With household names like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Camila Kardoso, the WNBA has never seen a draft class filled with such talent. However, this draft serves as a reminder that these women will only make a fraction of their male counterparts’ salary.

University of Iowa sensation Cailtin Clark was selected by the Indiana Fever on Monday, April 15 with the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft. Clark signed her rookie contract for an estimated total of $338,056 dollars over four years. That equates to an average of $84,514 dollars of yearly salary.

For reference, Victor Wembanyama, the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, signed with the San Antonio Spurs for $55 million dollars over four years, making more than 100 times that off Clark’s salary.

WNBA players often have to supplement their salaries with a secondary job in order to provide for their families. Other aspiring professionals will even abstain from the draft entirely, recognizing the potential to earn a higher paying salary overseas. It is believed WNBA star Britteny Griner made $1 million dollars in annual salary while playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg.

While this may be the better decision financially, this lack of interest in joining the WNBA out of college does not help the market for women’s basketball. Avid Iowa women’s basketball fan Clare Tinsman opposes the pay disparity between the men and women’s respective leagues.

“It is unfair and disheartening to see such a distinct pay disparity between NBA and WNBA players. Since the WNBA league was founded later, the women’s program is still working to catch up, but especially this year the WNBA has been thriving and achieving great milestones. Athletes putting in the same rigorous work deserve the same pay,” she said.

Sponsorships and the recent implementation of NIL deals for college athletes have allowed players including Clark and Reese to use their personal image in order to sign deals with corporations like Gatorade, Nike and Reebok. This incentivizes hopeful professionals to stay domestic with their talents.

Senior basketball player Keaton Ayers is encouraged by the name brands athletes are able to create for themselves through these deals. “I think because their salaries are typically a little lower, especially in the WNBA, it’s great there is another revenue for money. It allows for them to provide for their families and it encourages them to continue with the sport,” he said. 

Women’s basketball as a whole has seen tremendous growth in ratings and viewership over the past two years. Since 2022 the audience for women’s basketball has increased by a total of 298%. The NCAA national championship game alone accumulated a total of 24.1 million viewers, becoming the most watched college basketball game ever on ESPN in both the men’s and women’s league. 

Furthermore, Indiana Fever tickets saw an estimated price increase of 136% in the days leading up to the draft.

Tinsman cites Clark’s electric play style as the reason for an increase in fans. “Caitlin Clark has broken countless scoring records with her high-point games and insane three-pointers, but beyond that, she has been a big reason for breaking viewership and attendance records too. Her skill, drive and passion has pushed the game of basketball and attracted numerous fans,” she said.

Tinsman sees the landscape of women’s basketball changing for the better as players like Clark use their influence to not only attract fans but inspire young women.

“Clark sets an example for young women to not underestimate their talent and to keep working hard on pushing boundaries, accomplishing goals, and believing in themselves. I hope to see this success, attention, and appreciation for women’s basketball to continue over the upcoming years in college and professional league,” she shared.

The inequitable pay discrepancy between the men and women of professional basketball remains at large. Combating this problem takes time however, it is because of the influence of stars like Clark and Reese that the future of women’s basketball is on the rise.