Caitlin Clark declines lucrative ‘Lionel Messi like’ contract

Caitlin Clark was a box-office attraction every time she hit the court during her first season in the WNBA.

The Rookie of the Year helped the Indiana Fever reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and smashed the single-season assists record.

Clark was hoping for a restful off-season. However, an offer from Unrivaled made her re-think about her plans for the winter.

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According to The Mirror US, when initially asked about Unrivaled, Clark said, "We'll see. ' I don't know. I'm just taking it as it goes and seeing if I want to play eventually."

In July 2023, WNBA players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier founded the 3v3 basketball tournament Unrivaled with the mission of keeping WNBA players in America and stopping them from going overseas.

Alex Bazzell, president of Unrivaled, said: "We're always going to have a roster spot for Caitlin Clark. We're not applying a full-court press the way people think. We are letting her decompress from basketball. She knows that we have a spot for her when she's ready."

According to Front Office Sports, Clark received a 'Lionel Messi like' contract to convince Clark to play in the inaugural tournament.

When Inter Miami recruited Messi to Major League Soccer, they knew a playing contract wouldn't be enough, so they added extra incentives to the deal to entice him.

For Messi, Inter Miami constructed a contract that paid him $150 million (£115m/€139m) and granted him partial ownership. Apple agreed to share revenue from MLS League Pass with the footballing GOAT.

Given her immediate impact on viewing figures and attendance, it's easy to understand why Unrivaled wants to recruit Clark.

Despite the offer Clark received, which according to ESPN was at least $1 million for about 10 weeks of offseason basketball, the Indiana Fever star declined to pursue the opportunity. She is sticking with her original plans of taking some time for herself.

Even though Unrivaled gets to save money in some sense, Clark's absence might be a huge loss for potential viewership. We've seen time and time again that Clark's mere presence brings droves of fans to their TV screens and mobile devices.

The 2024 WNBA Draft, in which Clark was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever, drew 2.45 million viewers, a 374% increase from 2023. The 2024 All-Star game had 3.44 million viewers, double the previous record of 1.44 million in 2003.

Clark's first-ever playoff game for the Indiana Fever against the Connecticut Sun averaged 1.8 million viewers on ABC, the most watched playoff game on ESPN platforms ever.

Marca reports that games featuring Clark averaged 1.178 million viewers on TV, nearly three times higher than the average for other WNBA games. Fever games that included Clark had an average attendance of 16,084, nearly double the 8,552 fans seen at non-Fever games.

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The figures don't lie, and it's easy to see that Clark would bring her legion of fans to the tournament, making her games must-see TV.

Coincidentally, Sports Pro ranked Clark and Messi among the top five most marketable athletes on the planet, with Clark fourth on the list and Messi fifth.

Notable stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe were ninth and seventh on the list, respectively, while LeBron James (3), Vinicius Jr. (2), and Simone Biles (1) make up the top three.

With her endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, and Wilson, Caitlin Clark is already making millions of dollars off the basketball court, making it unnecessary to play on the hardwood in the off-season.

However, after Unrivaled signed a multi-year contract with TNT Sports to showcase their games, a share of their money from the tournament would be lucrative for the WNBA star.

The league will begin in January, with 30 of the best women's basketball players competing for six teams in three-on-three basketball.

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