The disparity in the contracts between NBA and WNBA players had perhaps never been more evident until Caitlin Clark’s contract in the women’s league was compared to that of San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama. The Indiana Fever star signed a four-year, $338,000 contract with her team, while Wemby signed a deal with the Spurs for the same number of years worth a whopping $55.1 million.
When Clark made it to the list of ”The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” Deloitte University principal Pete Grigorio made a bold claim in an interview with Forbes.
The principal said,
“The major money that funds women’s sports comes from sponsorships and media rights, and even media is really just a reflection of what brands are willing to spend. Caitlin Clark will get paid the same as Victor Wembanyama when companies spend 50% of their marketing dollars on women’s sports.”
Why did Forbes list #CaitlinClark as one of the world’s most powerful women in 2024?
Read more: https://t.co/QHfW9qhZ5X#PowerWomen pic.twitter.com/GO7pXa3lQ3— Forbes (@Forbes) December 11, 2024
The WNBA set multiple viewership and attendance records, especially in games that involved Caitlin Clark, but the league continued losing money in spite of it. In October, the New York Post reported that the league’s owners will not be making a return on their investment for the foreseeable future.
“This season (2024) the WNBA will lose $40 million, a bit better than the $50 million forecast and reported by several media outlets months ago but still a loss,” the report’s sources said.
WNBA will lose $40 million this season and its NBA investors are growing impatient https://t.co/LcJoYcWirV pic.twitter.com/iXD2V9aenv
— New York Post (@nypost) October 19, 2024
It remains a mystery as to when investors will be willing to spend big to sponsor women’s sports. When that time comes, every player in the WNBA will hope to see a rise in their earnings in the league.
Caitlin Clark ranked 13th in Forbes’ 2024 list of world’s highest-paid female athletes
Caitlin Clark made it to Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes in the world this year. Tennis star Coco Gauff topped the list, earning $9.4 million in on-court winnings and $25 million from on-court deals, roughly totaling $34.4 million.
The World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2024 https://t.co/1aiUd5MkdL pic.twitter.com/awJut0YfSM
— ForbesLife (@ForbesLife) December 22, 2024
Gauff’s fellow tennis player Iga Swiatek came in second with a total of $23.8 million, followed by skiing star Eileen Gu with $22.1 million.
Clark took the 13th position in the list with $8.1 million, $8 million of which came from her sponsorship, endorsement, and other off-court deals. She earned a rough total of $76,500 in her first season with the Indiana Fever, and is set to earn about $78,000 next year. If her off-court earnings skyrocket, she might stay on the list for next year.
For more sports content:
Follow me on X at @ErnestLeo, and follow us at @WisconsinHeroics, @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Ernest Hernandez via email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Ernest also manages a YouTube account called Sports On Air with over 103 thousand subscribers. The channel contains interviews predominantly from the Philippine Basketball Association. They can be reached at [email protected].
