The investment group for FC Cincinnati stated that Caitlin Clark is contributing to a bid for a Cincinnati-based National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team.
“The NWSL Cincinnati bid team is thrilled that Caitlin Clark has joined our ownership group in pursuit of bringing women’s professional soccer to our city,” the announcement read.
“Her passion for the sport, commitment to elevating women’s sports in and around the Greater Cincinnati region and influence as an athlete and a role model for women and girls around the world make her a vital part of our compelling bid to become the 16th team in the NWSL.”
Cincinnati joins Cleveland and Denver as the third finalist for an expansion bid.
The amount that Clark contributed to the proposal has not been made public.
According to 2024 Sportico data, the average NWSL team is worth $104 million. At $250 million, Los Angeles’ Angel City FC is the league’s most valuable team, while the Chicago Red Stars are the least valuable at $53 million.
Clark’s investment would certainly surpass her whole yearly WNBA pay if it were even close to 1% of the average franchise’s total worth.
The Impact Of Caitlin Clark On Men’s Basketball In Detail
In the first year of her rookie deal with the WNBA, Clark earned $76,535 in salary. She will earn $78,066 next year.
Joining the new Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, which will take place during the WNBA summer, gave Clark the opportunity to augment her basketball revenue. Clark was apparently being offered more than $1 million by Unrivaled. Clark, however, declined. Like other WNBA players, she declined chances to play professional basketball in Europe.
This offseason, Clark played a little amateur golf, but she has mostly been going to Taylor Swift concerts and other athletic events, such as Butler University college basketball games, which are coached by her boyfriend.
It will be April 2025 before she reports to training camp for her second WNBA season.
Clark is thought to have numerous more sources of income from endorsement deals, though.
Over the course of eight years, Clark’s endorsement contract with Nike is worth roughly $28 million. This contract covers Nike marketing initiatives, product endorsements, and promotional appearances.
She also has agreements with Goldman Sachs, Wilson Sporting Goods, Gatorade, Bose, State Farm, Buick, H&R Block, Topps, and Shoot-A-Way.
Hy-Vee even makes a cereal that she calls “Caitlin’s Crunch Time.”
Since Clark keeps her spending habits under wraps, not much else is known about her lifestyle. However, if the city wins the expansion franchise, everyone will know if she is responsible for her investment in the Cincinnati FC proposal. Clark’s involvement as an investor might influence the choice.
Swift and Clark were recently featured on the cover of Time magazine’s Inspiring Women special edition issue, which highlighted eight women in leadership roles, including several athletes.
Clark appeared in all 15 of the WNBA’s most watched games from the previous season.
The willingness of Cincinnati residents to support a professional women’s soccer club might therefore have a significant impact on her financial future if that secures her investment group the NWSL team.
In 2023, Cincinnati’s median household income was $54,314. In 2022, the median household income in the Cincinnati metro region was $75,062, which is somewhat higher than the median for the entire country. Women make up more than half of Cincinnati’s population.
The WNBA does not have a team in Cincinnati. It does, however, have FC Cincinnati, a men’s professional soccer team in Major League Soccer. The city’s only professional sports teams are the Reds of Major League Baseball and the Bengals of the NFL.
Since turning pro, Clark’s fiercest WNBA competitor has already acknowledged having financial difficulties.
In an October social media post, Chicago Sky star Angel Reese acknowledged that she is unable to use her WNBA earnings to cover her rent. Reese earned $73,439 as a rookie with the Sky, but her annual rent of $8,000 is $96,000.
Reese said to her audience, “I just hope y’all know,” that “the WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think that pays one of my bills. Literally. I’m trying to think of my rent for where I stay at. Let me do the math real quick.”
“I’m living beyond my means!” Reese said with a laugh after realizing her pay and what she was paying.