After a generational college career in Iowa, Caitlin Clark began her professional career this week in Indiana, where the average college graduate earns $52,267 a year, according to the U.S. Census Survey of American Consumers.
But Clark is not your average young professional.
She is one of the biggest stars in the country with great recognition and commercial appeal when she enters the WNBA. She sold out stadiums, signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Nike and sent television ratings through the roof, and her career potential has sparked widespread discussions about the economics of women's basketball.
In his first season with the Indiana Fever, he will be modestly above the Indiana average with a salary of $76,535. Even considering the WNBA's five-month season, she's a pittance compared to many other athletes, especially those touted as having the potential to change the trajectory of their sports.
Victor Wembanyama, the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, earned $12.16 million in his first season, roughly 80 times more than Clark per game. No. 1 NFL draft pick Caleb Williams will earn around $1 million in salary in 2024, plus a signing bonus that will net him more than $7 million. Even Paul Skenes, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft but is far from a household name, signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates worth around $9.8 million, which includes a $9 bonus. ,2 millions.
The WNBA's revenue lags far behind other major North American leagues. But Clark's salary also lags behind that of professionals in specialty sports such as bowling, surfing and bull riding.
The base salary for a contracted player in the Professional Pickleball Association is $75,000. The five highest-ranked players on the PPA Tour will average $1.5 million this year in prize money and payouts. Ten Professional Bowlers Association players earned more last year than Clark's rookie salary. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association fielded 25 riders whose salaries exceeded $76,535, with the highest-ranked rider earning nearly the full value of Clark's four-year contract ($338,056) in 2023 from National Finals Rodeo earnings.
Clark's relatively small salary has become such a national conversation that even the president weighed in on it.
Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all.
But now we are seeing that even if you are the best, women don't get their fair share.
It's time we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women receive the pay they deserve.
– President Biden (@POTUS) April 16, 2024
A major difference between the WNBA and its counterparts in many other sports is that WNBA players earn a smaller fraction of the league's revenue. While NBA players have negotiated a 50-50 split of basketball-related revenue, WNBA salaries accounted for 9.3 percent of the league's revenue in 2023. Las star Kelsey Plum Vegas Aces and first vice president of the players' association, has repeatedly said that the WNBA players want a bigger slice of the pie, not necessarily a gross pay increase. “We are not asking to be paid the same as men are paid,” she said. “We ask that they pay us the same percentage of shared revenues.”
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert rejected the narrative about Clark's salary. In it CNBC Changemakers SummitEngelbert explained that Clark could earn up to half a million in WNBA salaries in 2024. However, that additional compensation relates to Clark utilizing team and league marketing deals, as well as earning individual honors and advancing in the playoffs.
Nothing is guaranteed beyond her base salary, which resembles salaries seen in leagues much newer than the WNBA, which is in its 28th season. Professional Volleyball Federation No. 1 pick Asjia O'Neal, is earning $60,000 in the inaugural season of the PVF. The PWHL also pays its players an average of $55,000 in their first year. Newer leagues have said their sponsorships and media rights are important revenue generators. But the WNBA also attracts major sponsors, including Google, Nike and CarMax, and has rights deals with ESPN and Amazon.
Given the WNBA's position in the larger sports landscape, it may not be reasonable to compare Clark to Wembanyama, Williams or Skenes. But she's also being outearned by the NBA's lowest-paid player on a two-way contract ($559,872), some NFL practice players ($12,000 a week minimum) and NHL minimum-salary players ($750,000). .
1. The 18-year-old future Olympian earned $80,000 by winning a multi-day event this spring and totaled $219,000 in five events in 2024.
2. The Finnish pro placed 15th, won $77,350 in prize money in 14 events and never finished higher than third in 2023.
3. According to Sports Business Journal, the Charlotte Hornets entertainer earns an annual salary of $100,000, not even the highest among NBA mascots.
4. The Miami Marlins signed the 17-year-old catcher to a 1-year contract worth $75,000 in the 2024 class. He has been assigned to the Marlins of the Dominican Summer League in the minor leagues.
5. The MLS midfielder earned a base salary of $75,325 in 2023 and became the 789th highest-paid player.
6. The Professional Pickleball League's starting prize money and base payments for a contracted player are approximately $75,000.
7. The golfer earned $78,414 for participating in 11 events (best finish tied for 23rd) in 2023.
8. Despite failing to place in most competitions, the 20-year-old placed 26th and earned $76,439 in 2023.
9. The chess grandmaster earned almost $80,000 for winning a tournament, the Grand Swiss, in November 2023.
10. Ranked 481st in the world in total earnings, the Fortnite player earned $83,475 last year.
The WNBA's current position in its evolution is often compared to when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the NBA, sparking a wave of popularity that the league has enjoyed for decades. When Bird was drafted in 1978, he signed a five-year contract with an average annual value of $650,000 (that figure doesn't take inflation into account). Johnson's average salary was $460,000 during his first five seasons.
WNBA advocates hope Clark can help foster similar rivalries, with rookies like Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky and many other players providing previous history in the NCAA Tournament and other matchups.
At a donor event in April, Southern California head coach Lindsey Gottlieb cited Clark's salary as a reason to advocate for more money for women's college basketball. Although Clark and USC star JuJu Watkins have lucrative endorsements, Gottlieb said neither of them “will be paid their value and value in terms of basketball.”
The hope for Clark and other WNBA players is that change is on the horizon. Historically, the league has struggled to maintain its financial position through investment. In the last decade, even legacy franchises like the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks nearly went out of business. Teams have lacked adequate practice facilities and players have often competed abroad to supplement their income.
Now, teams have generally become more competitive and new ownership groups in Atlanta, Las Vegas, New York and Phoenix are focused on making WNBA life more attractive, fiscally and profitably. The WNBA has sought more corporate partnerships and media deals to enhance the value of the league. The league had estimated revenue of $200 million in 2023, doubling its 2019 total. according to Chiney Ogwumike, former vice president of the players' association. The WNBA recently announced it will spend $25 million in each of the next two seasons on charter flights. And it hopes a new media rights deal (the current one, which generates about $50 million combined from streaming partners, expires in 2025) will provide another influx of cash.
Consider the NWSL's new broadcast deal that pays $60 million a year compared to the previous amount of $1.5 million, which helped increase the salary cap by 40 percent from 2023 to 2024. Now, broadcast contracts Multiple players pay six figures annually and are valued at seven. figures throughout his life. No WNBA player has ever signed a contract worth more than one million dollars.
That million-dollar barrier may fall before Clark signs his next deal. And yet, her salary may never reflect what other stars in similar positions make without a significant change in the WNBA's finances.
(Visual data: Drew Jordan / The Atlético; Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos of Caitlin Simmers, Caitlin Clark, Hugo the Hornet, Charlotte Thomas, Sofiane Djeffal and Vidit Gujrathi: Aaron Hughes/Getty Images, Gregory Shamus/Getty Images, Matthew Grimes Jr./Getty Images/Atlanta Braves, Meg Oliphant/Getty Images, Sofiane Djeffal / Getty Images, Vidit Gujrathi / Hindustan Times)
