With Joe Biden and many others bemoaning Caitlin Clark’s meager $76,535 rookie salary, the WNBA sensation is now finalizing an eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike.
According to Shams Sharania of the Athletic, the deal will likely include her own signature shoe, putting the Indiana Fever rookie in a category with New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu as one of the few women who can claim that honor. Adidas and Under Armor also reportedly had interest in signing Clark, who was picked first overall in Monday’s WNBA Draft in Brooklyn.
A sum of $338,056 spread over four seasons, Clark’s rookie deal was limited by the terms of the rookie pay scale of the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, a labor agreement that was negotiated in 2020, before her first year. in Iowa.
Regardless, Clark’s rookie salary is less than 1 percent of the $12 million earned by NBA No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, and that fact has reignited the debate about the gender pay gap in sports.
“Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all,” reads a post on Biden’s X account. ‘But now we’re seeing that even if you’re the best, women don’t get their fair share.
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark speaks to the media during an introductory press conference
Biden says women will be ‘paid what they deserve’ as people talk online about Clark deal
“It’s time we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women receive the pay they deserve.”
Not only is Wembanyama’s rookie contract with the San Antonio Spurs worth $55 million, but the 7-foot-4 Frenchman has his own contract with Nike that is rumored to be valued at more than $100 million.
That’s not entirely surprising, given the popularity of the NBA, which makes it more profitable than its sister league. For starters, its annual national television revenue of $2.7 billion dwarfs the WNBA’s $60 million annual contract.
But Clark has apparently changed the calculus for the WNBA, which enjoyed its most-watched draft on Monday with 2.45 million viewers. And back in Indianapolis, the Fever reported more than 17,000 attendees at their WNBA Draft viewing party.
Clark won’t make her WNBA regular-season debut until May 14, but ticket prices on the secondary market have already skyrocketed to more than $500. Meanwhile, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces have made plans to open 7,000 more seats when the Fever come to town on May 25.
Clark has already signed lucrative deals with companies like State Farm and Gatorade.
Other athletes, and not just women’s sports stars, have taken notice.
“These women deserve so much more,” Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson wrote on X earlier this week.
But not everyone agrees.
“Russ, don’t be sarcastic, but explain to me why they deserve so much more,” podcaster Jason Whitlock responded. ‘Are they curing cancer, educating children, building rockets?’
Whitlock continued down this path, arguing that the WNBA is not profitable enough to justify higher salaries for its players.
“Hundreds of thousands of young people drop out of college each year and begin careers for less than $70,000 a year,” continued Whitlock, a sports expert reportedly worth millions. ‘Is a basketball player worth more in a league that loses money every year than an electrical engineer?
‘Guide me through it. Thanks and good luck in Pittsburgh.
Caitlin Clark signs autographs for fans during the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 15
Of course, Clark has already made millions in endorsement deals with brands like State Farm, but the controversial podcaster was only referring to her current WNBA salary — something she couldn’t really negotiate, per the current collective bargaining agreement.
Whitlock didn’t get a response from Wilson, but there are encouraging signs for the WNBA’s results.
The league jumped from revenue of $60 million in 2022 to $200 million in 2023. And with a new media rights deal on the horizon, those numbers may continue to rise, given the popularity of Clark and the rest of the league. WNBA of 2024. Draft class.
(Right to left) Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink at the WNBA Draft
Before becoming the Fever’s obvious first overall pick, Clark spent the last month leading Iowa to its second straight NCAA championship game while garnering the largest television ratings in tournament history. In recent days she’s been on Saturday Night Live and NBC’s Today Show, not to mention countless publications, websites, as well as the lips and ears of sports fans across the country.
Sponsors have already taken notice: Opill, SKIMS, Peloton, La Crema and Tissot have all announced partnerships with the WNBA in recent weeks.
The league already plans to add a new team in 2025, but with Clark’s arrival, there are more expansion talks in the works, not to mention a new media deal that could overshadow the current contract.
“This is an important year for us in terms of viewership, attendance and all the qualitative and quantitative factors that go into valuing media rights,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Monday.
“The one thing I know about sports is that you need big names, rivalries and big games,” she continued, referring to the NCAA women’s tournament. “Those are the three things we’ve had in the last two weeks.”