Indy's sports salary gap
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Have you heard how much Caitlin Clark will make during her rookie WNBA season or are you Patrick Star?
State of play: The Indiana Fever selected the college basketball phenom as the No. 1 pick during Monday's WNBA draft.
- Her record-breaking NCAA performance created more interest in women's basketball but many new fans were shook to learn that Clark's base salary is $76,535 in her first year with the league.
The other side: The No. 1 pick in the NBA draft is expected to make more than $10 million in their rookie season.
Why it matters: It's elevating an important conversation about the long-standing gender pay gap in sports.
By the numbers: Axios used Spotrac, which tracks professional sports contracts, to review the average annual salaries of Indy's top-paid players on our NFL, NBA and WNBA teams from the recent year.
- Fever guard Erica Wheeler makes $222,154, while Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam makes $34 million.
- Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. makes $23 million.
Context: The NBA brought in more than $10 billion in revenue annually during its 82-game season, while the WNBA's projected total revenue was about $200 million for its 40-game season.
- The NFL made nearly $20 billion.
Yes, but: The disparity is driven by more than the revenue gap.
- WNBA players don't have the same revenue share agreements as NBA players, either.
- According to Just Women's Sports, WNBA players receive 50% of the league's incremental revenue, which is what comes in above a revenue target set by the league (and hasn't been met).
- NBA players receive 50% of all revenue.
What's next: WNBA players can opt out of their current union agreements later in November and negotiate for a better share, higher pay and other benefits.
- The WNBA season begins May 14.
- The Fever's first home game is a preseason matchup against Atlanta May 10.