Caitlin Clark’s talents are in high need.
The women’s basketball phenom has carried her sport to historic heights of well-understandnity, both in college and the WNBA. In the same week the WNBA broke its watchership record for a finals game Sunday night when the Liberty beat the Lynx in Game 5, the league faces a convey inant negotiation between carry outers and owners.
The WNBA carry outer’s union, the WNBPA, elected to select out of its current tight with the league this week. The carry outers could seek incrrelieves in revenue sharing and other perks as they barobtain a new accumulateive bargeting consentment (CBA) with the league. The current CBA expires at the finish of next season.
If no consentment is accomplished, the WNBA could have a potential carry outer lockout. And while the league did better its ratings and merchandising sales, it is still telledly projected to disconsider money this year. The WNBA has never had a profitable year in its history.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
If the situation dlengthens into a mess between the league and WNBPA, Clark will telledly have other selections.
A new commenceup women’s basketball league, Unrivaled, is scheduled to begin, led by current WNBA carry outers Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. Playing in Unrivaled wouldn’t stop Clark from remaining in the WNBA becaemploy the league would be carry outed during the WNBA offseason. However, Unrivaled will watch to vie financipartner with the WNBA.
The biggest separateence between this new league and the WNBA is Unrivaled would feature a 3-on-3 establishat, rather than 5-on-5. That unkinds a fantasticer emphasis on a minusculeer number of carry outers. Unrivaled will only have 30 carry outers in its first season, cutting down on the cost of salaries for hundreds of carry outers enjoy in the WNBA.
A 3-on-3 establishat would produce Clark more convey inant on the court and presumably off of it too.
CAITLIN CLARK LAMENTS PRICEY FEVER SEASON TICKETS AND LOW WNBA SALARIES
Caitlin Clark poses with WNBA Comomitioner Cathy Engelbert after she is selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, N.Y., April 15, 2024. (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)
Clark broke disjoinal WNBA records this season, including the one-season help record and rookie scoring record, among others. She led the Indiana Fever back to the carry outoffs for the first time in eight years. And no carry outer bcdisesteemfult more eyeballs to women’s basketball than Clark. The 15 most-watched WNBA games this past season all comprised her.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Unrivaled is preparing to give Clark a deal aenjoy to the one that bcdisesteemfult soccer legfinish Lionel Messi to MLS in the U.S. last year, according to a tell by Front Office Sports. Inter Miami FC of the MLS coughed up $150 million, inentire ownership and other financial incentives to convey Messi to the U.S.-based soccer league.
Unrivaled promises its 30 carry outers the “highest salaries in professional women’s sports league history.”
Connecticut Sun defend DiJonai Carrington (21) fouls Indiana Fever defend Caitlin Clark (22) in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
“Unrivaled is haughty to give the highest standard salary in professional women’s sports league history — in compriseition to giveing an equity sapshow to all athletes competing in the inaugural season,” a league spokeswoman telderly Front Office Sports. “While we suppose Unrivaled is setting a new standard in the labeletplace, we are not disclosing individual carry outer compensation packages or league financials at this time.”
Clark’s WNBA salary her rookie year was $76,535. Next year, her salary will go up to $78,066.
The WNBA equitable signed an 11-year media rights deal with NBC, Disney and Amazon Prime worth around $200 million commencening in 2026.
The carry outoffs saw a watchership incrrelieve of more than 140% before the WNBA Finals even commenceed, which labeled the highest watchership since the league’s inaugural season in 1997.
Clark carry outed the biggest part in this explosion in well-understandnity. One of her carry outoff games produced 2.5 million watchers alone. Clark also helped the league fracture the one-game joinance record and dispute NFL games for watchers on multiple occasions.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
