Caitlin Clark's pay inequity takes center stage
After the Indiana Fever drafted her No. 1 overall Monday night in the WNBA Draft, Caitlin Clark drew attention for how much she will make as a rookie compared to 2023 NBA Draft first overall pick Victor Wembanyama.
Spotrac noted Tuesday that Clark has a four-year, $338,056 rookie deal. Wembanyama's four-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs is for $55,174,766.
Meanwhile, Jake Whittenberg of Seattle's NBC affiliate KING 5 took a deeper dive, noting Clark will make 0.6 percent of what Wembanyama will in his rookie deal.
The pay discrepancy isn't all that shocking when considering revenue for each league. Per KeloLand, the NBA had revenue of $10.8 billion in 2022-23 compared to $200 million for the WNBA.
The WNBA, entering its 28th season, has never generated as much interest as it has this year.
As The Atlantic's Jemele Hill noted, the differences between the two leagues, including 50-plus years of investment by the NBA, make squabbling about pay inequality pointless.
Instead, more attention should be drawn to the league's ability to turn its moment in the spotlight into a movement.
It stands to reason that as the WNBA enters its third decade and grows its fan base, all league players, including rookies, will earn more.
The league's current television rights deal, which runs through the 2025 season, is for $60 million with partners ABC/ESPN, CBS, Amazon and ION. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently said she wants the next rights package to double that figure.
The commissioner has quite a few bullet points to highlight for TV executives, including:
- At the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu's three-point competition with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was the most talked-about event of the weekend.
- In March, the Las Vegas Aces became the first franchise in league history to sell out its season-ticket memberships, another promising sign of the sport's overall growth.
- The WNBA Draft drew a record 2.45 million viewers, nearly five times the number from 2023, per Sportico.
The WNBA is in a position of power and should be able to reap the benefits of the hyped 2024 draft class with its next deal.
Clark's impact on the Fever will be massive, but her most important contribution to the sport could be what her presence does for player salaries.
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