Biden wades into Caitlin Clark contract controversy after WNBA Draft
Khristina Williams & Myles Ehrlich join Dexter Henry to break down the New York Liberty’s four selections in the WNBA Draft
Caitlin Clark’s new WNBA salary went viral, and even President Biden is taking notice.
Clark, selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever on Monday in the 2024 WNBA Draft, is set to make $76,535 her rookie year and $338,056 over the next four seasons, according to Spotrac.
WNBA salaries have been a topic for years — often forcing players to go overseas to play in the WNBA offseason — but Clark’s rise in stardom has brought new interest — and opinions — to the sport.
Caitlin Clark was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever.Getty Images
“Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all,” Biden wrote on X. “But right now we’re seeing that even if you’re the best, women are not paid their fair share.
“It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve.”
Clark was taken No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever on Monday night after leading Iowa to back-to-back national championship game appearances.
President Biden is pushing for female athletes to get paid more.REUTERS
For comparison, Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick of the Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft, will make $55.1 million over four years.
The Hawkeyes’ loss to South Carolina in the national championship game was viewed by 18.7 million people and peaked at 24 million — the most-watched hoops broadcast of any kind since the 2019 men’s championship game between Texas Tech and Virginia.
However, Clark’s NCAA popularity will do little to impact her rookie salary given the current financial realities of the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark and Iowa lost to South Carolina in the national championship game.AP
The NBA makes $2.7 billion annually from their TV contracts with Turner and ESPN.
Also, NBA players get 50 percent of revenue from broadcast rights and ticket sales per the deal with the union.
WNBA players only get 50 percent of the league’s excess money after it hits a certain revenue target.
Here’s everything to know about Caitlin Clark and her surprising WNBA salary
Caitlin Clark, college basketball’s all-time leading scorer and new face of the organization unsurprisingly went No. 1 in the WNBA draft to the Indiana Fever.
She hasn’t even played a game yet, but Clark has already become one of the biggest names in the WNBA.
Her first-round pick helped to drive a 304% increase in viewership for the WNBA draft this week. But the conversation around Clark certainly didn’t stop after she signed for 4-year deal with the Indiana Fever.
Clark will earn $338,056 over four years, per the league’s collective bargaining agreement, with the Indiana Fever.
In comparison, the top pick in the 2023 NBA draft, Victor Wembanyama, landed a $55 million deal.
Television personality Hoda Kotb was noticeably distraught about the pay gap during the “Today” show Tuesday.
“For somebody who is now the face of women’s basketball, it seemed kind of ridiculous,” Kotb said.
Kotb called it “disturbing” and brought it up multiple times throughout the morning.
Former ESPN journalist and current contributor to The Atlantic Jemele Hill was displeased with the discourse surrounding WNBA salaries and posted a lengthy X post on the subject.
“Weaponizing this information against WNBA players is another form of misogyny. These women have been dreaming of playing professionally in front of American audiences their whole lives,” Hill continued. “Instead of clowning and reminding them of what they’re not — buy the merchandise, go to the games, and watch the games on television.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently told CNBC the hope is “to double our rights fees” when they expire in 2025.
“Women’s sports rights fees have been undervalued for too long, so we have this enormous opportunity at a time where the media landscape is changing so much,” Engelbert said.
Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink at the WNBA Draft.AP
Even before Clark’s arrival, the WNBA saw ratings growth by averaging 505,000 viewers per game last season — their most in 21 years, per Fox News.
The WNBA draft on Monday night, which also included Stanford’s Cameron Brink and LSU’s Angel Reese, shattered previous ratings records with 2.46 million viewers on ESPN.
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