Caitlin Clark’s talents are in great demand.
The women’s basketball phenom has propelled her sport to historic heights of popularity in both college and the WNBA. In the same week that the WNBA broke its finals viewership record by defeating the Lynx in Game 5 on Sunday night, the league is facing a major negotiation between players and owners.
The WNBA’s players union, the WNBPA, opted this week to terminate its current contract with the league. Players could seek increased revenue sharing and other benefits as they negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the league. The current CBA expires at the end of next season.
If no agreement is reached, the WNBA could lock out players. And although the league has improved viewership and merchandise sales, it is reportedly still expected to be in the red this year. There has never been a profitable year in WNBA history.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Clark reportedly has other options if the situation escalates into chaos between the league and the WNBPA.
A new start-up women’s basketball league, Unrivaled, will be launched, led by current WNBA players Brianna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The league takes place during the WNBA’s offseason, so playing in an unrivaled game will not prevent Clark from remaining in the WNBA. However, Unrivaled will aim to compete with the WNBA financially.
The biggest difference between this new league and the WNBA is that Unrivaled will feature a 3-on-3 format instead of 5-on-5. That means focusing on fewer players. Unrivaled will have just 30 players in its first year, reducing payroll costs for hundreds of players like the WNBA.
In a 3-on-3 format, Clark would be even more important on the court and perhaps off it.
Caitlin Clark laments expensive Fever season tickets and low WNBA salaries
Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15, 2024 in Brooklyn, New York. (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)
Clark broke several WNBA records this season, including single-season assist record and rookie scoring record. She led the Indiana Fever back to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. And no player has drawn more attention to women’s basketball than Clark. Last season, she was included in all 15 of the WNBA’s most-watched games.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
According to a report from Front Office Sports, Unrivaled are preparing to offer Clark a contract similar to the one that brought soccer legend Lionel Messi to MLS in the United States last year. Inter Miami FC of MLS poured in $150 million, partial ownership and other financial incentives to lure Messi to the U.S.-based soccer league.
Unrivaled has promised its 30 players the “highest annual salary in the history of a women’s professional sports league.”
On August 28, 2024, during the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Connecticut Sun guard Dijonai Carrington, 21, fouls Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, 22. I committed a crime. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
“In addition to offering equity to all athletes competing in their first year, Unrivaled is proud to offer the highest average annual salary in women’s professional sports league history,” a league spokesperson said on the front page. told Office Sports. “While we believe Unrivaled is setting a new standard in the market, we are not disclosing individual player compensation packages or the league’s financial position at this time.”
Clark’s WNBA salary during his rookie year was $76,535. Next year, her salary will rise to $78,066.
The WNBA just signed an 11-year media rights deal worth about $200 million starting in 2026 with NBC, Disney and Amazon Prime.
The playoffs saw a more than 140% increase in viewership from before the WNBA Finals began, marking the highest ratings since the league’s first year in 1997.
Clark played the biggest role in this explosion of popularity. One of her playoff games generated 2.5 million viewers on its own. Clark also helped the league break single-game attendance records and challenge NFL games for viewers multiple times.
Follow sports coverage on Fox News Digital’s X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
