to still perform, few beyond die-hard fans will tune in to watch a 42-year-old vie for a sixth gold medal.

Caitlin Clark is a phenomenon, akin to Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt in must-see TV appeal. She’s a colossus in women’s basketball. Let’s celebrate and protect her now, knowing her dominance won’t last forever.