WNBA star Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest female athletes in the nation, but one sports agent says she will never get paid what she is really worth to the league.
According to Fox News, Clark won a $338,000, four-year deal, averaging $84,500 a year, when she signed on to play for her rookie year in the pros. By 2028, she will already become a restricted free agent.
The WNBA is even looking to expand by adding at least three more teams over the next few seasons. Clark has a lot to do with that, as well, by bringing more attention to women’s basketball.
But Excel Sports Management’s Erin Kane says that Clark is worth far more to the league than the league will ever pay her.
“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,” Kane told ESPN.
Still, Clark might be in for a raise. The Women’s National Basketball Players Association has threatened a strike unless the league raises salaries. The union is warning of a work stoppage this year if the WNBA does not acquiesce to their demands.
Despite all this, the WNBA is still not a money-maker for women’s sports. For the 2024 season, for instance, the league reportedly lost around $40 million, even with the excitement that Caitlin Clark brought to the game. But that isn’t new. The league has never made a profit since its inception.
If it weren’t for the NBA pumping money into women’s professional basketball, it probably would not exist.
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