Team USA's Taurasi: 'Pitiful' how women's basketball gets neglected

A case could be made that no team in the world is more dominant than the U.S. women's basketball team. After all, they just captured a sixth straight gold at Rio 2016.

But as always, the men's team have drawn the bulk of attention. The American women crushed every opponent, but headlines focused instead on the struggles of the men's team.

U.S. guard Diana Taurasi was disappointed by the lack of coverage.

"I've invested 11 years into this. So nationally, how little exposure and attention it gets, it's pitiful, really," Taurasi told Dan Bickley of AC Central.

Taurasi took the opportunity of playing on the world's biggest stage to bring more attention to women's basketball.

"You guys are here now," Taurasi told reporters after winning gold Saturday. "We're doing something. Basketball is really important to a lot of people in the U.S., and no one takes it more serious than women.

"We play year-round. We sacrifice a lot of things to make sure we bring this (gold medal) home. And you know what? It's OK. We're happy."

Taurasi also lamented that women's basketball has seemingly shrunk in prominence since the early 2000s.

"I can only speak from experience, but as a little kid I remember Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley, and Cynthia Cooper," Taurasi said. "I remember the mainstream media being involved and how much exposure they received. And I don't know if that momentum has carried to the players that have come out in the last 10-12 years."