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Hey Caitlin: the MVP of the WNBA Just Signed a Contract Extension...

Rookie deals are contractual, there is no negotiation. She will make what the league contract allows.
Really? Then she should go play somewhere else. She's the star power they need and if they pay their most marketable player in the making like a middle reliever for the Cleveland Indians in the early 2000s then their brand doesn't deserve to grow.
 
The endorsement $$ will follow her no matter where she goes.
College athletics has a special fan based attraction to it. You have no basis for this claim. I, for one, will not follow her in the WNBA and people will not be driving all over the country to watch her games while paying a $1000 per ticket. No one really knows how endorsements will pan out.
 
So, a few thoughts ...

I think Caitlin has a chance to do for the WNBA in the 2020s something similar to what Bird and Magic did for the NBA in the 1980s. I don't know that her WNBA games will ever attract the crowds that her college games do, but it's silly to think that the attendance figures people cite won't go up once Caitlin arrives. The only question is how much.

It's true that exposure, particularly TV exposure, drives endorsement deals. But TV time is not the end-all, be-all of it. For example, how many of us have spent much time watching skateboarding or snowboarding competitions on TV? Probably not many. But I'll bet most of us know who Shaun White is. Same thing goes for track and field. Almost nobody watches it on TV, save for maybe the Olympics every four years. Yet Usain Bolt became a superstar. By the way, White's net worth in 2023 was estimated at $65 million. Bolt's net worth is $90 million.

I think Clark has a chance to do something similar to what White, Bolt, and a few other athletes have done, which is to transcend their sport, and become a bigger star as a result of it. Caitlin can become the face of women in sports for the next decade. She has the personality and charisma to do it. I will guarantee you that Caitlin's agent already has a plan that will earn her millions of dollars over the next decade or so, whether she enters the WNBA now or a year from now.

But another thing to remember is that aside from exposure, endorsements are also based on popularity. And right now, Caitlin's popularity is off the charts. Sure, she has a few detractors, but those are mainly limited to rival schools and a few talking heads looking to get clicks. However, if Caitlin stays in college another year, I believe the number of detractors will grow exponentially. As much as Americans love to build up a hero, they love even more tearing one down. It could very well be that Caitlin's long-term marketability could take a hit if she stays in school another year.

If there's an NIL deal out there to pay Caitlin money to stay in school, I do not doubt that she could have a nice payday and probably make more money in the short run. But being the transcendent athlete that I believe she is, that NIL deal probably makes little difference in the overall plan.
 
Breanna Stewart won this year's WNBA MVP award. She plays for New York, the largest market in sports. Her huge payout in her new MVP contract...$190,000 per year. The average attendance at her New York team's home games in the nation's largest city playing for the WNBA's best team...7,700 people. Average television coverage? None. And again, this is for the star of the league.

How could anyone in the Hawkeye media (most of them are doing it) argue Clark should bolt to the WNBA with another eligibility remaining? They clearly don't understand the best player in that entire league makes $190,000 playing in empty arenas and no one's ever heard of her? What endorsement deals does that generate?

Compare Stewart with Caitlin's situation at Iowa. She's in her home state where she's treated like a god. Her parents drive 90 mins to attend all of her games. Her friends come to the games. She plays in front of 15,500 Hawk fans every week. Even her road games and the Big 10 tourney are sold out. She's good friends with her teammates and loves her coaches. Because Iowa plays on national tv (unlike any WNBA teams), Caitlin has been able to score HUGE NIL deals. She dominates enough to score 30+ and 10 assists per game which won't likely happen in the pros. And best of all, she makes over $1,000,000 per year doing what she's doing right in her home of Iowa City.

No athlete has ever had a better situation in college sports than Clark. It would be foolish to think the grass is greener in the WNBA wasteland where all stars quickly fade into irrelevance. Just look at how last year's women's college basketball star turned out. Ailya Boston played in the Final 4 and was the #1 overall draft pick. Her #1 pick contract was for just $75,000 this year. She played for the last place team in the league in front of just 4,000 fans per game! Were her games televised? Of course not. No one's watching that.

Clark's situation would be similar. Clark will be drafted #1 and go to the league's worst team. Like with Boston, her rookie contract would be in the $75,000 range and her games will not be televised. Without TV, her appeal wanes and her NIL deals dry up. She also has zero built in fans who rabidly follow her team like Caitlin gets with wearing the black and gold. Hawkeye fans were rabid before Clark and they'll be rabid after Clark. You can't say the same about any WNBA team. I guarantee the vast majority of Hawk fans who tune into Clark do it because she has Iowa on her Jersey. Most aren't going to give a second thought to a WNBA regular season game.

If Clark sits down with her family and really thinks it through, the decision to stay is a no-brainer. Will next year's team have a shot at a title? Probably not, as most of the starters graduate and Clark's coach already proved incapable of recruiting out of the transfer portal to add stars to compliment Clark on the roster. But Clark can be a mentor to incoming freshmen and leave a lasting legacy with the next generation of Hawkeye stars.
That's a lot of words for someone that hates/doesn't watch women's sports, and had previously prognosticated, with great enthusiasm, that Caitlin Clark would be incapable of delivering Iowa a trip to the Final Four..................

Just sayin.


P.S. how'd Sam LaPorta do this year? ;)
 
With the new NIL landscape there will be other players that stick around for the extra year if they got a good gig going where they are at. I hope she stays of course. But I was hoping Cooper stuck around and look what happened there. :)
 
All that WNBA or Indianapolis (don't know the WNBA team name) has to do is have several of their games in Iowa City televised on FOX during prime time. That will grow the sport big time.
 
Kinda telling so few here will give a flap about her WNBA time. All about the laundry
 
I'd hope she makes more than that. She might actually make people interested in the games. If people start caring money and tv will follow. She might very well be the spark the wnba needs.
Counterpoint is that she might be the spark the wnba needs, a year later.
 
I wonder if FOX/BTN make any $ from CC playing for Iowa in the B1G?

Does it help them financially to televise games CC plays in?

Would FOX/BTN lose that revenue if CC joined the WNBA?

Could Fox/BTN pay her a big NIL deal to stay at Iowa?

Boy, I don't know.

There has been a rumor swirling recently that Fox is looking to endorse/NIL support Caitlin & Paige Bueckers if they agree to return to college basketball for one more season. I have no idea if any of that is true, but it would not surprise me in the least.
 
Another point ...

The highest-paid player in the WNBA last year, in terms of total earnings, was Candace Parker, who earned $8.1 million ($8 million+ coming from off-court activities).

I see no reason that Caitlin Clark couldn't come close to matching that.

For those interested, here is the list of the world's highest-paid female athletes. Lots of women on this list who aren't on TV that much.

Leave now, leave later ... Caitlin Clark is going to be a very, very wealthy woman either way.
 
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Rookie deals are contractual, there is no negotiation. She will make what the league contract allows.
This is exactly why the WNBA needs to figure out what they can do for Caitlin regarding TV exposure, contracts, or some sort of incentives before she begins playing for them. Otherwise, I’d says it’s riskier for her to go than it would be to stay at Iowa where things are going AMAZING for her on every level: TV, playing performance, and $$
 
Leave a hero or stay long enough to be the villain to all the national media and talking heads about her stat padding and scared of going pro.

She is a Sr and college graduate ready to go out into life. It's selfish to expect her to stay.
 
Leave a hero or stay long enough to be the villain to all the national media and talking heads about her stat padding and scared of going pro.

She is a Sr and college graduate ready to go out into life. It's selfish to expect her to stay.
Bingo!
Staying one more year is more negative than positive…
But who’s being selfish here….#22 or Iowa fan?
 
Sadly, I believe Bluder's lack of recruiting success last year forced Clark's hand into declaring for the draft.

Watching the past few games, it's clear the contributors out there are 5th year seniors who will be long gone next year (i.e. Kate Martin, Molly Davis, & Gabby Marshall are all 5th year seniors and Clark is a 4th year senior). Often times, the bench scores just 4 to 6 points per game.

Behind the seniors, the cupboard will be bare and Clark would have a 0% chance at any kind of tile next year even if she scores 40 points per game.
 
Sadly, I believe Bluder's lack of recruiting success last year forced Clark's hand into declaring for the draft.

Watching the past few games, it's clear the contributors out there are 5th year seniors who will be long gone next year (i.e. Kate Martin, Molly Davis, & Gabby Marshall are all 5th year seniors and Clark is a 4th year senior). Often times, the bench scores just 4 to 6 points per game.

Behind the seniors, the cupboard will be bare and Clark would have a 0% chance at any kind of tile next year even if she scores 40 points per game.
You have no clue what’s going on in women’s recruiting; thanks for proving that.

Check out this article from Hawk Central:

Meet the players committed to Iowa women's basketball for national signing day



Hardly a bare cupboard.
 
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Sadly, I believe Bluder's lack of recruiting success last year forced Clark's hand into declaring for the draft.

Watching the past few games, it's clear the contributors out there are 5th year seniors who will be long gone next year (i.e. Kate Martin, Molly Davis, & Gabby Marshall are all 5th year seniors and Clark is a 4th year senior). Often times, the bench scores just 4 to 6 points per game.

Behind the seniors, the cupboard will be bare and Clark would have a 0% chance at any kind of tile next year even if she scores 40 points per game.
"LaPorta may indeed end up getting drafted ahead of all-Americans like Moss and Campbell, but LaPorta won't have more than 5 receptions in the NFL next year." -Guess who?
 
You have no clue what’s going on in women’s recruiting; thanks for proving that.

Check out this article from Hawk Central:

Meet the players committed to Iowa women's basketball for national signing day



Hardly a bare cupboard.

He's upset because Lisa is bringing in a damn good PG who tore up her knee. I'm not upset with Lisa, but I hate it for Aaliah Guyton.
 
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You have no clue what’s going on in women’s recruiting; thanks for proving that.

Check out this article from Hawk Central:

Meet the players committed to Iowa women's basketball for national signing day



Hardly a bare cupboard.
Sober - you really don’t get things. Like ever. It’s almost like you’re intentionally ignorant, and you couldn’t argue your way out of a paper bag.

Iowa’s incoming recruiting class LAST YEAR was the bottom of the big 10. It included zero upperclassmen from the portal. None of them play. None. You think a bunch of 17 yr old high schoolers who haven’t even been to prom yet are going to come in next year entice Clark to return for a title run?😂. There’s a reason the C students go into teaching. Thanks for proving my point.
 
Sober - you really don’t get things. Like ever. It’s almost like you’re intentionally ignorant, and you couldn’t argue your way out of a paper bag.

Iowa’s incoming recruiting class LAST YEAR was the bottom of the big 10. It included zero upperclassmen from the portal. None of them play. None. You think a bunch of 17 yr old high schoolers who haven’t even been to prom yet are going to come in next year entice Clark to return for a title run?😂. There’s a reason the C students go into teaching. Thanks for proving my point.
Did you even bother to look at the returning players? They’re returning Feuerbach, Affolter, Stuelke, O’Grady, McCabe and others. Plus 4 top 100 recruits. Hardly a bare cupboard.

Of course they’re not likely to be a title contender next year. That tends to happen when you lose the best player in school history. But they’re still likely a tournament team next year and that’s never a bad place to be.
 
Did you even bother to look at the returning players? They’re returning Feuerbach, Affolter, Stuelke, O’Grady, McCabe and others. Plus 4 top 100 recruits. Hardly a bare cupboard.

Of course they’re not likely to be a title contender next year. That tends to happen when you lose the best player in school history. But they’re still likely a tournament team next year and that’s never a bad place to be.
I did.

Feuerbach - 2 pts per game
O'Grady - 4 pts per game
McCabe - 3 pts per game
Affolter - 7 pts per game.

Every team in the country is returning that kind of production or better. Clark's not going to tarnish her legacy playing for a bubble team. If Bluder wanted to keep Clark around for another year, it was on her to provide Clark with the talent to make a title run. She squandered that opportunity.
 
I did.

Feuerbach - 2 pts per game
O'Grady - 4 pts per game
McCabe - 3 pts per game
Affolter - 7 pts per game.

Every team in the country is returning that kind of production or better. Clark's not going to tarnish her legacy playing for a bubble team. If Bluder wanted to keep Clark around for another year, it was on her to provide Clark with the talent to make a title run. She squandered that opportunity.
Yeah, you think those numbers might possibly be because they’re bench players this year? Heck, this year was the first time in 3 years I think we rolled out a different starting 5.

safe to say they’ll see minutes increase and their production will increase as well.

your ability to find the negative in anything is astounding.
 
I did.

Feuerbach - 2 pts per game
O'Grady - 4 pts per game
McCabe - 3 pts per game
Affolter - 7 pts per game.

Every team in the country is returning that kind of production or better. Clark's not going to tarnish her legacy playing for a bubble team. If Bluder wanted to keep Clark around for another year, it was on her to provide Clark with the talent to make a title run. She squandered that opportunity.

Saying she squandered that opportunity is painting with a pretty broad brush. I have no idea of their inside personal conversations and I doubt many others do either.
 
Yeah, you think those numbers might possibly be because they’re bench players this year? Heck, this year was the first time in 3 years I think we rolled out a different starting 5.

safe to say they’ll see minutes increase and their production will increase as well.

your ability to find the negative in anything is astounding.
Don't forget you're talking to someone who self-admittedly doesn't enjoy watching women's sports.

He doesn't care. He's just making yet another Skip Bayless/Stephen A. Smith "look at how right I am" antagonistic thread/string of posts.

Ask him about his irl thoughts on black people. See what he has to say then........ ;)
 
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Sadly, I believe Bluder's lack of recruiting success last year forced Clark's hand into declaring for the draft.

Watching the past few games, it's clear the contributors out there are 5th year seniors who will be long gone next year (i.e. Kate Martin, Molly Davis, & Gabby Marshall are all 5th year seniors and Clark is a 4th year senior). Often times, the bench scores just 4 to 6 points per game.

Behind the seniors, the cupboard will be bare and Clark would have a 0% chance at any kind of tile next year even if she scores 40 points per game.
Quit trolling. This is such a dumbass take. As @kceasthawk has stated her endorsement money isn't going anywhere. So she's going to be making her salary plus the endorsements. Now whether anyone on here likes the WNBA or not it's the only professional league in the US. And it's got the best players in the world. She's done all she can do at Iowa. Broken every record, and lead Iowa ( yes, Iowa) to a National Championship game, the only one in my lifetime. Hats off to her and good luck to her in her next challenge. Hope she kills it.
 
Quit trolling. This is such a dumbass take. As @kceasthawk has stated her endorsement money isn't going anywhere. So she's going to be making her salary plus the endorsements. Now whether anyone on here likes the WNBA or not it's the only professional league in the US. And it's got the best players in the world. She's done all she can do at Iowa. Broken every record, and lead Iowa ( yes, Iowa) to a National Championship game, the only one in my lifetime. Hats off to her and good luck to her in her next challenge. Hope she kills it.
This. Only thing she hasn’t done is win the title; and that’s such a difficult thing to even get there.

To me, she has nothing left to prove in college, and I’ve never seen an indicator that money is what’s driving her.
 
This. Only thing she hasn’t done is win the title; and that’s such a difficult thing to even get there.

To me, she has nothing left to prove in college, and I’ve never seen an indicator that money is what’s driving her.
As Bobby wrote in his column it would be one thing to hold the "title thing" over her head the way Jay Williams did, IF it was a best of 7 deal like the pro's, but a one game elimination is to big an ask, when anything can happen, and expecting her to come back for a whole season when ONE loss in the tourney ends the whole year, No way..
 
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As Bobby wrote in his column it would be one thing to hold the "title thing" over her head the way Jay Williams did, IF it was a best of 7 deal like the pro's, but a one game elimination is to big an ask, when anything can happen, and expecting her to come back for a whole season when ONE loss in the tourney ends the whole year, No way..
Agreed. Selfishly, I’d have loved for her to come back one more year; but other than a title she has nothing left to do at Iowa.
 
Iowaslaw,
Maybe I misinterpreted your comment about C students becoming teachers. Care to clarify or explain yourself? I thought it was disrespectful.
 
Iowaslaw,
Maybe I misinterpreted your comment about C students becoming teachers. Care to clarify or explain yourself? I thought it was disrespectful.
He definitely intended it that way - it was directed at me.

Of course, he’d made a couple of idiotic, negative comments that i corrected him on and he doesn’t like being corrected.
 
Just an awful, awful poster. When I think he's made his worst one yet, he completely outdoes himself. Truly incredible
 
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