Caitlin Clark Bringing $36M to Indiana Community Good for Nothing as Her “Embarrassing” WNBA Paycheck No Better Than a Local Reporter’s Salary

With Caitlin Clark gracing the WNBA, the perks are plenty, but the payout? One word: Meh. As a highly touted rookie, the 23-year-old did what many thought was impossible—bring national attention to a highly underestimated sport. In 2024 alone, the Indiana Fever averaged a staggering 17,000 fans per game. Meaning? They were the first ever WNBA team to draw over 300,000 fans in a single season. What’s more?

Clark’s regular-season games pulled in an average of 1.2 million viewers—199% more than the games that didn’t feature her. TV viewership soared by 300%, and a whopping 45% of the total broadcast value now comes from Fever games. Merchandise sales also exploded by 500%, with Clark topping the charts, followed closely by Angel Reese! But if you thought that’s all, hold on. We’ve got to tell you a lot more. But let’s address the issue at hand first…

When the WNBA All-Star signed the four-year, $338,000 deal with her team, a very worrying picture presented itself. Clark’s first year’s median salary ($78,000) was just 2% of NBA’s median salary. Case in point: San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembenyama’s rookie contract went up to $55 million (for four years), or over $12 million in his first year. While the comparisons, and criticisms on the disparity have been plenty, let’s not forget a very important point. There’s a reason why the WNBA is not paying Clark and other athletes more: The league is not that profitable.

As per 

The Athletic, the WNBA earned about $200 million during the 2023, as opposed to the NBA that made around $10 billion. Yet, former WWE and current OutKick sportscaster, Charly Arnolt, painted a disheartening picture.

On February 23, during the ‘OutKick the Morning with Charly Arnolt’, the broadcaster said, “Let’s talk about Caitlin Clark and the value that she has brought to the WNBA [and] also to my hometown of Indianapolis. [Many] are now looking at the numbers and really trying to estimate if there could be higher WNBA salaries…[Caitlin Clark’s] agent named Erin Kane is calling for higher WNBA salaries in the midst of the WNBA…now when you look at the salaries of some of these players…I mean, Caitlin Clark is not the only one we need to be giving flowers to, of course. But it is the Clark effect, I do believe, that has helped you elevate the entire league.” And then came the final blow, or should we say the comparison, that we wish wasn’t true?

“So, when you look at the salaries league-wide including Caitlin Clark’s, they’re very embarrassing. They are very much in line with what I was making for my third job out of school…pretty much spot on what I made as like a young 20-some year-old in a small market as a local news reporter,” Arnolt informed. So, to be more exact, the WNBA Rookie of the Year is making less than what the journalist made back in the early 2010s (she graduated in 2010). What else that means?

Arnolt easily earns more than Clark currently—by leaps and bounds. That is despite the immense financial advantage the young basketball star has brought to Indianapolis. Arnolt dug deeper and found out that Clark has had an even bigger effect on the city of Indianapolis. She said, “Her salary maybe does not make sense for her is because she hasn’t just had a major impact on the WNBA, she has had a major impact on the entire city of Indianapolis, there’s an economic expert Dr Ryan Brewer. He has calculated that Clark has made the city of Indianapolis $36 million dollars. Additionally, the calculations show that Clark contributed to 26.5 % of the WNBA’s economic activity this season.”

Notably, as per the economist at Indiana University Columbus, Dr. Brewer, interviewed by the IndyStar, “Clark was responsible for $36 million in economic impact to the city of Indianapolis and almost 27% of the league’s economic activity for the 2024 season, including attendance, merchandise sales and television”.

Taking this into account, Clark’s agent had pointed out to ESPN, “Will Caitlin Clark ever be paid by the WNBA what she’s really worth to that league? I don’t think that’s possible. She’s part of a larger player body. They all need to be paid more. She should be recognized for what she has done and what she’s brought to the league from an economic standpoint. It’s as simple as that.” 

Kane also took a shot at the NBA saying how executives hardly think about the women’s vertical: “I think we’re ready for a spin-off [from the NBA]. I just think that the NBA is incentivized to make decisions that are good for the NBA, and those are not always aligned with what’s good for the WNBA. And so, for the sake of the league that I work in, I want women and women’s basketball to be able to make clean, clear choices that are in their own best interest.”

Well, it’s hard to pay others when you don’t even make money yourselves, isn’t it? Unfortunately, that’s the sad reality the Women’s National Basketball Association is facing…

Having said that, Brewer was not even the only one to point out the disparity…

WNBA is under pressure to pay up

Dr. Ryan Brewer couldn’t believe the numbers himself. “The numbers are so staggering, they don’t even seem real,” he said after diving deep into his research on the massive impact Caitlin Clark has had on the game. While the $36 million is just 10% of the NBA All-Star game’s financial boost to the city in February, yet the professor pointed out, “Now, let’s take a breath for a minute and think about this. That’s for one year. We’re talking about one player.”

“As this continues to materialize, the corporate side, the business side, not the players union, but the other sides, are going to continue to watch to see that these numbers can stabilize and maintain rather than just spike and drop again. That’s what they’re afraid of. And that’s what’s keeping the numbers low,” Brewer further said as per the IndyStar.

John Holden, Indiana University Kelley School of Business’ associate professor of business law and ethics, on the other hand, said, “But the Fever and the WNBA can’t just go out and give these deals, even if that’s what market value for Caitlin Clark’s playing would be worth.”

“If you look at where the NBA is at and the NFL and the NHL, that’s probably the best benchmark, not actual dollar numbers, but share of revenue. And most of the men’s pro leagues are at a 47% to 51% share so very close to 50-50, and I think that’s where a lot of fans and players of the WNBA would like to see things go in the future,” said Holden.

Caitlin Clark has had such a huge impact on the WNBA by boosting everything from viewership to merchandise sales. Should she be paid more despite the WNBA’s financial hardships?