WNBA's lack of respect for Caitlin Clark could have serious consequences

It might not be an exaggeration to say that Caitlin Clark is the WNBA right now. The league has never been more popular thanks to the star power the Indiana Fever star brings to the table. Clark is a one-woman show who transcends women’s basketball and women’s sports, and might be better served exploring options outside of the WNBA.

Quite simply, Caitlin Clark has broken all traditional metrics that the league and the media have for quantifying how impactful she is. The numbers attributed to her are hard for people to wrap their heads around.

It didn’t take long for the WNBA to realize they had a phenomenon on their hands the like of which they have never seen before. When Clark was selected first overall by the Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft, 2.45 million viewers tuned in to watch the historic moment, according to Time Magazine. This beat the previous draft viewership record by four times, and was a 328 percent increase over the viewership of the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Before Clark even suited up for her first practice in Indiana, her jersey was flying off the shelves in real life and in online marketplaces. According to NPR, Clark’s jersey sold out on Fanatics’ website within an hour of her being selected in the WNBA Draft.

The WNBA knew they had to give the fans what they wanted ahead of the 2024 season. As NPR noted, they broadcast 36 out of Indiana’s 40 regular season games on national television, making Clark widely available for the public to watch.

As Yahoo Sports noted, Caitlin Clark and the Fever shattered network viewership rating on ESPN, CBS, ABC, ESPN2, Ion and NBA TV. It shows that wherever Clark went, the people followed with regard to television consumption.

Yahoo Sports also noted that 23 WNBA games recorded more than one million viewers. Indiana played in 20 of those games.

As if Clark’s impact wasn’t underscored enough already, Fever ticket sales were up over 250 percent according to the Indianapolis Star, and it’s no shock that they were the most popular road draw in the WNBA during the 2024 campaign.

Given the incalculable figures the WNBA raked in because of Clark, it’s fair to wonder how large a slice of the pie Clark herself is receiving. Her marketing allure has allowed her to command millions, but she only made $76,000 in WNBA salary during her rookie season.

Clark’s agent is Erin Kane of Excel Sports Management. Kane had some blunt words for the WNBA, telling ESPN, “Will Caitlin Clark ever be paid by the WNBA what she’s really worth to that league? I don’t think that’s possible.”

Kane continued, “She’s part of a larger player body. They all need to be paid more. She should be recognized for what she has done and what she’s brought to the league from an economic standpoint. It’s as simple as that.” While Kane’s point is well taken, it’s not exactly as simple as that, and it is hard to figure that the WNBA would ever be able to provide her with a salary commensurate with her impact.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

One player decided in late 2024 that the WNBA’s math wasn’t quite working out for her. Gabby Williams left the Seattle Storm to play in Turkey, and some critical comments about the league she left behind. She told the Daily Mail, “If I make a choice to make more money, whatever, and then teams are mad that I don’t come back, but that’s how it is.”

Granted Williams and virtually any other WNBA player doesn’t have the gravitas that Clark has, but Williams’ decision is interesting from the standpoint that it can be copied. What if Clark gauged her worth on the open market in Europe or another country, and a team outside the United States was willing to pay her five times her WNBA salary?

During the WNBA offseason, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier founded a three-on-three women’s basketball league called Unrivaled. Players were given strong monetary incentive to play, and this venture was done without the league’s assistance. Clark declined to play despite receiving a $1 million offer to participate, according to the New York Post.

There’s going to be a fascinating collective bargaining agreement negotiation soon, and the players are going to demand more money. They’re sure to get an increase, but will they feel like the bump is justified based on the exponential growth of the WNBA? Clark’s popularity has set some uncomfortable dominoes in motion.

The fact remains that Clark has more power than perhaps any other player in WNBA history has ever had. She holds all the cards, and can render the WNBA irrelevant if she ever decides to play elsewhere during the prime of her career.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!