Is Caitlin Clark's business empire set to explode after the Super Bowl?

The big game
The next level
Swishes and swooshes
Just for kicks
Sports takeover
Talk isn't cheap
Bring on the bucks
Nike endorsements
A shining star
Hungry for more
Delicious dreams
Looking ahead
A childhood vision
Losing the lot
Culinary passions
Expanding horizons
Trading buckets for breakfast?
Consistency
Food hustles
Official review
Wheeler’s dream
Eating well after the game
Courting Chinese food
Rookie records
A buffet of stats
The big game

Most fans tuned into the Super Bowl to watch the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, but many people left the game talking about Caitlin Clark and a memorable commercial she was in.

The next level

Nike aired a spot featuring Clark and other prominent female athletes, which highlighted the challenges they face. The takeaway message was, "if you can't win, just win." Clark's visibility during one of sports' largest events was notable.

Swishes and swooshes

In the aftermath of the big game, we're going to dive into Caitlin Clark's current and potential business profile, which seems to be growing on a daily basis at this point. In addition to creating the commercial, Nike also announced an exciting update for Clark and her fans in January 2025.

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Just for kicks

Nike CEO Elliott Hill told Fortune that a signature shoe for Clark, as well as a customized logo, are currently being developed. While he declined to specify a timeline for the sneaker's release, it's clear that things are picking up a notch as Clark's fame continues to dominate headlines.

Sports takeover

Clark doesn't always have to do a whole lot to have money flow into her bank account. Her name is good enough to have people bending over backwards.

Talk isn't cheap

Can you guess how much Caitlin Clark is paid for speaking engagements?

Bring on the bucks

According to the Daily Mail, Clark rakes in $100,000 for virtual speaking events, in just 30 minutes! It's an astonishing number, but it makes sense.

Nike endorsements

Additionally, Caitlin Clark signed an eight-year, $28 million pact with Nike in the spring of 2024. While that is nothing to look down at, a former prominent sports marketing executive thinks the sneaker giant made a huge mistake in handling Clark.

A shining star

Sonny Vaccaro called Clark brilliant and charismatic, and told TMZ, "she should have gotten a piece of everything, like Michael Jordan." Of course, had Nike committed to Clark in the same way they committed to Jordan, Clark's net worth would have skyrocketed astronomically.

Hungry for more

She’s become the face of the WNBA in a short amount of time, but she has bigger dreams in a $1 trillion industry away from the basketball court, perhaps putting Nike's potential miscalculation to shame. All basketball statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Delicious dreams

Caitlin Clark joined a podcast amongst friends in early November 2024, where she sat down with former Iowa basketball teammates Jada Gyamfi, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall. In the safe space, Clark said that she would love to dive into the food industry as a goal outside of her athletic pursuits.

Looking ahead

Clark said, "You ever seen them put up that like dream thing? You know it was kind of going around; it said like 'play in the WNBA and get a scholarship.' One of them said like 'own a restaurant.' So one day I have to accomplish that."

A childhood vision

Clark talked about a business opportunity she thought a lot about as a kid. "There was always this random open lot (near where she grew up), and I always told my mom I was going to open up this restaurant called ‘The Rib Shack'." Clark later remembered that she actually had a different name in mind for the venture, clarifying that it was actually "The Rib Crib."

Losing the lot

The Indiana Fever star continued, "I was devastated when the lot got purchased and they built a retirement home on it."

Culinary passions

Clark told her Iowa teammates, "I loved cooking and baking growing up, and one of my dad’s friend’s managed a Bonefish Grill. I had the Bonefish chef coat, I would get to go in the kitchen, I loved it."

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Expanding horizons

"Maybe I’ll have like a coffee shop or a restaurant or something," Clark said. Marshall and Gyamfi joked that they would work as hostesses at the joint.

Trading buckets for breakfast?

While barbecue seemed to steal Clark’s gastronomic focus as a youngster, perhaps she would consider opening up a restaurant with savory breakfast options. In May, it was revealed by documentarian Hannah Bier what Caitlin Clark ordered for breakfast every day as they filmed "Full Court Press".

Consistency

Without fail, Clark asked for a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich from McDonald’s, and an iced macchiato with vanilla sweet cream cold foam from Starbucks.

Food hustles

Clark’s Fever teammate Erica Wheeler is already involved in the restaurant game. Wheeler owns an establishment called Cliché Tapas & Wine, located near the Atlanta airport. The entire team stopped by there after a road game with the Atlanta Dream in August 2024.

Official review

Clark told Athlon Sports, "It was fun for us and fun to do something outside of basketball. I would say my favorite is the mac and cheese. It was really good."

Wheeler’s dream

Wheeler’s restaurant opened in July 2024. She told the Indianapolis Star, "Top-shelf wine, top-shelf liquor, three-level restaurant where you get the elegant, you get the patio vibe, and then you get the daytime vibe, rooftop, roof reclines back, so it’s pretty nice."

Eating well after the game

When she was in college, Clark had a specific postgame meal that she found comfort in, win or lose. She told Hawk Central she would eat "chicken parm, pasta and a big glass of chocolate milk" after Hawkeyes games.

Courting Chinese food

Clark said in a 2022 YouTube video that "You can’t go wrong with any sort of Hai Chai. My favorite’s definitely broccoli beef, that’s what I get."

Rookie records

It’s understandable why Clark is so hungry before and after games, considering all the work she puts in behind the scenes and on the court. She scored the most points by any rookie in WNBA history, and set a record for most assists in a season by anyone in WNBA history, as noted by Bleacher Report.

A buffet of stats

Clark averaged over 19 points, eight assists and nearly six rebounds per game in her first season with the Indiana Fever.

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