Caitlin Clark ‘getting screwed’ with historic Nike shoe deal: Dave Portnoy

[MASTERBAKER]

Caitlin Clark ‘getting screwed’ with historic Nike shoe deal: Dave Portnoy​

By
Social Links forMatt Ehalt
Published April 24, 2024, 9:59 a.m. ET

The middling offers Caitlin Clark shot down before $28 million Nike deal​

Caitlin Clark’s historic shoe deal isn’t historic enough for Dave Portnoy.
The Barstool Sports founder claimed the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 pick is “getting screwed” with her eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike that includes a signature shoe.
“If people want to complain about Caitlin Clark getting screwed complain about this. 8 year 28 million deal is STEALING,” Portnoy posted Tuesday on X. “8 years 80 million min is her worth and that’s still prob too cheap. I hope she has an early opt out if they don’t pay up when she blows through this deal.”
When an X user responded asking how many men would buy Clark’s shoes and calling the deal an “overpay,” Portnoy doubled down while dissing Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker.




“Men would 100% buy her sneakers. All girls who play hoop will,” Portnoy said. “Devin Booker got 5 years 50 million. Caitlin is 100x the Star and impact.”
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Caitlin Clark’s Nike deal is worth $28 million.Indianapolis Star-USA TODAY NETWORK
While perhaps Clark made a mistake by not having Portnoy negotiating her sneaker contract, the former Iowa superstar set a record with her Nike pact, as originally reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Nike won a bidding war with its contract, triumphing against the likes of Adidas, Under Armour and Puma for a contract that Clark’s agents said had to be worth at least $3 million per season.

​

Puma bowed out at that price range, per the WSJ, having already negotiated a contract and shoe with Liberty star Breanna Stewart.
Adidas offered $6 million over four years, which was half of the minimum target, while Under Armour offered $16 million for four years, per the report.
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Dave Portnoy said Caitlin Clark is “getting screwed” with her Nike deal.Getty Images

Here's everything to know about Caitlin Clark and her surprising WNBA salary​

Caitlin Clark, college basketball’s all-time leading scorer and new face of the organization unsurprisingly went No. 1 in the WNBA draft to the Indiana Fever.
She hasn’t even played a game yet, but Clark has already become one of the biggest names in the WNBA.
Her first-round pick helped to drive a 304% increase in viewership for the WNBA draft this week. But the conversation around Clark certainly didn’t stop after she signed for 4-year deal with the Indiana Fever.
Clark will earn $338,056 over four years, per the league’s collective bargaining agreement, with the Indiana Fever.
In comparison, the top pick in the 2023 NBA draft, Victor Wembanyama, landed a $55 million deal.
Television personality Hoda Kotb was noticeably distraught about the pay gap during the “Today” show Tuesday.
“For somebody who is now the face of women’s basketball, it seemed kind of ridiculous,” Kotb said.
Kotb called it “disturbing” and brought it up multiple times throughout the morning.
Former ESPN journalist and current contributor to The Atlantic Jemele Hill was displeased with the discourse surrounding WNBA salaries and posted a lengthy X post on the subject.
“I’m already annoyed by this conversation because for years, WNBA players have fought for more money. And when they were outspoken, so many of y’all told them to shut up or reminded them how they had no value The NBA has had 50+ years of investment, media coverage, etc. After 27 years, the WNBA will not be the current NBA. So stop comparing them,” Hill wrote on social media.
“Weaponizing this information against WNBA players is another form of misogyny. These women have been dreaming of playing professionally in front of American audiences their whole lives,” Hill continued. “Instead of clowning and reminding them of what they’re not — buy the merchandise, go to the games, and watch the games on television.
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The Nike shoes Caitlin Clark wore in the national title game.Getty Images
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While that deal offers more in annual average value, Clark chose the highest total with Nike.
Nike’s original offer didn’t include a shoe, but the global heavyweight finally upped its terms to include one, per the WSJ.
Clark and the Fever open their season May 14 on the road against the Connecticut Sun.

 

[power lord]

Who got them cc one's?

 

[durham]

8 years does seem a bit too long, but hey she is now rich beyond all expectations for a female athlete.

You still are not going to make me believe that men are going to watch the WNBA, buy tickets consistently and keep discussing this game in the long term.

It's now en vogue, but the aesthetics of the sport is just boring until the female body gets more explosive and faster.

 

[militantmidget]

8 years does seem a bit too long, but hey she is now rich beyond all expectations for a female athlete.

You still are not going to make me believe that men are going to watch the WNBA, buy tickets consistently and keep discussing this game in the long term.

It's now en vogue, but the aesthetics of the sport is just boring until the female body gets more explosive and faster.

I hate to admit, but that 1st Fever, I will be watching. Just to see the spectacle of it all.

After that, more than likely I won't tune in. Unless they have a malice at the palace type of situation.

 

[pookie]

I hate to admit, but that 1st Fever, I will be watching. Just to see the spectacle of it all.

After that, more than likely I won't tune in. Unless they have a malice at the palace type of situation.

This she'll be popular maybe a year after that NIKE will start losing money on her merchandise and i laughed when dude said men are going to buy her signature shoe and compared her to Devin Booker.lol

 

[Flawless]

This she'll be popular maybe a year after that NIKE will start losing money on her merchandise and i laughed when dude said men are going to buy her signature shoe and compared her to Devin Booker.lol

Give her a year before the hype dies down, She about to realize the WNBA is not the same as going against chubby white girls from all white colleges.

 

[pookie]

Give her a year before the hype dies down, She about to realize the WNBA is not the same as going against chubby white girls from all white colleges.

I actually believe she'll excel at the WNBA level I just don't believe this “WNBA now has a chance to be a major sport“ story that's being pushed. The last 2 years has been about race, now that that angle is gone the interest gonna die down

 

[MASTERBAKER]

Caitlin Clark signs historic multi-year partnership with Wilson​

By
Social Links forMatt Ehalt
Published May 21, 2024
Updated May 21, 2024, 9:53 a.m. ET
Caitlin Clark has entered the same stratosphere as Michael Jordan.
Clark, the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, has signed a multi-year partnership with Wilson, becoming the first athlete to do so since Jordan in the 1980s, according to Boardroom.
Wilson produces the official ball for the WNBA, and this union will include a signature basketball collection that launched Tuesday.
Clark previously signed a historic eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike that includes a signature shoe, and this partnership comes with a brand she used during her childhood.



“I loved that thing more than anything. My brothers and I would always fight over it,” Clark told Boardroom. “That was the best basketball. But I’m just super excited to have a collaboration and create basketballs together that are really cool. I’ve seen the designs that young girls, boys, whoever can get their hands on and go dribble in the driveway or take it to practice with them.”

​

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Caitlin Clark during a game in May 2024.Getty Images
Wilson released a teaser video Monday night previewing a big announcement “Tomo22ow,” referencing Clark’s number with both Iowa and now Indiana.
The NCAA’s all-time scoring leader will test, advise and offer her opinions on Wilson products, and there will be Clark-inspired merchandise released throughout the year, per the company’s press release.
Boardroom added that Clark’s duties include “thinking of specific silhouettes that make it easier to hoop in and certain fabrics that function outside of just being aesthetically pleasing.”

The merchandise includes her “first-ever signature basketball line” to debut later this year, per Wilson.
“I think it is super special, and it’s been fun for me,” Clark told Boardroom. “I feel like I was just that young kid who had those basketballs that I would store in the garage. I’m just very lucky and fortunate to partner with Wilson to create something that everyone can enjoy. It connects with a lot of generations, and it’ll be fun to see kids walking around holding them.”
Tuesday’s merchandise launch features three gold and white balls celebrating Clark, titled “Threes up,” “Record Breaker” and “Crowd Maestro.”
The three balls are each priced at $49.95.
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The third of the three Clark-inspired balls Wilson is initially releasing.wilson.com
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One of the Caitlin Clark balls from Wilson.wilson.com
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The “Record Breaker” ball.wilson.com
“Wilson is made to celebrate the most iconic moments in sport, and we have always aligned ourselves with trailblazers who break boundaries and write their own story,” Wilson’s head of global brand Amanda Lamb said in the company’s press release. “Caitlin Clark is not just a record-setting athlete, but a cultural icon who has had a profound impact on the game. We couldn’t be prouder to join forces with her to continue innovating basketball both on and off the court.”
Clark has only played in four WNBA games so far — all losses, including Monday’s setback against the Sun that featured her receiving a technical foul — but that has not stopped companies from lining up to make the 22-year-old the face of their products and/or brands.
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A Wilson ball for Caitlin Clark during the WNBA Draft.Getty Images
Nike previously won a bidding war to land Clark, who has produced record-setting television numbers leading into the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
These contracts help offset a modest WNBA salary — $76,535 — for Clark despite being the No. 1 pick.
Clark is averaging 17 points, four rebounds and 5.5 assists to start her career, shooting 41.2 percent overall and 34.3 percent from deep.
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Caitlin Clark and the Fever are 0-4 to start the season.AP
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That she now shares a connection with Jordan is not lost on Clark.
“I feel fortunate and lucky,” Clark told Forbes. “Michael is the best of all time. To see young kids eventually dribbling with my signature [ball], how lucky am I to be part of something like this, to be able to be the first to do this since [Jordan]? I think it puts into perspective how highly thought of Wilson is and what they are doing and the basketballs they are creating.”

 

[Mello Mello]

Between the Nike and the Wilson deal she set. Seen this coming before she declared.

I see a couple more endorsements coming.