Two years ago, when the former Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark emerged, she brought about a shift in the audience response. Known as the “Caitlin Clark Effect,” the now 22-year-old star’s presence garnered record-breaking attendance, merchandise, and off-court deals unlike before. During the NCAA 2023-24 women’s basketball Championship Finale, an average of 18.7 million viewers tuned in as compared to the NCAA men’s Finale which had 14.8 million viewers. 

Thus, considering the impact and the exceptional skills she possesses, Clark’s starting salary with Indiana Fever in the professional league was a great disappointment when placed beside that of her counterpart — which is reported to be over 100 times more. Now as the sum is laid for yet another comparison, the disparity strikes.

Caitlin Clark vs Lionel Messi

As per Sportrac, Major Soccer League star Messi gets paid the highest among other players. Messi’s salary stands at $20,446,667 for 2024. This also means that Messi earns around $55,865 per day when accounted for this year’s 366 days. This put Messi quite ahead of Clark who will be making a salary of $76,535 in this year’s WNBA.

Messi, as per the Economic Times has a 41.7 million contract which is more than double that of all teams except Toronto and Chicago which have a roster allocation of $31.4 million and $25.1 million respectively. This puts Messi not only at forefront against Clark but most of the footballers plying their trade in the MLS.

An interesting point to note here is that football doesn’t have as much fan following in the USA as basketball. Therefore, this stat comes off as a surprise for many fans considering Clark’s following, contested by her talent that make her a leading name in the league. The factors are also something that allign with Messi’s current image. 

While his years of experience and impact that back his contract do not stand in comparison to the WNBA rookie, her presence might demand slightly increased earning points. 

Caitlin Clark WNBA earnings

Clark was drafted as the numero uno pick in this year’s WNBA by the Indiana Fever. She signed a four-year contract of $338,056 which amounts to an average annual salary of $84,514. But as mentioned earlier for the 2024 season, Clark will earn $76,535. However, through marketing and promotions, the 22-year-old holds a chance to up her total to $500,000. This stands minute compared to last year’s NBA first pick, Victor Wembanyama securing a 4-year $55,174,766 contract. With a base salary of about $12 million, Wembanyama would make over a hundred times more than Clark. 

For the NCAA’s leading scorer, the base annual pay can be expected to grow as much as $97,582 in the next four years. Away from it, Clark is valued at $3 million from her NIL deals and is slated to land a $28 million contract with Nike. Witnessing the obvious gap in the earning, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert iterated that the league is making progress but it is a long run due to its rather recent inauguration.

“We’re tipping off our 28th season. I would say if you look at [the other leagues] 28 seasons in, we’re further ahead,” Engelbert said. “But we realize we still have a lot of work to do, and it’s all about the ecosystem around us that drives revenue.” And hopefully, the years to come meet the expectation.