Add Tim McGraw to the list of Caitlin Clark mega fans.
Caitlin Clark has become a cultural phenomenon in women’s basketball.
After a record-setting career at Iowa, Clark — one of the most highly anticipated WNBA draft picks of all time — was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever on Monday night.
Clark brought a lot of attention to the college game, helping lead to attendance records for both Iowa and its opponents as well as viewership records during the recent NCAA tournament.
It seems she’s also grown a celebrity fanbase. At a concert in Iowa last month, country music star Tim McGraw rocked Clark’s Hawkeyes jersey. He did so again while performing in Indianapolis on Thursday night, this time wearing Clark’s new Fever threads.
McGraw is clearly a big fan of Clark, who became the NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader this season. He’s not the only one, as Monday’s draft with Clark as the headliner was the most watched of all time.
Clark is expected to do big things in the WNBA, and it’s obvious the hype train isn’t slowing down now that she’s left college.
Dawn Staley said that Caitlin Clark is the sole reason for the ratings boost in women’s college hoops.
While South Carolina topped Iowa in the women’s NCAA national championship game this month, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley is giving sole credit to former Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark for the recent ratings boost in the sport.
Speaking with 670 The Score about spreading awareness for the sport, Staley argued that Clark is “the sole reason” for the ratings boost the game has experienced recently, and that her popularity helps bring awareness to other deserving athletes in the sport when they play each other.
“Caitlin Clark is the sole reason why viewership has shot through the roof for our game,” Staley told the radio show. “And I think the decision-makers are following suit in making sure that other games are being played besides Caitlin Clark because, if you play Caitlin Clark, you’re going to run up against somebody that you might find that’s pretty good.”
"Caitlin Clark is the sole reason why viewership has shot through the roof for our game — the sole reason," South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley says.
Staley’s sentiments make sense in the way that rising tides lift all boats, and Clark’s popularity absolutely drew audiences in and exposed them to more of the college game’s bright stars.
However, others might argue that while Clark may have been the main reason for the recent ratings boost, there were other standouts in the game that played a key role in the recent elevation of awareness.
Either way, Staley is an authoritative voice in women’s college basketball, and her praise of Clark’s impact on the game holds major credence.
Caitlin Clark is about to get paid by Nike in a massive way.
Back up that BRINKS truck.
Per a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, former Hawkeye superstar and recent No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark, is nearing an eight-figure endorsement deal from Nike that would create her own signature shoe.
Per Charania, Clark’s deal with Nike expired after the conclusion of this past women’s college basketball season. That allowed Clark to hear sizable offers from Nike, Under Armour and Adidas.
It sounds like Clark is sticking with the Swoosh. Given their prior relationship, it’s not surprising to see Clark head in that direction.
Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi has previously released a signature shoe with Nike, while Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart have also released shoes with Adidas and Puma, respectively.
Those are some of the biggest names in women’s basketball and it speaks to Clark’s greatness that she’s among them. Clark’s star continues to shine bright as her WNBA career begins.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.
That’s well deserved. Seeing a rookie get a signature shoe deal is extremely rare, but this was largely expected for Clark. Her popularity is obvious — her Indiana Fever jersey sold out within an hour after she was drafted. Nike is banking on that same fever (pun very much intended) carrying over into the sneaker world.
But, yo. I’m sorry. Where on Earth is A’ja Wilson’s signature shoe?
Look, I don’t mean to railroad this Caitlin Clark news. I’m genuinely happy for her and glad Nike is capitalizing on her popularity.
But A’ja Wilson has been in line for a sneaker for a long time now and it just hasn’t happened yet. It’s getting pretty ridiculous.
The Aces’ superstar has been in the WNBA since 2018. She’s become a two-time WNBA champion, a two-time MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year winner and a five-time All-Star.
Even before that, her stardom bubbled at South Carolina. She actually won a championship there, too. She was also named as a Naismith Award winner and the 2017-18 National Player of the Year.
Off the court, she’s popping. She’s one of the W’s brightest personalities and easily one of the most likable characters in the league. She just made TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list. She’s also now a New York Times best-selling author. She’s done every single GTA side mission at this point.
She’s even proven herself as one of Nike’s most valuable faces. Wilson was the headliner for the brand’s Cosmic Unity sneaker line and she got her own LeBron 21 Player Exclusive model that people reacted well to.
What else must this woman do to get a signature shoe on her feet? No one can say she isn’t marketable or good enough. So what’s the hold-up, then?
That’s what makes the announcement of a Clark signature shoe deal so frustrating. You see just how easily that deal reportedly got done beforeClark even played a minute of WNBA basketball. What does it take to make this happen for A’ja?
We genuinely don’t know the answer to that question because Nike hasn’t said much about the situation. As of 9:00 a.m. E.T. this morning, I’ve contacted the brand for comment but have not gotten a response.
Instead of speculating, let’s focus on the facts. When you do that, this doesn’t look great for Nike.
Nike is expanding into women’s basketball again. That’s a good thing — especially as the brand searches for a new face with LeBron James’ retirement looming over everything. It could easily be a WNBA player who takes over that mantle — especially with how quickly the league is growing.
But here’s the problem: The most prominent female faces of Nike basketball are set to be two white women in a league that is 70 percent Black. There go those racial disparities in the WNBA again.
I’m not saying that Nike is doing this on purpose or that there’s some sort of malicious intent here. I’m just saying that Wilson needs a signature shoe, like, yesterday.
And, whatever it takes to make that happen? I hope it happens. Even if that means the shoe doesn’t come from Nike at all.
So long, Coyotes
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
This entire Arizona Coyotes saga has been so strange. A move for this team has always felt like it’s been in play, but never actually serious. Until now.
“With the Arizona Coyotes franchise packing up and heading to Utah in Salt Lake City, the NHL team that’s had a long history of struggles in the area, there was one last game in Tempe on Wednesday night. The awesome part is the Coyotes won it, but it was a night filled with poignant moments for fans, players and staffers.”
My heart goes out to you, Coyotes fans. It’s never easy to see a team move. But to have it ripped away like this? That’s tough. Hopefully, hockey will return to Arizona someday soon.
The Jontay Porter fallout
Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban from the NBA is well-deserved. Not only did the dude bet on his own team, but he also influenced his prop bets in a way that violated the game and the intrinsic trust built between the league and its viewership.
“The first thing to understand here is Porter is done in the NBA. While the official release doesn’t put a time frame on the ban, it’s safe to assume it’s permanent. Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters last week Porter could face a lifetime ban if the accusations against him were confirmed. This is confirmation.”
It’s good the NBA caught this happening. At the very least, this proves its system is working. That’s the good part.
The bad part is that this happened in the first place and that it got as far as it did. Porter placed 13 NBA bets via someone else’s account before getting caught here. This went on for a while.
Hopefully, Porter is a good enough example for this to never happen again.
Quick hits: Speaking of Caitlin Clark jerseys … Another amazing Mike Breen call … and more
Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest draws on the planet right now. Her Fever debut tickets are more than double NBA playoff courtside seats.
If you build it, they will come. Or, in this case, if you draft her, they will buy tickets to every game. The Indiana Fever took Caitlin Clark at No. 1 in the WNBA draft and are already seeing her transcendent ability across all things.
At Iowa, Caitlin Clark took ticket prices to new heights. Every road game was a sellout, secondary markets saw tickets constantly over $400, and fans couldn’t get enough of her. The same thing is happening in the WNBA.
The Indiana Fever are seeing courtside seats for her debut going for nearly $2,500. In and of itself, that is an astronomical number. To put it into perspective, the Indiana Pacers are firmly in the NBA playoffs at this moment as a projected No. 6 seed with a 47-35 record. Those are selling at $1,220.
Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever debut is selling for more than double that of an NBA courtside seat at a playoff game. That is transcendent.
The Caitlin Clark effect in Indianapolis:
Courtside tickets to her Fever debut cost double compared to Pacers playoff tickets, per @gametime.
It doesn’t stop there, either. Clark is part of a surge in ticket prices across the WNBA and is leading the way paving this new path. Per Forbes, the Fever’s matchup with the Minnesota Lynx is seeing tickets go for $615.
Forbes has also discovered that the Indiana Fever are a player in each of the ten most expensive games this season. So, if you draft her, the fans are certain to come.
Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.
Caitlin Clark is reportedly joining forces with Nike for a major deal and new shoe.
If you’re a fan of new Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, you’re about to be able to wear her signature shoe when you play basketball.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Mike Vorkunov and Ben Pickman reported on Wednesday night that Clark is nearing an eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike that will include the sportswear giant making a Clark-inspired Nike shoe.
The trio reported that Under Armour and Adidas also offered Clark deals before she chose to sign with Nike and that Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry was part of Under Armour’s pitch to Clark.
However, Clark had an NIL deal with Nike in college and will now transition to a more formal arrangement with the company.
Clark was picked first overall on Monday night by the Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft after her stellar career at Iowa. She’ll begin her WNBA career against the Connecticut Sun on May 14 on the road.
Just another TV viewership record for Caitlin Clark.
The Caitlin Clark effect was alive and well on draft night.
With Clark’s No. 1 overall selection to the Indiana Fever as the main draw, ESPN enjoyed record TV viewership numbers. Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reports that the 2024 WNBA draft reeled in 2.45 million viewers on Monday night.
Per Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, it also represented the largest TV audience for a WNBA telecast of any kind dating back to the year 2000. The Memorial Day game between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets in 2000 on NBC drew 2.74 million viewers.
The 2024 WNBA Draft audience was the largest the league has seen for a broadcast of any kind in more than two decades.@MMcCarthyREV's story ⬇️https://t.co/u30M63qYFB
Over the following quarter century since that Liberty vs. Comets contest on Memorial Day in 2000, no other no WNBA telecasts, including playoff and Finals games, has cracked the one million viewer mark, according to SMW.
Those TV ratings indicate that the Clark craze is likely to continue. All of this bodes well for the WNBA’s broadcast partners such as ESPN, Amazon, Ion and NBA TV. It looks like they are about to cash in on spiked viewership once more with Clark.
For the WNBA, Clark’s arrival into the league comes at a critical and picture-perfect time, too.
The league’s current broadcasting rights expire after the 2025 season. Currently, the WNBA pulls in $60 million a year for its rights fees vs. $2.7 billion annually for the NBA.
Early on, Clark’s ability to move the needle for the WNBA is obvious and apparent.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.
Yet those who want to support the superstar by buying a jersey of her new team may have to wait a bit longer. While it is for sale via Fanatics, this is listed only as a pre-order.
In fairness, per Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, Clark that fastest-selling jersey on draft night of any athlete in company history.
Caitlin Clark jerseys for sale at @Fanatics say they'll ship in August "due to @Nike's manufacturing times".
Reminds me of the Messi/@InterMiamiCF jerseys, which took months after his MLS signing because of @Adidas production.
“This is a special event item. Orders containing this product will be shipped separately. This item will be shipped no later than Wednesday, August 14, 2024.”
For what it is worth, the Fever will have played at least 26 of their 40 games by the date of that shipping estimate.
Of course, while there is a ton of excitement about Clark, it is disappointing for fans who want a jersey sooner rather than later.
It is also frustrating that folks who want to support other players on the Fever, like WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, do not even have an opportunity to buy her jersey on Fanatics.
“I’m not going to come out here and score 40 points a game. That’s not what I’m going to do.”
As the No. 1 pick in one of the most anticipated classes in WNBA history, Caitlin Clark has a lot riding on her shoulders. But, she says she will give herself grace and time to adjust her expectations for herself going into the league. Everyone else should remember that, too.
It feels like the entire country is talking about Caitlin Clark and the 2024 class after Monday’s historic draft. What kind of impact will they have? Will they face reality when they meet the league’s veterans? Will Caitlin Clark meet the moment as she’s expected to do?
If you ask Caitlin what’s been on her mind after being drafted, she might say giving herself grace in this new chapter of her life. Per James Boyd of The Athletic, Caitlin expressed to him that it’s a concept she learned to navigate in college and will take with her to the pros.
Here’s what she told Boyd and the media on Wednesday:
“Grace is a thing for everybody — that everybody could use in their life. Not everybody is perfect. People make mistakes…there’s going to be learning curves for me. I’m not going to come out here and score 40 points a game. That’s not what I’m going to do.
It’s learning from the amazing people I have around me and heaving a lot of fun, but also don’t lose who I am. That’s what’s gotten me to this point. [I will] continue to be myself, and I think a lot of good will come from that.”
I asked Caitlin Clark about chasing greatness while giving herself grace:
“ … I think it’s just learning from the amazing people that I have around me and having a lot of fun — but also like, ‘Don’t lose who I am.’ That’s what’s gotten me to this point.”
I loved the scope of Caitlin’s answer here, acknowledging how she had to mature in a way that let her be freed of her own internal expectations, and knowing that the adjustment at the next level will be a new—but exciting—challenge. A really terrific question from @RomeovilleKid. pic.twitter.com/mtsnOUfKKh
Good morning, Winners! My name is Meghan L. Hall, your resident WNBA and women’s college basketball savant, and I want to discuss something that so many people are talking about right now — WNBA salary.
Let’s talk about how we got here.
The 2024 WNBA Draft was one of the most anticipated draft classes ever because it was loaded with talent and spearheaded by college basketball greats like Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Caitlin Clark. The collision of the WNBA’s growth and the rise of women’s college basketball is spectacularly happening in real time.
Naturally, that puts the WNBA under a microscope. Issues that have plagued the league for many seasons, like salaries, are bubbling up to the surface again. People are learning the league’s inner workings and calling out the elephant in the room: Why aren’t WNBA players making more money?
For example, according to salary data from Sportrac, Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie scale deal will have her make just $338,056 over the next four years. The Aces’ Jackie Young makes a bit more than $250,000 annually in base salary, reportedly the highest annual value on a contract in the league. Some players have earned up to $600,000 through a base salary and other league earnings, according to the WNBA.
Still, other leagues dwarf those raw salary numbers, and folks new to the league are curious about why. Particularly when it comes to the NBA comparison.
To understand that, one must know the league is only 28 years old — well below the 75-plus years its NBA counterpart has been around. It’s been around longer, so it’s seen more investment from outside resources. The NBA has $2.5 billion in media rights deals. The WNBA, comparatively, only has $60 million.
The WNBA’s talent, which so many people have recently discovered, is certainly worth more investment. The league and its owners know things like expansion teams, state-of-the-art practice facilities, and more charted flights are how you sow into the long-term success of its athletes.
But investment can’t just come from the league itself. It comes from TV and media rights deals, partnerships, better negotiations in the next collective bargaining agreement, and detailed storytelling about players. And, just as crucially, it comes from you. Fans consistently watching and showing up to games matters. It shows big-money investors how much people care about this league.
WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison told For The Win in 2023 that the WNBA is “the best-kept secret that is not so secret.” She’s right.
The secret has been out. It’s time for everyone else to join the women’s sports movement.
The Warriors’ Big 3 might be finished
Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors’ season is over after a loss in the 9-10 Play-In Tournament game to the Kings, Mike Sykes writes.
This certainly isn’t how the team envisioned itself finishing, but that happens when you’re not constantly on your A-game in an all-time competitive Western Conference.
This may have been the last hurrah for this Golden State team — particularly with the trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Thompson in particular, who shot a putrid 0-10 from the field against Sacramento, is up for a new contract. It’s not a guarantee he’ll be back.
Curry was asked about the possibility of the Big 3 returning. On one hand, he said, “I can never see myself not playing with those two,” about Green and Thompson. On the other hand, though, he also said, “I just want to win.”
Steph Curry on Draymond/Klay: “I can never see myself not with those two guys.”
Otherwise, Philly was out, and some of that might open the door for the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins to grab the second Wild Card spot in the East.
Here’s the thing: the Red Wings went to overtime against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday BEFORE the end of the Flyers game, which eliminated Philly on the spot. But John Tortorella and the Flyers didn’t know that. So in a tie game, the scenario we wanted happened — in a tie game, Philly pulled its goalie, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UNNECESSARY! — and the Capitals scored to win the contest.”
That’s a tough way to go out, man. I offer condolences to Red Wings, Pens, and Flyers fans.
Quick hits: This INCREDIBLE Kate Martin story … Nurkic stomping on the Warriors’ grave … and more
