'That's an Embarrassment': Pat McAfee Issues Strong Statement on Caitlin Clark

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 9:33 AM ET

Despite the absence of Caitlin Clark from the All-Star Game on Saturday night, it would still be safe to say that Indianapolis did a tremendous job in hosting the festivities for the first time.

Clark was unable to suit up for the big game due to a groin injury, but she was still a prominent figure in the contest, watching from the bench. The Indiana Fever superstar also joined the rest of the WNBA players in sending a message to the league with the shirts they wore during pre-game warmups.

“Pay Us What You Owe Us,” was the statement as the players’ union continues to hold negotiations with the WNBA for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA.

This was one of the topics of conversation on the Pat McAfee show on Monday, as the outspoken analyst shared his thoughts on the All-Star weekend in his hometown of Indianapolis. McAfee could not help but call out the league as he discussed Clark’s annual salary.

"She's making $70,000 or something," McAfee said. "They're charging $70,000 for a suite at some of these games that Caitlin Clark is playing in.

"... $70,000 as a paycheck, that's an embarrassment. Especially for Caitlin Clark and all these people [in] professional sports."

McAfee made it clear that he understands the league is dealing with as much as $40 million in losses, which has presented itself as a significant stumbling block in the WNBA's approval of increased pay for the players. McAfee suggested, though, that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to raise the salaries to at least $100,000 per player.

The Indianapolis Colts icon then went on to express how proud he is of the city for the success of the All-Star weekend and how he’s a bit disappointed by how the CBA discourse has overshadowed this.

"I don't love that that's the big story out of the weekend," he continued. "Because I thought it was a great weekend here in Indianapolis. Every place downtown was rented out. There was massive events everywhere."

The WNBA had a GREAT time in Indianapolis this weekend..

We have reached out to the WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to join us on this progrum..

The Stud Budz are AWESOME #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/byV4WoHnFy
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 21, 2025

Clark’s current contract with the Fever is worth $338,056 for four years. Whether or not this changes if and when a new CBA agreement is made remains to be seen.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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