There is no way around a fundamental reality: the amount of money any WNBA player gets paid is tied to the sport’s popularity, the franchises’ ability to draw fans, and media outlets’ desire to spend big money to broadcast games. The NBA has all three, while the WNBA struggles to gain traction. Will Caitlin Clark catalyze a WNBA upshift? We’ll know soon.
Soon, Caitlin Clark will be the face of the WNBA. The all-time leading scorer in college basketball history recently went #1 in the WNBA draft to the Indiana Fever.
But that pick doesn’t translate into a big payday. Clark will make 338k over the course of a four-year contract with the Fever. So, in her rookie year, she’ll take home only 76k.
Many people ask, “Matt, if she is the face of the league, why is she not getting paid more?” We hear about male athletes getting $200 million deals, but women athletes are never paid at that level.
The simple answer is that the NBA is extremely popular, and the sport is flush with money. That’s not so with the WNBA because the game struggles to gain fans and viewership. That’s why some teams, like the Portland Fire and the Houston Comets, have folded.
Graphic courtesy ClutchPoints
But Clark will make millions through endorsements. She’s with State Farm and does commercials for them; Rapper/actor Ice Cube offered her $5 million to be in his 3×3 basketball league, the “Big3,” and Clark just signed a $25 million deal with Nike that will include the production of an eponymously-named shoe.
Clark will also get a cut of the profits on merchandise, including her Indiana Fever Jersey, which sold out in an hour. However, one might ask, “How does this help other players in the WNBA league who deserve big deals?” The Fever is selling out tickets, and ESPN just struck a big money deal for televising the team’s games nationally.
I’m excited to see Caitlin Clark play and see what she’ll do in the WNBA. I hope her presence is a sea change for a sport that needs a hypercharge.
