Caitlin Clark investing in team ownership bid despite 5-figure WNBA salary and turning down bigger offer

Caitlin Clark is investing successful a bid for a National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) enlargement squad based successful Cincinnati, the concern radical for FC Cincinnati announced. 

"The NWSL Cincinnati bid squad is thrilled that Caitlin Clark has joined our ownership radical successful pursuit of bringing women’s nonrecreational shot to our city," a squad connection said. 

"Her passionateness for the sport, committedness to elevating women’s sports successful and astir the Greater Cincinnati portion and power arsenic an jock and a relation exemplary for women and girls astir the satellite marque her a captious portion of our compelling bid to go the 16th squad successful the NWSL."

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Cincinnati is 1 of 3 finalists for an enlargement bid, joining Cleveland and Denver.

Clark's publication to the bid has not been revealed publicly.

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever talks to the media during an introductory property league April 17, 2024, astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis.  (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

Sportico information from 2024 puts the mean worth of an NWSL franchise astatine $104 million. Angel City FC successful Los Angeles is the league's astir invaluable franchise astatine $250 million, portion the Chicago Red Stars are the lowest valued squad astatine $53 million. 

If Clark's concern is anyplace adjacent to 1% of a emblematic franchise's full value, it would beryllium an concern that easy eclipses her full yearly WNBA salary. 

INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK'S IMPACT ON MEN'S BASKETBALL

Clark made $76,535 successful the archetypal twelvemonth of her WNBA rookie contract. Next twelvemonth she volition marque $78,066. 

Clark had a accidental to supplement her hoops income by joining the caller Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, which volition beryllium played successful the WNBA offseason. Unrivaled was reportedly offering Clark northbound of $1 million. But Clark turned it down. She besides turned down opportunities to play pro hoops successful Europe similar different WNBA players. 

Clark participated successful a little amateur play stint this offseason but has different focused connected attending Taylor Swift concerts oregon different sporting events similar assemblage hoops games coached by her fellow astatine Butler University. 

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark smiles arsenic she looks to the seat successful the 2nd fractional of a crippled against the Dallas Wings Sept. 1, 2024, successful Arlington, Texas.  (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

She won't study to grooming campy for her 2nd WNBA play until April 2025. 

However, Clark is believed to person plentifulness of different income streams successful endorsement deals. 

Clark has an endorsement woody with Nike valued astatine astir $28 cardinal implicit 8 years. This statement includes promotional appearances, merchandise endorsement and Nike selling campaigns.

She has further deals with Gatorade, Wilson Sporting Goods, Bose, State Farm, Buick, H&R Block, Topps, Shoot-A-Way and Goldman Sachs.

She adjacent has her ain cereal with Hy-Vee, "Caitlin's Crunch Time." 

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Not overmuch other is known astir Clark's manner due to the fact that she keeps a debased illustration connected her spending habits. However, everyone volition cognize if she's connected the hook for her concern successful the Cincinnati FC bid if the metropolis ends up winning the enlargement franchise. Clark's beingness arsenic an capitalist could sway the decision. 

Clark was precocious pictured adjacent to Swift connected the screen of Time magazine's Inspiring Women peculiar variation contented that featured eight women successful positions of leadership, including aggregate athletes.

The 15 most-watched WNBA games past play each included Clark.

So, if that earns her concern radical the NWSL team, past her fiscal aboriginal could beryllium heavy connected the willingness of the radical of Cincinnati to clasp a pro women's shot franchise. 

The median household income successful Cincinnati was $54,314 successful 2023. In the Cincinnati metro area, the median household income was $75,062 successful 2022, which is somewhat higher than the nationalist median. More than fractional of Cincinnati residents are women.

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark drives to the handbasket arsenic Connecticut Sun defender DiJonai Carrington defends during a first-round WNBA hoops playoff crippled Sept. 25, 2024, successful Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Cincinnati does not person a WNBA team. However, it does person a men's pro shot team, Major League Soccer's FC Cincinnati. The lone pro sports teams successful the metropolis are the NFL's Bengals and MLB's Reds.

Clark's biggest rival successful the WNBA has already admitted to struggling with idiosyncratic finances since becoming a professional. 

Chicago Sky prima Angel Reese admitted successful an October societal media station she can't spend to wage her rent connected her WNBA salary. Reese's rookie wage with the Sky was $73,439, portion her $8,000-a-month rent costs her $96,000 a year.

"I conscionable anticipation y'all know," Reese told her audience, "the WNBA don't wage my bills astatine all. I don't adjacent deliberation that pays 1 of my bills. Literally. I'm trying to deliberation of my rent for wherever I enactment at. Let maine bash the mathematics existent quick."

Once Reese figured retired her wage and what she was paying, she laughed, adding, "I'm surviving beyond my means!"

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