Caitlin Clark, who was the first overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, went on to smash countless records in her debut campaign for the Indiana Fever while bringing unprecedented attention to women’s basketball.
Before moving up to the big leagues, she also became the highest points scorer in college-basketball history with former school Iowa, where she signed off with another appearance in the championship showpiece.
After leading Iowa to the NCAA women’s finals, which drew a record 18.7 million viewers (peaking at 24 million), making it one of the most-watched games in college basketball history and surpassing the men’s final for the first time, Clark was selected as the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.
In her first season in the WNBA, she continued to break records, setting new rookie benchmarks for points and assists, and earning the title of Rookie of the Year.
Clarke Journey to Forbes List
A basketball player has never before made it onto Forbes’ list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women (with Serena Williams being one of the few athletes to appear in the rankings over the last 20 years), but the 22-year-old Clark has been a pivotal figure in a transformative year for women’s sports.
This year marked the first instance of gender parity in the number of Olympic athletes competing; U.S. women’s soccer concluded its 2024 season with the most-watched championship game in NWSL history; and Angel City FC became the highest-valued women’s professional sports team, valued at $250 million after Willow Bay and Bob Iger acquired a controlling stake this summer.
How much does Clark earn?
Clark’s rookie salary of $76,535 made headlines earlier this year when compared to the salaries of her male counterparts in the NBA: Zaccharie Risacher, the 2024 overall number one pick, and Victor Wembanyama, the first pick of 2023, both received starting salaries of $12 million.
“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,” explains Pete Giorgio, a principal at Deloitte who leads the firm’s sports practice.
“Caitlin Clark will get paid the same as Victor Wembanyama when companies spend 50% of their marketing dollars on women’s sports.”
Giorgio predicts that 2024 will be the first year global revenue from women’s sports will exceed $1 billion and notes that any “bear” case for his thesis is gender-neutral: an economic downturn that could impact all sports.
“I fundamentally believe that women’s sports is an undervalued asset that’s going to continue to grow,” he states.
The impact of Clark’s half-court three-pointers will contribute to that growth. Investment from women’s sports team owners like Michele Kang—who, besides owning stakes in the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, committed another $30 million to developing women’s soccer in November—will also play a role.
Additionally, Olympic stars like Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky, along with coaches like Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) and Emma Hayes (UWNT), are becoming household names that drive consumer interest and sponsorship dollars.
“While I think what Caitlin has done and what she did this year is extraordinary, I do think it’s part of a broader narrative not just within basketball, but across the Olympics, soccer, volleyball, and beyond.”
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
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