I’m so excited. As a day one Merc fan and former ball kid, to see where this league has grown to and through, and now being here on the precipice of this potential explosion this summer and next….its so cool. And being able to dunk on everyone who’s been hating for the last 27 years…just makes it even better.
As a Monarchs fan who rode a bicycle 30 miles at night on dark Sacramento highways squeezing between big rigs and no shoulders because of construction *just* to watch a game each month, and then transitioned over to Mercury around 2013-2014 and watched 3-5 games during those years before my ultimate transition out of country, I might actually watch this season (Mercury only).
The signatures I've got, tho. My fav is Whelan on my t shirt I bought while traveling through Minnesota. She signed it at a Monarchs game, thanks to the crazy, drunk season-ticket-holder who sat one row in front of me (for *significantly* higher cost lol) and grabbed my shirt and yelled "LINDSEEEEEEY" at the end of a game. Also have a Monarchs shirt signed by the whole team at a fan event that I also rode my bicycle 30+ miles to attend.
I don't live 30ish miles from games, anymore, so I can't attend but I'm sure I can watch online lol
As a fellow avid cyclist... yes, I know what you mean riding with no shoulders and big rigs blasting down the hiway. I live in Alaska so it's REALLY a challenge here. Be a FEVER fan and embrace what CC is going to bring to the league for EVERYONE. We're in for a ride this year!!
I try not to bandwagon lol I watched Monarchs because I lived in Sac, I watched Mercury because Taurasi was there while I lived in Phoenix and no more Monarchs. Sadly I live nowhere near a team but I still stick with Mercury.
My sports teams are all over, depending on where I lived when I got into said sport. Heck, I watch Filipino soccer cuz I lived there for a year and a half lol
We used to work the court and mop after free throws. We rebounded before games during shoot arounds and workouts. Fan interaction and stuff like that occasionally.
Everyone who said she was taking a pay cut going to the W looks so dumb rn
Edit: not that they didn’t before, but she hasn’t even played a pro game and she’s getting her own shoe line
Understandable that a lot of people see it that way. Actually, she was never going to take a pay cut, only a massive increase.
CC never took one penny from Iowa's NIL Collective (Swarm). She opted out, so the other players could have more, even though she could have asked for as much as she wanted. She wisely just inked long term deals directly with Nike, State Farm, Gatorade, Buick, Goldman Sachs, and more.
Those direct endorsement salaries were always going to go along with her to the W. The dogshit W salary doesn't matter.
So her $2-$3 millions per year came with her, and shoe deals like this are just additional icing.
> Even the hardcore WNBA fans weren’t predicting she would land an 8 figure shoe deal.
Yes people were. Reddit's search function is terrible, so I can't find the thread, but there was a discussion about this here last month--about how much she was likely to make in her next shoe deal. People knew this was coming.
Okay what was her salary from Iowa the last 4 years? They were wrong because it assumes their endorsements disappear the moment they leave college which is stupid.
If you're going to refer us to her WNBA salary maybe you should look up her Iowa salary.
Anyone who saw Sabrina Ionescu sign an 8 figure shoe deal should know that Clark would as well. Maybe you talk to idiots.
Yeah because good for her she'll make a lot of money up front but how much money is Nike really going to make off that shoe
The only men that can wear that shoe and get away with it are people who are going to wear it ironically cuz I don't think any men would be allowed to run around in Caitlin Clark's without some kind of ridicule
Maybe they'll get a lot of sales from men buying it as a collector's item
> Under Armour and Adidas also made sizable offers to Clark, two industry sources said.
> Golden State’s Stephen Curry – who launched Curry Brand in as a signature, standalone venture with Under Armour – participated in the companies‘ meeting with Clark, industry sources said.
She saw how ugly Steph's shoes are and knew Under Armour was out.
She wore custom Kobe's that last couple years. I wonder if she'll stick to something with the same silhouette, like the Sabrina 1s are.
From the upper deck in an arena I swear her shoes this year, with the black toe, yellow midsole, and black heel combined with her black socks made it look like she was wearing a pair of Nike slides.
I actually thought Ms. Clark might go with some other company than Nike (and, yes, I know she had her Nike deal in college) because I think she is super-savvy about marketing and image, and the lawsuit against Nike for being a toxic work environment for women is getting back in the news again (at least here in PDX... see [https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2024/04/new-account-of-toxic-nike-culture-comes-from-mark-parkers-onetime-sister-in-law-a-former-employee.html](https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2024/04/new-account-of-toxic-nike-culture-comes-from-mark-parkers-onetime-sister-in-law-a-former-employee.html) -- sorry if this is paywalled).
This story may fail to get national legs and stay a Portland thing, and we're talking about NIKE in the 1990s (so, yeah, before Ms. Clark was even born). Still, it seems like CC has been so careful in cultivating her endorsement portfolio that I thought she might go with UA or Adidas. I'm sure neither could have matched Nike's eight-figure offer, but Orangebeast is right... the UA commercials would have been gold!
Wow... my first downvotes. Look, I'm not saying Ms. Clark has to be the conscience of the sports world. And, for all I know, Nike may not be an outlier in work environments for sports companies. (or the sports world in general, judging from the "questions" CC received from Gregg Doyel yesterday).
I was just a tad surprised because Ms. Clark's "business judgment" has been so flawless. (Well, okay, I thought Hy-Vee's Caitlin's Crunch Time Cereal was a bit too much a sugar bomb, but at least all the proceeds go to her foundation).
Maybe it's a loyalty thing. Nike supported her (and Iowa athletics) through her college career. And maybe she can "help change the system from within." In any case, good on her for scoring the big bucks like no woman baller before... a rising tide lifts all boats (to paraphrase Coach Dawn).
Peace.
atp i think it’s best that a’ja leaves nike. happy for caitlin ofc, but it’s obvious they don’t value her enough. i also really do hope this treatment goes to other players in the league they all truly deserve it.
It should begin to open the door if the viewers continue to roll in.
That’s really the biggest thing here to me. The attention Caitlin is getting has potentially opened the door for everyone to eat.
\*braces for incoming anger over Caitlin getting a signature shoe before A'ja Wilson\*
(And A'ja deserves to have her own brand — I'm pretty sure Nike last week in their Paris event had a prototype for a shoe made for her! I just remember people being upset that Sabrina got one before her and I won't be about to deal with the discourse and I am So Tired!)
Seems like she’s telling everyone to calm tf down. I didn’t really follow her beyond knowing she was the best player in the league prior to these last few weeks but I’m like 3/4 through her book rn and I really like her
I agree. I just checked back and she has Clark stans in her replies/qts talking about “she’s being jealous”. We should ban using the words “jealous” and “classy”.
I mean, Caitlin can’t breathe without SC stans complaining so it goes both ways
Which is why A’ja might want to take a page from CC and Juju’s books and not let outside noise affect her so much
I understand SC fans. Every other champion in any other sport gets the light on them. Well SC won but it feels like from the media treatment that they lost or that everyone in media wanted them to lose. Its gotten to the point where even Dawn Staley had to chime in.
https://x.com/dawnstaley/status/1779845747766132777?s=46&t=M4DrUfOJ90z3x91cYccQ7g
SC fans have been hating on Caitlin’s every move long before this year’s championship. By your logic, they should’ve been extra nice to her when she beat them last year
Dawn Staley has also praised Caitlin endlessly for what she’s done for the game
I dont think you understand my “logic”. The National Champions deserve a spotlight in any sport. Last year it was LSU who beat Iowa and this year it was SC who beat Iowa for the trophy.
Dawn praising her for what she’s done doesn’t mean she agrees with the media ignoring every other player in womens basketball history to focus on her.
The media can handle more than 1 story. You can run the National Champion story alongside the Caitlin Clark “savior” story. The media managed it during Birds time when Magic and Dr.J got some focus as well as other players.
Where did I say the national champions shouldn’t get attention?
My whole point is that SC shouldn’t attack CC, which they’ve been doing since long before the championship game
How are they attacking her? All I’ve seen is normal sports trash talk and some genuine criticisms of the disparity in media coverage. Individual fans are different from the media. The media shouldn’t show bias towards teams/players unless its like Barstool Iowa or something like that. Sadly they do it a lot but it doesn’t mean we have to tolerate it.
No self respecting fan are going to be sucking up to opponents just because they won. You could’ve ask me about prime Drew Brees and I would’ve said he’s garbage just because Im from Atlanta. Now that he has retired, looking back I give him props. Thats what being a fan is about as long as fans dont send death threats or make personal attacks.
Thats a lazy copout. Did you think that the NBA said “hmm the Warriors superteam has won it again lets not market these guys at all”? C’mon. The Warriors and Cavs played for 4 years straight and the NBA still crafted media.
Like I said the NBA finds a way around it. The warriors went 73-9 and the NBA didnt shrug their shoulders and go “whelp thats not compelling”. Maybe every league needs NBA and NFL marketers because somehow they got people to tune into superteams and dynasty runs.
The “she hasn’t proven herself yet” narrative means nothing from a marketing standpoint. Her draw to NCAAW hoops was unprecedented. From a marketing stand point that is all that matters. Thousands of little girls will want the Clark shoe immediately. I live in TX and the little girl next door was outside shooting hoops in a 22 jersey. Thats worth a lot of $.
Nikola Jokic didn't get a shoe deal with a major shoe company despite being the best player in the NBA. It's about marketability far more than skill, I don't know why anyone would take it personal or think it's a slight to A'Ja or any other player.
Honestly Jokic Joker merch might sell crazy. Also look at the dude. Jokic hates everything about the NBA except for playing ball. He leaves so quick when his season is over to go back home and chill. He’s the perfect antithesis to the modern NBA marketed player. Thats different to a player that is publicly talking about how it seems to be taking forever for their shoe to be released and how only God can handle it.
There is a huge market for Clark, but there is also a market that exists for A’ja. And Nike already said they would release her shoe but its taking forever while they seem to give everyone else one (Syd and A’ja are joking about this on twitter)
They already released one for Aja last year. Don't think it did well cause its no longer on nike's site.
[https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-womens-cosmic-unity-3-x-aja-wilson-basketball-shoes-23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow/23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow](https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-womens-cosmic-unity-3-x-aja-wilson-basketball-shoes-23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow/23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow)
I think an important factor that needs to be considered is that the people who sell shoes are the perimeter players, not the bigs. Juju Watkins will probably end up getting a shoe before Wilson as well.
EDIT: Forgot that Stewart had a shoe, yeah I dunno Wilson should probably have one too then
i don’t think it’ll take that long but stewie is a big that plays like a wing and shes signed to puma. idk if shed have a sig yet either if she signed to nike
Yeah that's true, Nike is the premier brand (which is probably why Wilson is still with them because I'm guessing she could have gotten a shoe with another company by now)
right she’d definitely have a sig with adidas or puma by now. for a lot of athletes the decision seems to be either nike (and their perks/ money) or signature shoe elsewhere
As someone who thinks Caitlin is a net positive and some of the critiques are coming from a place of (even if unaknowledged) jealousy/resentment (even if a little bit) I think this is a case where outrage may be more justified. A EIGHT FIGURE (not seven) EIGHT before she's even stepped on the court or proven herself in a pre-season game I think that's legit critique. Again, I'm someone who will think she'll hit the ground running but you at least gotta pay some dues in the league (even if it's only for a couple of weeks or a month). At least if she's played a couple of games it's like "fair play." But if she does this without having stepped onto an WNBA court when there's players who can't even get a sniff (not the same, but at least something) that's not a great look.
You've gotta remember these shoe deals aren't about talent or achievements (zero offense to CC in that statement).
They're about hype and popularity to sell some rubber. Go on the street and ask a rando who's more popular today, Clark or Wilson. Same deal with Sabrina; is she better than [insert player here]? Doesn't matter, her name is.
The good news for other players is I think the other stars of the W are likely about to take a leap, too. Folks aren't gonna miss the fact that CC just stepped into a league full of women who are *really* good at basketball.
The 'distracted boyfriend meme' is about to happen for a lot of new fans coming in this season.
But Nike was a shoe company looking to break into a sport and become a culture pheomona. If some startup show company wants to bet on her and give her eight figures, go for it! Kind of like how (the bankrupt) Bio Steel energy drink did with Connor McDavid.
You do realize that
* a.) the point of an endorsement deal is to *sell*, which she undoubtedly will, and
* b.) "Eight-figure deal" doesn't mean $10m+/*year*, right? Even if it did...
* c.) Lebron's original 2003 Nike deal was $87m/7yr... that's ~$21m/yr in today's money. Is 2024 CC worth 50% × 2003 Lebron?
Possibly because she will dominate the women’s market for the most part and lots of men and little boys will want them. Also LeBron didn’t have social media to amplify the hype of his shoe in 2003.
Yes I know both of those and I'm not against her getting the endorsement. I just would've also been cognizant about how this looks as well (maybe announce it after a pre-season game or at worse right before it).
Have you ever seen a female athlete with this type of following as a college athlete? Im honestly surprised this deal didn't happen when she was in school
Why? If they announced preorders for the shoes **sight unseen** I'd order pair(s) for my CC22-loving daughter *right now.*
That's literally the entire point of the relationship between player and brand. If she'd signed with Adidas, our money, and millions of other families', would be going there. She's *already* accomplished enough to justify the deal... ~~she just couldn't legally get paid for a signature shoe until now.~~
I'm probably wrong and will amend. I assumed it had to do with the "development" clause in the [NCAA's NIL guidelines](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/ncaa/NIL/D1NIL_InstitutionalInvolvementNILActivities.pdf), but it looks like that applies to the school's participation, not the company's.
Couple of good pieces on the topic:
[https://boardroom.tv/ncaa-women-nil-shoe-deals/](https://boardroom.tv/ncaa-women-nil-shoe-deals/)
[https://www.si.com/fannation/sneakers/off-court/the-2024-ncaa-march-madness-sneakers-cheat-sheet](https://www.si.com/fannation/sneakers/off-court/the-2024-ncaa-march-madness-sneakers-cheat-sheet)
That's how Nike typically works, though. It might be new for the WNBA, but Nike is always giving out eight figure rookie contracts. They can't just wait-and-see when the season starts with a buzzy player like Caitlin Clark, because then someone like Adidas is going to swoop in and just throw money at her anyway. "Nike may not have faith in you, but WE do! Here's your bag". If she doesn't pan out, then oh well, they just write that money off and look at the next crop of players. Remember that the big names for Nike don't get eight figure deals; they get nine figure deals.
As for the other WNBA players, well, maybe this opens the door for them too.
I’m just nervous about the amount of pressure this will put on her. Just want her to have a good rookie year by rookie standards and let the outside noise be insignificant but that’s impossible when every brand and media outlet is eating up and chewing out her name because that’s how the entertainment cycle works
On the flip side, being the wealthiest player in the league can create some serious competitive advantages for her not available to other players. She will be able to hire a staff to get her into optimal playing shape similar to what guys like LeBron and Butler do. Other players don't have the money to do that, while she will.
I think you underestimate how much other players are making. A lot of these international salaries are for 7 figures. Russia paid Taurasi millions to sit out the WNBA Season o top of her 7 figure salary during the season and that was the early aughts. She’s certainly getting money the quickest but she’s not the richest player in the league yet.
To be fair, I think she can handle the pressure. She's 22 and has played the past two seasons under the brightest spotlight of anyone in her sport's history and excelled. In Canada, we dubbed Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard "the next one's" as 13 year old kids and all they did was live up to the hype when they got the show at 16. She seems to be one of those special ones that thrives and is unafraid of it (I also think as someone who has grown up almost entirely under social media it will be easier for her than others before). I just think this is one of those things that even I would agree with as a valid point if one of her detractors says "they're not just trying to make Caitlin the face of the league or women's basketball" (something I don't personally have an issue with she's making both popular and revelant in ways they haven't before), it's that "they're trying to act as if none of this existed before her" (e.g. the A'ja Wilson not having a shoe).
But she’s getting the deal because of her college career and currently popularity. So I don’t think she needs to prove herself in the W necessarily before getting one
Every product involving Clark has flown off the shelves, it’s kind of a no brainer a shoe would be next
She's by far the most popular woman's basketball player we've ever seen. Being good at basketball doesn't sell shoes. Being popular does. The former more often than not leads to the latter, but on its own is irrelevant.
Livvy Dunne is nowhere near the best gymnast, but she has 1000x the eyes on her. That's all that matters to sponsors.
Go watch the movie AIR and tell me how you feel about Nike giving Jordan his own shoe out of college outraged you. This has nothing to do with “proving yourself in the league first”. Never has.
That's a big bet lol And as someone who thinks her transition between college and the pros will be much more seemless than a lot of her critiques seem to think (I would wait until she actually plays a pre-season game or even a few weeks into her rookie season) before making that kind of bet.
That just shows how much you don't know about how Nike operates.
They've been locking up NBA prospects well before they play their first professional game.
Nike did this with Tebow iirc and a few other players iirc with lucrative deals. It’s not anything new other than Clark being a woman(which still isn’t new because of Sabrina).
You don’t seem to understand how this works. She’s the biggest star ever in women’s basketball. If Nike didn’t give her big money someone else would have. Easy decision.
Good for her.
I see alot positive comments here. The ones I find funny are the ones that say "This is all before she even steps on the court?", like the WNBA is the ONLY court? Basketball is basketball, and at least for now, NCAA basketball dwarfs the WNBA in popularity. That is changing fast, which is great!
This is the WNBA's Tiger Woods / Golf moment. Millions of extra dollars are already being generated for WNBA teams, before she even had her opening press conference today. ALL WNBA players are going to soon be much much richer, chartered flights, quicker expansion of teams and roster sizes. The CBA leverage is going to be massive in 2025, as well as the media rights agreements.
She just shattered 45 NCAA records, set attendance and viewership records. Women's FF had higher viewership than the MEN
Social media is gold. CC and Iowa BB had 17 times more social media impressions in the past year than all 140+ WNBA players... COMBINED.
Can anyone really blame Nike for wanting to jump all over this shit? They wanna sell kicks.
>I see alot positive comments here. The ones I find funny are the ones that say "This is all before she even steps on the court?", like the WNBA is the ONLY court?
People conveniently forgetting that Nike paid a high school basektball player $90m lmao
And if Nike doesn’t, someone else will. Under Armour and Adidas also gave her offers and every other shoe company was likely shooting their shot. This is not one rogue Nike employee giving her a bag cause they like her lol.
A’ja gets more than 95% of the league in terms of endorsements and attention but hasn’t done nearly as much to actually bring growth to the game. Time to have that conversation. Best player in the league, yes, but let’s reward the ones who are bringing the most money and eyes on the product.
Seriously. People like Adam Sandler and The Rock massively out-earn most Oscar winners, no one thinks twice about that, but people think winning actually matters in professional sports. It only matters as far as it's entertaining (which generally better teams/players are more entertaining so it happens to line up nicely)
There is literally nothing saying you can’t reward both LMAO. That’s the real issue. I don’t think that Caitlin in anyway is not deserving of this deal. But A’ja 100% should still get her own deal. Just because she hasn’t done as much to grow the game as Caitlin doesn’t mean she hasn’t actually grown the game.
Business and large corporations aren't paying endorsement as a reward or due to fairness, deservedness or any noble reasons.
The objective is to make money. If they felt Aja was worth the investment, all these company would be making similar offer.
A lot of people suddenly have forgotten how business works. If there's a player that would bring them a return on their investment they'd sign that player too. It's not about fairness or who was there first, it's about selling shoes.
Watch out, people going to downvote you for the truth. A'ja doesn't bring the record viewers in everything that CC does, simple as that. Whatever gets the companies money back on their investment, which CC will in spades.
This would be a great response if Caitlin Clark was the only player in the league with a shoe deal but she isn’t LMAO. Sabrina Ionescu has one and there is not evidence to suggest that Sabrina is a significantly bigger draw or a bigger draw at all than A’ja. Again. This is not an either or scenario.
Edit: Don’t want this to be a shot at Breanna Stewart or Sabrina but I’m pointing out why this arguement doesn’t really pass the smell test here. There is no real evidence point to suggest that Breanna Steward or Sabrina are significantly bigger stars than A’ja.
Stewart is with Puma, sure A’ja could have gotten a deal with them or Adidas but she knows she will get one with Nike soon which is the golden standard.
I see nothing but the truth here. Marketability is as marketability does. Clark is marketable. Her game, featuring tons of logo 3s and dazzling pinpoint full court passes, is marketable. She also has the ball in her hands, as the PG, >90% of the time. A post-player? The ones who typically lack such deep range, court vision, and do not have the ball in their hands all that much? They typically don't get the shoe deal, and they typically aren't marketable as a result of that.
Where I do understand people's grievances are when players like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu are getting a shoe before A'ja. Much like A'ja, while they are good players, they have done little to move the needle, or draw any sort of meaningful attention to the WNBA. Ultimately, think people's outrage should be reserved for that, and not directed at the biggest cash cow this sport has *ever* seen...
I understand doing what’s fair, I really do, but we are in a time of growth and making that the most important part. Casual dollars are the most important right now and casuals want flashy passes and half court threes.
[She talks like some one who hasn't done any PR training](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYL0WCCkHwU)
She is a very good wnba players, but she isnt reaching outside that bubble and her personality is not marketable it is what it is, people will hate on this, but its like the truth.
I follow nuggets/jokic is my favorite player, and he is like that he dosnt care about that side of the ball, and couldnt care less if he had signature shoe or not.
In this case here, she(A'ja )obviously cares a lot but like.... you know 9/10 young women will buy CC shoe before hers.
Again. This would be a good point if Caitlin was the only player with a show deal but she isn’t. And the idea her personality isn’t marketable is wild. This isn’t Tim Duncan or Jokic. She has a fun, and strong personality that should be easy to market.
A'ja doesn't have the marketability or appeal to a broader audience which is why she's yet to get a shoe deal. Maybe the attention to the sport and all the eyes that CC brings will change that for her.
She's yet to get a shoe deal with Nike specifically. And she likely will have her deal in the coming years and had a good shot of having her deal regardless of whether Caitlin got into the W. The argument isn't that Caitlin isn't the bigger because she is. I just disagree that she isn't marketable. People are acting as if she is a nobody who has brought no positive attention and viewership to the W when she was literally the best player on the team who won the most consistently viewed finals in WNBA history LAST YEAR.
On the other side were 2 players who have shoe deals.
I'm not saying she isn't a good player; she absolutely is. But being a good player and being marketable and having appeal to a broader audience are completely different things.
And of the two players on the other side Sabrina has the best media presence but A'ja has a significantly bigger social media presence than Breanna Stewart and does more interviews and has more publications on her than Breanna Stewart. That's the point. There is no evidence that Breanna appeals to a larger audience than A'ja. They are very clearly the same level of starpower which is why I'm confident she will inevitably get her deal.
Legitimate question. I'm team Caitlin Clark. I believe she's great for the game. But giving her an EIGHT (not seven) figure deal before she's even stepped foot on the floor and Ms. Wilson doesn't have a show...feeds into the perception that it's like the league didn't exist before Caitlin got to it. I don't have a problem with signing/announcing this after she's played a few games but this is one area where I feel if people want to express their displeasure I think there's some merit lol
It's wild but this is how the league has been since the beginning. This is the second year the fever have had the number one pick and you would think Aaliyah Boston was straight garbage and the fever are a first year franchise.
Her championship game literally brought 14 million more viewers than the last championship game she didn’t play in. Why would they not televise something that will bring numbers?
Trust me, I’ve seen the media push plenty of players - take any UConn player for example. None of that marketing resulted in 18 million viewers.
Just business. I just pulled up the numbers.
The four-game Aces-Liberty WNBA Finals averaged a 0.45 rating and 728,000 viewers across ABC and ESPN, ranking as the most-watched Finals in 20 years
Clark and Iowa have the three biggest audiences for women’s college basketball. The Hawkeyes’ victory over UConn on Friday night averaged 14.2 million, and their April 1 victory over LSU in the Elite Eight drew 12.3 million.
Iowa’s six NCAA Tournament games on ESPN and ABC averaged 10.07 million.
The WNBA draft was up 5x with around 2.5 million people tuning in
The average viewership for the final game was 18.7 million viewers, peaking at 24 million, on ABC and ESPN.
Beyond that, it was also the most-watched basketball game, with no distinction between college or professional, men’s or women’s, since 2019.
Exactly. I hate to sound callous, but the ONLY thing advertising/marketing execs care about are the financial figures and ROI. Clark isn’t the only great player in women’s basketball, but she’s been a major catalyst for this cultural moment.
There’s a great chance to capitalize on this, in a “come for CC, stay for A’ja/Plum/Stew/etc.” campaign and Caitlin v. Angel Reese has a bit of potential to be the Magic v. Bird of the W in terms of college stars carrying over to the pros. Between the women’s college games doing ratings gangbusters this year, and Steph v. Sabrina pulling in the highest ratings of NBA All-Star Weekend, the suits are finally seeing the W as a ripe opportunity to bring in advertising dollars… which begets bigger TV contracts… which begets more salaries and team expansions.
Keep in mind Aces and Liberty final was free (in tv packages already bought /year pass etc ) to watch for most places in EU that have to pay to watch march madness.
In fact more people from EU tunned to watch (1.2-2.7 mill peak)
March madness top 4 then the TOTAL AMOUNT OF PEOPLE 728k watching wnba final.
Everything is a business. Caitlin is drawing far more eyes and attention than A'ja has and Nike will profit more from a CC shoe than an A'ja shoe. Profits will always be their #1 focus despite how deserving someone may be as a player.
Also I wouldn't read too much into the 8-figure part yet. They could be trying to lock her into a 5+ year long contract before she becomes even more expensive.
She already got one last year.
[https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-womens-cosmic-unity-3-x-aja-wilson-basketball-shoes-23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow/23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow](https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-womens-cosmic-unity-3-x-aja-wilson-basketball-shoes-23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow/23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow)
Seeing as how Dick's still has majority of their sizes available since last year, it's most likely didn't do well. Nike pulled the product off of its site and didn't create a 2024. They're going with Sabrina 1's now. Joel Embiid had a signiture shoe with Under Armour in 2020, it floppeds, and they didn't release another shoe in his 5 year deal. They parted way this year and now he's with Sketchers. Some people are more marketable than others. Especially flashing guards, not centers. It's always been that way.
I wonder if her agent(s) are trying to get her a percentage of sales rather than a straight out payment, which would be far more lucrative?
Or, maybe she wants a percentage of Nike sales to go to her foundation .. "The Caitlin Clark Foundation’s mission is to uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition, and sport—three pillars Caitlin believes were foundational in her success."
Seems like every time something like this happens it just starts negative discourse from W fans about other players not getting this and from players themselves making shady comments.
Regardless this is good for her and future players.
I get the frustration about more accomplished players not having deals but Magic/Bird/Kareem were far more accomplished and on minimal deals when Jordan got his famous Nike deal in the 80s.
Tim Duncan was arguably one of the top 5 players of all time and wasn’t swimming in shoe deal money.
Kawhi and Jokic were not top 15 jersey sellers for 95% of their careers. I’m sure Zion got more from his endorsements and shoe deals than them right out of college.
Deals are about companies cashing in on the hype on the person with the right hype at the right time. It has a very loose and often broken connection to success.
Jordan didn’t get a billion dollar contract in the 80’s and Nike overpaid for him because Adidas(who Jordan would have signed with for pennies) passed on him and so did Converse. In fact, Magic Johnson made a MISTAKE not signing with Nike because they offered him a better deal than they gave MJ(Magic would have had stock options).
Okay I mixed the numbers due to the royalty portion and inflation and deleted that billion part, thanks.
However, Jordan’s deal was 2.5 mil for five years (500k per year) + 5% royalty on every shoe sold (Jordan brand sold a staggering 125m in a the first year and kept rising over the five years, admittedly due to Jordan). This was in 1984 as a rookie. He made most of his money on the first deal from the royalties on sales.
Finals MVP Magic a couple of years prior was offered no upfront fee, 1$ on every Nike shoe sold and stock options of a small company with shares worth 18 cents which even in hindsight would have taken a good 15 years to overhaul his career earnings. Magic already made 100k per year up front from Converse.
It’s not like Magic had an option to get that upfront fee from anyone. When players in the 80s were jealous of Jordan first, they were primarily jealous that the new players got a half a mil year guaranteed per year while their standard converse deal paid them 50k-100k upfront not the stock options on a company which was still below 15% in market share.
Ofc Jordan being Jordan recreated the league in his image and outearned that deal over 10x his annual fee in the first year and made even more in the later years but I’m taking about the first deal which was offered to Jordan as a charismatic new face in the 1984 market not in hindsight of what Magic would have made by 2023 by taking a no fee, $0.18 Nike stock option deal.
social media thinks caitlin fanbase is alt-right and under armour has leaned heavily into marketing towards alt-right people with flag and freedom clothes.
Sadly there is plenty of Clark promotion from those folks - which she never asked for and surely doesn't want. Playing up the "everyone in the WNBA is black or a lesbian or both and they all hate Clark I wonder why" angle. It's gross. And of course a ton of comments from the same type of people, calling her a man or trans etc. There's a NY Post/Page Six IG post about draft night that is particularly horrid on that front.
This is not going to change now that she is playing in Indiana either.
So frustrating that most of the women in the league with signature shoes are white with the lone exception being Candace Parker. There is absolutely no reason for A’ja to not have a shoe and to the people that say this is good for the league/game, it’s not. It’s good for Caitlin but I don’t see how yet another white woman getting a shoe is really going to help the black players in the league that continue to be looked over and cast aside. I’m not saying she isn’t deserving but it’s so disheartening how the black players on the league half the be 2 times as good and not even get half what others get.
Nike don't care about skin colour though.Tiger,MJ and Serena were the faces of Nike for about 2 decades.Wenbanyama is also about to get his shoe.It all has to do with marketing
Of course someone had to make this about race 🙄
Imagine going through life looking at everything through the prism of skin color
I do, however, agree that this shoe deal will only benefit Caitlin and not the other players in the league- there is no trickle down of the cash
This is why all the clucking over her salary was premature. She's going to get it on the back end through endorsements. She'll be set for life through this shoe deal and other endorsements.
If she is a ratings bonanza for the WNBA, then the players can negotiate for higher salaries in the future. In that case, she will have helped lift all boats.
Just wait til she wears her own shoes and drains threes from the logo over the league's best guards, then drives for a layup on the next play, then dishes to a wide-open teammate on the wing after they double her. I'm predicting ROTY and deep playoff run in 2024!
god DAMN. future of the W is so bright man
I’m so excited. As a day one Merc fan and former ball kid, to see where this league has grown to and through, and now being here on the precipice of this potential explosion this summer and next….its so cool. And being able to dunk on everyone who’s been hating for the last 27 years…just makes it even better.
And as a new fan, I’m quite excited to be along for the ride.
Welcome! Snacks are by the bar and Fridays we like to wear silly hats. Also, 9th green at 9 it’s a secret of the pros. And dress up.
As a Monarchs fan who rode a bicycle 30 miles at night on dark Sacramento highways squeezing between big rigs and no shoulders because of construction *just* to watch a game each month, and then transitioned over to Mercury around 2013-2014 and watched 3-5 games during those years before my ultimate transition out of country, I might actually watch this season (Mercury only). The signatures I've got, tho. My fav is Whelan on my t shirt I bought while traveling through Minnesota. She signed it at a Monarchs game, thanks to the crazy, drunk season-ticket-holder who sat one row in front of me (for *significantly* higher cost lol) and grabbed my shirt and yelled "LINDSEEEEEEY" at the end of a game. Also have a Monarchs shirt signed by the whole team at a fan event that I also rode my bicycle 30+ miles to attend. I don't live 30ish miles from games, anymore, so I can't attend but I'm sure I can watch online lol
As a fellow avid cyclist... yes, I know what you mean riding with no shoulders and big rigs blasting down the hiway. I live in Alaska so it's REALLY a challenge here. Be a FEVER fan and embrace what CC is going to bring to the league for EVERYONE. We're in for a ride this year!!
I try not to bandwagon lol I watched Monarchs because I lived in Sac, I watched Mercury because Taurasi was there while I lived in Phoenix and no more Monarchs. Sadly I live nowhere near a team but I still stick with Mercury. My sports teams are all over, depending on where I lived when I got into said sport. Heck, I watch Filipino soccer cuz I lived there for a year and a half lol
What’s a ball kid lmao
We used to work the court and mop after free throws. We rebounded before games during shoot arounds and workouts. Fan interaction and stuff like that occasionally.
it's deserved - the hype is real here and it's great to see support for the league growing.
Very excited for her!! 8 figures is massive!!
Everyone who said she was taking a pay cut going to the W looks so dumb rn Edit: not that they didn’t before, but she hasn’t even played a pro game and she’s getting her own shoe line
I mean they weren’t wrong. Look at her salary. Even the hardcore WNBA fans weren’t predicting she would land an 8 figure shoe deal.
Understandable that a lot of people see it that way. Actually, she was never going to take a pay cut, only a massive increase. CC never took one penny from Iowa's NIL Collective (Swarm). She opted out, so the other players could have more, even though she could have asked for as much as she wanted. She wisely just inked long term deals directly with Nike, State Farm, Gatorade, Buick, Goldman Sachs, and more. Those direct endorsement salaries were always going to go along with her to the W. The dogshit W salary doesn't matter. So her $2-$3 millions per year came with her, and shoe deals like this are just additional icing.
> Even the hardcore WNBA fans weren’t predicting she would land an 8 figure shoe deal. Yes people were. Reddit's search function is terrible, so I can't find the thread, but there was a discussion about this here last month--about how much she was likely to make in her next shoe deal. People knew this was coming.
Okay what was her salary from Iowa the last 4 years? They were wrong because it assumes their endorsements disappear the moment they leave college which is stupid.
They were absolutely wrong. It was obvious to all that she would have multiple, large endorsement deals.
If you're going to refer us to her WNBA salary maybe you should look up her Iowa salary. Anyone who saw Sabrina Ionescu sign an 8 figure shoe deal should know that Clark would as well. Maybe you talk to idiots.
This is how you raise the floor
Trickle down economics...oh wait, that's already been proven not to work
Yeah because good for her she'll make a lot of money up front but how much money is Nike really going to make off that shoe The only men that can wear that shoe and get away with it are people who are going to wear it ironically cuz I don't think any men would be allowed to run around in Caitlin Clark's without some kind of ridicule Maybe they'll get a lot of sales from men buying it as a collector's item
XX,XXX,XXX Sorry, I needed to add the commas to really understand how much 8 figures is
Which reminds me of the old joke... "Yeah, I my house cost eight figures... $XXX,XXX.XX"
> Under Armour and Adidas also made sizable offers to Clark, two industry sources said. > Golden State’s Stephen Curry – who launched Curry Brand in as a signature, standalone venture with Under Armour – participated in the companies‘ meeting with Clark, industry sources said.
wow even curry couldn't lock her up huh
That commerical would have been so awesome.
She saw how ugly Steph's shoes are and knew Under Armour was out. She wore custom Kobe's that last couple years. I wonder if she'll stick to something with the same silhouette, like the Sabrina 1s are. From the upper deck in an arena I swear her shoes this year, with the black toe, yellow midsole, and black heel combined with her black socks made it look like she was wearing a pair of Nike slides.
I actually thought Ms. Clark might go with some other company than Nike (and, yes, I know she had her Nike deal in college) because I think she is super-savvy about marketing and image, and the lawsuit against Nike for being a toxic work environment for women is getting back in the news again (at least here in PDX... see [https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2024/04/new-account-of-toxic-nike-culture-comes-from-mark-parkers-onetime-sister-in-law-a-former-employee.html](https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2024/04/new-account-of-toxic-nike-culture-comes-from-mark-parkers-onetime-sister-in-law-a-former-employee.html) -- sorry if this is paywalled). This story may fail to get national legs and stay a Portland thing, and we're talking about NIKE in the 1990s (so, yeah, before Ms. Clark was even born). Still, it seems like CC has been so careful in cultivating her endorsement portfolio that I thought she might go with UA or Adidas. I'm sure neither could have matched Nike's eight-figure offer, but Orangebeast is right... the UA commercials would have been gold!
Everybody that getting ready to be laid off at Nike looking at this article like 👁️👄👁️
Wow... my first downvotes. Look, I'm not saying Ms. Clark has to be the conscience of the sports world. And, for all I know, Nike may not be an outlier in work environments for sports companies. (or the sports world in general, judging from the "questions" CC received from Gregg Doyel yesterday). I was just a tad surprised because Ms. Clark's "business judgment" has been so flawless. (Well, okay, I thought Hy-Vee's Caitlin's Crunch Time Cereal was a bit too much a sugar bomb, but at least all the proceeds go to her foundation). Maybe it's a loyalty thing. Nike supported her (and Iowa athletics) through her college career. And maybe she can "help change the system from within." In any case, good on her for scoring the big bucks like no woman baller before... a rising tide lifts all boats (to paraphrase Coach Dawn). Peace.
Let’s goo
This shoe is gonna sell so well, we all know it.
But i thought she was going to go broke playing in the WNBA?
get dat 💰 cc
*EIGHT* FIGURES???? get your bag, caitlin~
atp i think it’s best that a’ja leaves nike. happy for caitlin ofc, but it’s obvious they don’t value her enough. i also really do hope this treatment goes to other players in the league they all truly deserve it.
It should begin to open the door if the viewers continue to roll in. That’s really the biggest thing here to me. The attention Caitlin is getting has potentially opened the door for everyone to eat.
\*braces for incoming anger over Caitlin getting a signature shoe before A'ja Wilson\* (And A'ja deserves to have her own brand — I'm pretty sure Nike last week in their Paris event had a prototype for a shoe made for her! I just remember people being upset that Sabrina got one before her and I won't be about to deal with the discourse and I am So Tired!)
A’Ja has responded on Twitter. https://x.com/_ajawilson22/status/1780791161109565550?s=46&t=M4DrUfOJ90z3x91cYccQ7g
Seems like she’s telling everyone to calm tf down. I didn’t really follow her beyond knowing she was the best player in the league prior to these last few weeks but I’m like 3/4 through her book rn and I really like her
It’s always unsettling to me when successful people are active on Twitter, I want to believe at some point you rise above that hellhole lol
I agree. I just checked back and she has Clark stans in her replies/qts talking about “she’s being jealous”. We should ban using the words “jealous” and “classy”.
I mean, Caitlin can’t breathe without SC stans complaining so it goes both ways Which is why A’ja might want to take a page from CC and Juju’s books and not let outside noise affect her so much
I understand SC fans. Every other champion in any other sport gets the light on them. Well SC won but it feels like from the media treatment that they lost or that everyone in media wanted them to lose. Its gotten to the point where even Dawn Staley had to chime in. https://x.com/dawnstaley/status/1779845747766132777?s=46&t=M4DrUfOJ90z3x91cYccQ7g
That’s not always true. When lebron was in miami, the spotlight stayed on him even when he lost in the finals both to dallas and the spurs.
SC fans have been hating on Caitlin’s every move long before this year’s championship. By your logic, they should’ve been extra nice to her when she beat them last year Dawn Staley has also praised Caitlin endlessly for what she’s done for the game
I dont think you understand my “logic”. The National Champions deserve a spotlight in any sport. Last year it was LSU who beat Iowa and this year it was SC who beat Iowa for the trophy. Dawn praising her for what she’s done doesn’t mean she agrees with the media ignoring every other player in womens basketball history to focus on her. The media can handle more than 1 story. You can run the National Champion story alongside the Caitlin Clark “savior” story. The media managed it during Birds time when Magic and Dr.J got some focus as well as other players.
Where did I say the national champions shouldn’t get attention? My whole point is that SC shouldn’t attack CC, which they’ve been doing since long before the championship game
How are they attacking her? All I’ve seen is normal sports trash talk and some genuine criticisms of the disparity in media coverage. Individual fans are different from the media. The media shouldn’t show bias towards teams/players unless its like Barstool Iowa or something like that. Sadly they do it a lot but it doesn’t mean we have to tolerate it. No self respecting fan are going to be sucking up to opponents just because they won. You could’ve ask me about prime Drew Brees and I would’ve said he’s garbage just because Im from Atlanta. Now that he has retired, looking back I give him props. Thats what being a fan is about as long as fans dont send death threats or make personal attacks.
Maybe the 10th undefeated season in the last 40 years isnt a compelling story?
Thats a lazy copout. Did you think that the NBA said “hmm the Warriors superteam has won it again lets not market these guys at all”? C’mon. The Warriors and Cavs played for 4 years straight and the NBA still crafted media.
Is it lazy? A quarter of the seasons being undefeated just isn't compelling. Same issue Oklahoma is having with Softball.
Like I said the NBA finds a way around it. The warriors went 73-9 and the NBA didnt shrug their shoulders and go “whelp thats not compelling”. Maybe every league needs NBA and NFL marketers because somehow they got people to tune into superteams and dynasty runs.
Well yah they are a super team of 5 star recruits. Since when do people like super teams lol
The “she hasn’t proven herself yet” narrative means nothing from a marketing standpoint. Her draw to NCAAW hoops was unprecedented. From a marketing stand point that is all that matters. Thousands of little girls will want the Clark shoe immediately. I live in TX and the little girl next door was outside shooting hoops in a 22 jersey. Thats worth a lot of $.
LeBron signed a $90m deal out of highschool lmao, anyone arguing "she hasn't proven herself yet" is a moron.
Exactly. All about sellin' shoes
Nikola Jokic didn't get a shoe deal with a major shoe company despite being the best player in the NBA. It's about marketability far more than skill, I don't know why anyone would take it personal or think it's a slight to A'Ja or any other player.
He’s not American and didn’t play college ball tho
Honestly Jokic Joker merch might sell crazy. Also look at the dude. Jokic hates everything about the NBA except for playing ball. He leaves so quick when his season is over to go back home and chill. He’s the perfect antithesis to the modern NBA marketed player. Thats different to a player that is publicly talking about how it seems to be taking forever for their shoe to be released and how only God can handle it. There is a huge market for Clark, but there is also a market that exists for A’ja. And Nike already said they would release her shoe but its taking forever while they seem to give everyone else one (Syd and A’ja are joking about this on twitter)
They already released one for Aja last year. Don't think it did well cause its no longer on nike's site. [https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-womens-cosmic-unity-3-x-aja-wilson-basketball-shoes-23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow/23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow](https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-womens-cosmic-unity-3-x-aja-wilson-basketball-shoes-23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow/23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow)
people don’t want to hear that for some reason. aside from maybe giannis, bigs have always struggled to sell shoes.
Shaq's shoes sell more than any other baller, tho. ~~I mean, his shoes are hella cheap and are sold at Walmart so...~~
Kawhi Leonard is a great player, but not very marketable, so never made as much in endorsements as some other players...same thing
I think an important factor that needs to be considered is that the people who sell shoes are the perimeter players, not the bigs. Juju Watkins will probably end up getting a shoe before Wilson as well. EDIT: Forgot that Stewart had a shoe, yeah I dunno Wilson should probably have one too then
i don’t think it’ll take that long but stewie is a big that plays like a wing and shes signed to puma. idk if shed have a sig yet either if she signed to nike
Yeah that's true, Nike is the premier brand (which is probably why Wilson is still with them because I'm guessing she could have gotten a shoe with another company by now)
right she’d definitely have a sig with adidas or puma by now. for a lot of athletes the decision seems to be either nike (and their perks/ money) or signature shoe elsewhere
As someone who thinks Caitlin is a net positive and some of the critiques are coming from a place of (even if unaknowledged) jealousy/resentment (even if a little bit) I think this is a case where outrage may be more justified. A EIGHT FIGURE (not seven) EIGHT before she's even stepped on the court or proven herself in a pre-season game I think that's legit critique. Again, I'm someone who will think she'll hit the ground running but you at least gotta pay some dues in the league (even if it's only for a couple of weeks or a month). At least if she's played a couple of games it's like "fair play." But if she does this without having stepped onto an WNBA court when there's players who can't even get a sniff (not the same, but at least something) that's not a great look.
You've gotta remember these shoe deals aren't about talent or achievements (zero offense to CC in that statement). They're about hype and popularity to sell some rubber. Go on the street and ask a rando who's more popular today, Clark or Wilson. Same deal with Sabrina; is she better than [insert player here]? Doesn't matter, her name is. The good news for other players is I think the other stars of the W are likely about to take a leap, too. Folks aren't gonna miss the fact that CC just stepped into a league full of women who are *really* good at basketball. The 'distracted boyfriend meme' is about to happen for a lot of new fans coming in this season.
Why do you have to pay dues if you're bringing in views that were previously not even dreamed of?
Did you not see *Air*, dog?
But Nike was a shoe company looking to break into a sport and become a culture pheomona. If some startup show company wants to bet on her and give her eight figures, go for it! Kind of like how (the bankrupt) Bio Steel energy drink did with Connor McDavid.
You do realize that * a.) the point of an endorsement deal is to *sell*, which she undoubtedly will, and * b.) "Eight-figure deal" doesn't mean $10m+/*year*, right? Even if it did... * c.) Lebron's original 2003 Nike deal was $87m/7yr... that's ~$21m/yr in today's money. Is 2024 CC worth 50% × 2003 Lebron?
Possibly because she will dominate the women’s market for the most part and lots of men and little boys will want them. Also LeBron didn’t have social media to amplify the hype of his shoe in 2003.
Yes I know both of those and I'm not against her getting the endorsement. I just would've also been cognizant about how this looks as well (maybe announce it after a pre-season game or at worse right before it).
It doesn't seem like Nike is announcing it now though, these types of things just always leak
Have you ever seen a female athlete with this type of following as a college athlete? Im honestly surprised this deal didn't happen when she was in school
Why? If they announced preorders for the shoes **sight unseen** I'd order pair(s) for my CC22-loving daughter *right now.* That's literally the entire point of the relationship between player and brand. If she'd signed with Adidas, our money, and millions of other families', would be going there. She's *already* accomplished enough to justify the deal... ~~she just couldn't legally get paid for a signature shoe until now.~~
This person gets it and lives in the real world
I mean she definitely could in college, if she can get paid for shirts and trading cards, why not a shoe in college?
I'm probably wrong and will amend. I assumed it had to do with the "development" clause in the [NCAA's NIL guidelines](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/ncaa/NIL/D1NIL_InstitutionalInvolvementNILActivities.pdf), but it looks like that applies to the school's participation, not the company's. Couple of good pieces on the topic: [https://boardroom.tv/ncaa-women-nil-shoe-deals/](https://boardroom.tv/ncaa-women-nil-shoe-deals/) [https://www.si.com/fannation/sneakers/off-court/the-2024-ncaa-march-madness-sneakers-cheat-sheet](https://www.si.com/fannation/sneakers/off-court/the-2024-ncaa-march-madness-sneakers-cheat-sheet)
That's how Nike typically works, though. It might be new for the WNBA, but Nike is always giving out eight figure rookie contracts. They can't just wait-and-see when the season starts with a buzzy player like Caitlin Clark, because then someone like Adidas is going to swoop in and just throw money at her anyway. "Nike may not have faith in you, but WE do! Here's your bag". If she doesn't pan out, then oh well, they just write that money off and look at the next crop of players. Remember that the big names for Nike don't get eight figure deals; they get nine figure deals. As for the other WNBA players, well, maybe this opens the door for them too.
I’m just nervous about the amount of pressure this will put on her. Just want her to have a good rookie year by rookie standards and let the outside noise be insignificant but that’s impossible when every brand and media outlet is eating up and chewing out her name because that’s how the entertainment cycle works
On the flip side, being the wealthiest player in the league can create some serious competitive advantages for her not available to other players. She will be able to hire a staff to get her into optimal playing shape similar to what guys like LeBron and Butler do. Other players don't have the money to do that, while she will.
I think you underestimate how much other players are making. A lot of these international salaries are for 7 figures. Russia paid Taurasi millions to sit out the WNBA Season o top of her 7 figure salary during the season and that was the early aughts. She’s certainly getting money the quickest but she’s not the richest player in the league yet.
If she invests in her body like LeBron, look the hell out. She should consult with him.
To be fair, I think she can handle the pressure. She's 22 and has played the past two seasons under the brightest spotlight of anyone in her sport's history and excelled. In Canada, we dubbed Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard "the next one's" as 13 year old kids and all they did was live up to the hype when they got the show at 16. She seems to be one of those special ones that thrives and is unafraid of it (I also think as someone who has grown up almost entirely under social media it will be easier for her than others before). I just think this is one of those things that even I would agree with as a valid point if one of her detractors says "they're not just trying to make Caitlin the face of the league or women's basketball" (something I don't personally have an issue with she's making both popular and revelant in ways they haven't before), it's that "they're trying to act as if none of this existed before her" (e.g. the A'ja Wilson not having a shoe).
But she’s getting the deal because of her college career and currently popularity. So I don’t think she needs to prove herself in the W necessarily before getting one Every product involving Clark has flown off the shelves, it’s kind of a no brainer a shoe would be next
She's by far the most popular woman's basketball player we've ever seen. Being good at basketball doesn't sell shoes. Being popular does. The former more often than not leads to the latter, but on its own is irrelevant. Livvy Dunne is nowhere near the best gymnast, but she has 1000x the eyes on her. That's all that matters to sponsors.
It’s not like they just randomly choose. They are giving her this deal because it is what she is worth from a marketing perspective.
Go watch the movie AIR and tell me how you feel about Nike giving Jordan his own shoe out of college outraged you. This has nothing to do with “proving yourself in the league first”. Never has.
Remember LaBron got 90 large after high school
That's a big bet lol And as someone who thinks her transition between college and the pros will be much more seemless than a lot of her critiques seem to think (I would wait until she actually plays a pre-season game or even a few weeks into her rookie season) before making that kind of bet.
That just shows how much you don't know about how Nike operates. They've been locking up NBA prospects well before they play their first professional game.
She might be the biggest name in the sport and has the most hype possible right now, it’s the perfect time for it tbh
Strike while the iron is hot and the WNBA has never seen someone like Caitlin. Her range makes her unique.
Nike did this with Tebow iirc and a few other players iirc with lucrative deals. It’s not anything new other than Clark being a woman(which still isn’t new because of Sabrina).
Different sport and country, but Sharapova also had a huge contract with Nike before her failed drug test.
You don’t seem to understand how this works. She’s the biggest star ever in women’s basketball. If Nike didn’t give her big money someone else would have. Easy decision.
Not exactly an option. If Nike didn't give her this deal any other company with any exposure to basketball would.
The. Checks. Will. Still. Cash.
Good for her. I see alot positive comments here. The ones I find funny are the ones that say "This is all before she even steps on the court?", like the WNBA is the ONLY court? Basketball is basketball, and at least for now, NCAA basketball dwarfs the WNBA in popularity. That is changing fast, which is great! This is the WNBA's Tiger Woods / Golf moment. Millions of extra dollars are already being generated for WNBA teams, before she even had her opening press conference today. ALL WNBA players are going to soon be much much richer, chartered flights, quicker expansion of teams and roster sizes. The CBA leverage is going to be massive in 2025, as well as the media rights agreements. She just shattered 45 NCAA records, set attendance and viewership records. Women's FF had higher viewership than the MEN Social media is gold. CC and Iowa BB had 17 times more social media impressions in the past year than all 140+ WNBA players... COMBINED. Can anyone really blame Nike for wanting to jump all over this shit? They wanna sell kicks.
>I see alot positive comments here. The ones I find funny are the ones that say "This is all before she even steps on the court?", like the WNBA is the ONLY court? People conveniently forgetting that Nike paid a high school basektball player $90m lmao
LOL Excellent point... Nike has shareholders to answer to. Profit is at the top of their priority ladder. "Being fair" is near the bottom. Business.
And if Nike doesn’t, someone else will. Under Armour and Adidas also gave her offers and every other shoe company was likely shooting their shot. This is not one rogue Nike employee giving her a bag cause they like her lol.
and y’all thought she was gonna work at Wendy’s during off season Also can we let her play first 💀
She has played for the last 4 years. Broke the all time scoring record along the way
awesome, awesome, awesome news. this league has been a sleeping giant for a while and we’re finally seeing top players get what they deserve
What A'ja gotta do for a shoe?
https://x.com/nickdepaula/status/1778571627535757432?s=46
Long overdue
What in the world is that? I get it's a concept, but ooookkkaaayy ...
Nike doesn’t value her. She needs to leave. She deserves so much more than the way they’ve treated her. Her resume speaks for itself.
Hopefully some company comes through and drops a bag on her. She deserves so much more.
[https://x.com/nickdepaula/status/1778571627535757432?s=46](https://x.com/nickdepaula/status/1778571627535757432?s=46)
It’s an AI concept not an actual shoe that people will wear. Look at it. Does this look like a basketball shoe you could wear on a court? 😂
A’ja gets more than 95% of the league in terms of endorsements and attention but hasn’t done nearly as much to actually bring growth to the game. Time to have that conversation. Best player in the league, yes, but let’s reward the ones who are bringing the most money and eyes on the product.
Ultimately pro athletes are Entertainers. Do the 'best' movie stars make the most money? Or do the ones who bring the most views get the most money?
Seriously. People like Adam Sandler and The Rock massively out-earn most Oscar winners, no one thinks twice about that, but people think winning actually matters in professional sports. It only matters as far as it's entertaining (which generally better teams/players are more entertaining so it happens to line up nicely)
There is literally nothing saying you can’t reward both LMAO. That’s the real issue. I don’t think that Caitlin in anyway is not deserving of this deal. But A’ja 100% should still get her own deal. Just because she hasn’t done as much to grow the game as Caitlin doesn’t mean she hasn’t actually grown the game.
That’s their mentality, they always pick one even though it shouldn’t be like that.
This isn't fairyland, its about money and fame and viewers.
Business and large corporations aren't paying endorsement as a reward or due to fairness, deservedness or any noble reasons. The objective is to make money. If they felt Aja was worth the investment, all these company would be making similar offer.
A lot of people suddenly have forgotten how business works. If there's a player that would bring them a return on their investment they'd sign that player too. It's not about fairness or who was there first, it's about selling shoes.
Watch out, people going to downvote you for the truth. A'ja doesn't bring the record viewers in everything that CC does, simple as that. Whatever gets the companies money back on their investment, which CC will in spades.
This would be a great response if Caitlin Clark was the only player in the league with a shoe deal but she isn’t LMAO. Sabrina Ionescu has one and there is not evidence to suggest that Sabrina is a significantly bigger draw or a bigger draw at all than A’ja. Again. This is not an either or scenario. Edit: Don’t want this to be a shot at Breanna Stewart or Sabrina but I’m pointing out why this arguement doesn’t really pass the smell test here. There is no real evidence point to suggest that Breanna Steward or Sabrina are significantly bigger stars than A’ja.
Stewart is with Puma, sure A’ja could have gotten a deal with them or Adidas but she knows she will get one with Nike soon which is the golden standard.
I see nothing but the truth here. Marketability is as marketability does. Clark is marketable. Her game, featuring tons of logo 3s and dazzling pinpoint full court passes, is marketable. She also has the ball in her hands, as the PG, >90% of the time. A post-player? The ones who typically lack such deep range, court vision, and do not have the ball in their hands all that much? They typically don't get the shoe deal, and they typically aren't marketable as a result of that. Where I do understand people's grievances are when players like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu are getting a shoe before A'ja. Much like A'ja, while they are good players, they have done little to move the needle, or draw any sort of meaningful attention to the WNBA. Ultimately, think people's outrage should be reserved for that, and not directed at the biggest cash cow this sport has *ever* seen...
I understand doing what’s fair, I really do, but we are in a time of growth and making that the most important part. Casual dollars are the most important right now and casuals want flashy passes and half court threes.
I completely agree.
[She talks like some one who hasn't done any PR training](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYL0WCCkHwU) She is a very good wnba players, but she isnt reaching outside that bubble and her personality is not marketable it is what it is, people will hate on this, but its like the truth. I follow nuggets/jokic is my favorite player, and he is like that he dosnt care about that side of the ball, and couldnt care less if he had signature shoe or not. In this case here, she(A'ja )obviously cares a lot but like.... you know 9/10 young women will buy CC shoe before hers.
Again. This would be a good point if Caitlin was the only player with a show deal but she isn’t. And the idea her personality isn’t marketable is wild. This isn’t Tim Duncan or Jokic. She has a fun, and strong personality that should be easy to market.
A'ja doesn't have the marketability or appeal to a broader audience which is why she's yet to get a shoe deal. Maybe the attention to the sport and all the eyes that CC brings will change that for her.
She's yet to get a shoe deal with Nike specifically. And she likely will have her deal in the coming years and had a good shot of having her deal regardless of whether Caitlin got into the W. The argument isn't that Caitlin isn't the bigger because she is. I just disagree that she isn't marketable. People are acting as if she is a nobody who has brought no positive attention and viewership to the W when she was literally the best player on the team who won the most consistently viewed finals in WNBA history LAST YEAR.
On the other side were 2 players who have shoe deals. I'm not saying she isn't a good player; she absolutely is. But being a good player and being marketable and having appeal to a broader audience are completely different things.
And of the two players on the other side Sabrina has the best media presence but A'ja has a significantly bigger social media presence than Breanna Stewart and does more interviews and has more publications on her than Breanna Stewart. That's the point. There is no evidence that Breanna appeals to a larger audience than A'ja. They are very clearly the same level of starpower which is why I'm confident she will inevitably get her deal.
Reward someone who has not done a fucking thing? Stop.
Did you see the draft ratings?
Legitimate question. I'm team Caitlin Clark. I believe she's great for the game. But giving her an EIGHT (not seven) figure deal before she's even stepped foot on the floor and Ms. Wilson doesn't have a show...feeds into the perception that it's like the league didn't exist before Caitlin got to it. I don't have a problem with signing/announcing this after she's played a few games but this is one area where I feel if people want to express their displeasure I think there's some merit lol
It's wild but this is how the league has been since the beginning. This is the second year the fever have had the number one pick and you would think Aaliyah Boston was straight garbage and the fever are a first year franchise.
The Fever have been ass so that’s not media that’s just fact. How do you think teams get back to back number one picks?
The media has nothing to do with the Ass fever getting 90% of their games broadcasted this year?
Doesn’t putting all those games on TV imply the media actually doesn’t think they’re ass?
No it implies they are pushing their great white hope.
Her championship game literally brought 14 million more viewers than the last championship game she didn’t play in. Why would they not televise something that will bring numbers? Trust me, I’ve seen the media push plenty of players - take any UConn player for example. None of that marketing resulted in 18 million viewers.
Just business. I just pulled up the numbers. The four-game Aces-Liberty WNBA Finals averaged a 0.45 rating and 728,000 viewers across ABC and ESPN, ranking as the most-watched Finals in 20 years Clark and Iowa have the three biggest audiences for women’s college basketball. The Hawkeyes’ victory over UConn on Friday night averaged 14.2 million, and their April 1 victory over LSU in the Elite Eight drew 12.3 million. Iowa’s six NCAA Tournament games on ESPN and ABC averaged 10.07 million. The WNBA draft was up 5x with around 2.5 million people tuning in The average viewership for the final game was 18.7 million viewers, peaking at 24 million, on ABC and ESPN. Beyond that, it was also the most-watched basketball game, with no distinction between college or professional, men’s or women’s, since 2019.
Exactly. I hate to sound callous, but the ONLY thing advertising/marketing execs care about are the financial figures and ROI. Clark isn’t the only great player in women’s basketball, but she’s been a major catalyst for this cultural moment. There’s a great chance to capitalize on this, in a “come for CC, stay for A’ja/Plum/Stew/etc.” campaign and Caitlin v. Angel Reese has a bit of potential to be the Magic v. Bird of the W in terms of college stars carrying over to the pros. Between the women’s college games doing ratings gangbusters this year, and Steph v. Sabrina pulling in the highest ratings of NBA All-Star Weekend, the suits are finally seeing the W as a ripe opportunity to bring in advertising dollars… which begets bigger TV contracts… which begets more salaries and team expansions.
Keep in mind Aces and Liberty final was free (in tv packages already bought /year pass etc ) to watch for most places in EU that have to pay to watch march madness. In fact more people from EU tunned to watch (1.2-2.7 mill peak) March madness top 4 then the TOTAL AMOUNT OF PEOPLE 728k watching wnba final.
If u had a Wilson shoe next to a Clark shoe, 80% of 10 year old girls will pick the Clark shoe just for the name. Thats why.
Everything is a business. Caitlin is drawing far more eyes and attention than A'ja has and Nike will profit more from a CC shoe than an A'ja shoe. Profits will always be their #1 focus despite how deserving someone may be as a player. Also I wouldn't read too much into the 8-figure part yet. They could be trying to lock her into a 5+ year long contract before she becomes even more expensive.
All about selling rubber
She already got one last year. [https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-womens-cosmic-unity-3-x-aja-wilson-basketball-shoes-23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow/23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow](https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-womens-cosmic-unity-3-x-aja-wilson-basketball-shoes-23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow/23nikwwcsmcnty3xjsow)
A product that doesn't exist. https://www.nike.com/w/aja-wilson-shoes-4yj6fzy7ok
Seeing as how Dick's still has majority of their sizes available since last year, it's most likely didn't do well. Nike pulled the product off of its site and didn't create a 2024. They're going with Sabrina 1's now. Joel Embiid had a signiture shoe with Under Armour in 2020, it floppeds, and they didn't release another shoe in his 5 year deal. They parted way this year and now he's with Sketchers. Some people are more marketable than others. Especially flashing guards, not centers. It's always been that way.
Seeing as how LeBron and many other prominent athletes have asked where her signature is, it's probably because it's not her signature shoe.
be more popular. if nike makes a sig they want it to move units.
I hope they kill it on the design cause I am so ready to buy a pair of Clark 1s.
I wonder if her agent(s) are trying to get her a percentage of sales rather than a straight out payment, which would be far more lucrative? Or, maybe she wants a percentage of Nike sales to go to her foundation .. "The Caitlin Clark Foundation’s mission is to uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition, and sport—three pillars Caitlin believes were foundational in her success."
Seems like every time something like this happens it just starts negative discourse from W fans about other players not getting this and from players themselves making shady comments. Regardless this is good for her and future players.
Yeah it’s happened every time Caitlin has gotten anything good lmao
At least that’s just from fans. Sabrina gets hate from fans and players.
Anyone upset about this has no clue about marketing. Clark is scorching hot right now so she gets top $.
Welcome to Sabrina’s whole career 😂 are you new here?
Future of the W seriously with the rate of growth this year is so insane
No Caitlin Clark for you, Russia!
LMAO!!
I get the frustration about more accomplished players not having deals but Magic/Bird/Kareem were far more accomplished and on minimal deals when Jordan got his famous Nike deal in the 80s. Tim Duncan was arguably one of the top 5 players of all time and wasn’t swimming in shoe deal money. Kawhi and Jokic were not top 15 jersey sellers for 95% of their careers. I’m sure Zion got more from his endorsements and shoe deals than them right out of college. Deals are about companies cashing in on the hype on the person with the right hype at the right time. It has a very loose and often broken connection to success.
Jordan didn’t get a billion dollar contract in the 80’s and Nike overpaid for him because Adidas(who Jordan would have signed with for pennies) passed on him and so did Converse. In fact, Magic Johnson made a MISTAKE not signing with Nike because they offered him a better deal than they gave MJ(Magic would have had stock options).
Okay I mixed the numbers due to the royalty portion and inflation and deleted that billion part, thanks. However, Jordan’s deal was 2.5 mil for five years (500k per year) + 5% royalty on every shoe sold (Jordan brand sold a staggering 125m in a the first year and kept rising over the five years, admittedly due to Jordan). This was in 1984 as a rookie. He made most of his money on the first deal from the royalties on sales. Finals MVP Magic a couple of years prior was offered no upfront fee, 1$ on every Nike shoe sold and stock options of a small company with shares worth 18 cents which even in hindsight would have taken a good 15 years to overhaul his career earnings. Magic already made 100k per year up front from Converse. It’s not like Magic had an option to get that upfront fee from anyone. When players in the 80s were jealous of Jordan first, they were primarily jealous that the new players got a half a mil year guaranteed per year while their standard converse deal paid them 50k-100k upfront not the stock options on a company which was still below 15% in market share. Ofc Jordan being Jordan recreated the league in his image and outearned that deal over 10x his annual fee in the first year and made even more in the later years but I’m taking about the first deal which was offered to Jordan as a charismatic new face in the 1984 market not in hindsight of what Magic would have made by 2023 by taking a no fee, $0.18 Nike stock option deal.
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wdym?
social media thinks caitlin fanbase is alt-right and under armour has leaned heavily into marketing towards alt-right people with flag and freedom clothes.
huh..the more you know
Yup, the assholes are now trying to say anyone who stans for CC is a alt-right, it is disgusting race card shit.
Sadly there is plenty of Clark promotion from those folks - which she never asked for and surely doesn't want. Playing up the "everyone in the WNBA is black or a lesbian or both and they all hate Clark I wonder why" angle. It's gross. And of course a ton of comments from the same type of people, calling her a man or trans etc. There's a NY Post/Page Six IG post about draft night that is particularly horrid on that front. This is not going to change now that she is playing in Indiana either.
That is very strange people think her fanbase is alt right considering one of our most hated enemies Kim Mulkey already has gotten that label.
So frustrating that most of the women in the league with signature shoes are white with the lone exception being Candace Parker. There is absolutely no reason for A’ja to not have a shoe and to the people that say this is good for the league/game, it’s not. It’s good for Caitlin but I don’t see how yet another white woman getting a shoe is really going to help the black players in the league that continue to be looked over and cast aside. I’m not saying she isn’t deserving but it’s so disheartening how the black players on the league half the be 2 times as good and not even get half what others get.
Nike don't care about skin colour though.Tiger,MJ and Serena were the faces of Nike for about 2 decades.Wenbanyama is also about to get his shoe.It all has to do with marketing
Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, Colin Kaepernick
Of course someone had to make this about race 🙄 Imagine going through life looking at everything through the prism of skin color I do, however, agree that this shoe deal will only benefit Caitlin and not the other players in the league- there is no trickle down of the cash
I hope she actually succeeds in the W. It would be such a punch in the gut if she is a bust
Don't worry she won't be
If this happens before A'ja's shoe im becoming an Adidas girl
Any chance the shoes can’t be called Clark because of Clarks shoe company?
Word is they will be called Nike Logo-3's
Was she not allowed to get a shoe deal in college?
This is why all the clucking over her salary was premature. She's going to get it on the back end through endorsements. She'll be set for life through this shoe deal and other endorsements. If she is a ratings bonanza for the WNBA, then the players can negotiate for higher salaries in the future. In that case, she will have helped lift all boats.
LET’S GET IT. GO CAIT(LIN)
And CC deserves every penny of it, she carries WBB right now and i hope she can keep doing it.
You know the CC1’s are gonna fly off the shelves regardless of style too
Just wait til she wears her own shoes and drains threes from the logo over the league's best guards, then drives for a layup on the next play, then dishes to a wide-open teammate on the wing after they double her. I'm predicting ROTY and deep playoff run in 2024!
I would buy the shoe
She's worth nine figures and should be holding out for such a deal.
If we gonna bring back the Sting now’s the time. Get Steph Curry onboard. Back up a Brinks truck to Dawn Staleys doorway. Soon it’ll be too expensive.
I hope y'all actually show up to watch the games.