The WNBA Indiana Fever are controlled under the Pacers Sports & Entertainment Group umbrella, which means it is possible that new Fever G Caitlin Clark and Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton could be "marketed together as two young star point guards on the city's basketball teams,” according to Dustin Dopirak of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Haliburton indicated that is something that he was "looking forward to." He said, "I'm sure we'll both be asked to do a million different shoots and things with each other” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 4/16). Meanwhile, Clark this morning was formally introduced by the Fever, and she said the team holding the top pick in the Draft played a "huge role" in forgoing her final year of eligibility at Iowa. She said, "I was hoping Indiana got the first pick. It would've made my life a lot better. When I saw that, I was pretty excited" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 4/17).
FEVER PITCH: USA TODAY’s Lindsay Schnell reported data from StubHub shows overall sales for Fever tickets “already have increased thirteen-fold compared to the 2023 season.” This is “similar to what Clark did to ticket sales during her Iowa career.” Also “helping drive ticket sales” is the Fever’s second-round pick, G Celeste Taylor, who finished her college career at Ohio State. Clark will “bring in the majority of fans of course,” but Midwesterners will be “eager to see if Taylor can make the final roster, too” (USA TODAY, 4/16).
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: In Indianapolis, Chloe Peterson wrote Clark became the “first women's college basketball player to guest star on SNL” -- something networks “likely couldn't even fathom just five years ago.” That appearance “solidified, if it wasn't already, Clark's place as a catalyst for the popularity of women's basketball as a whole.” When "SNL" reached out to her about being on the live broadcast this past Saturday before the WNBA draft, she was “unsure” do to commitments she already has in L.A. However, Clark “couldn't refuse an offer to go on something as quintessential as SNL.” Clark said, “They kind of just reached out to me and were like, 'Do you want to do this?'” Clark: “They asked me during the Final Four, so I didn't think about it much. But then, I was like, 'This is once in a lifetime, you've got to do it'” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 4/16).
STARTING SALARY: WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Rachel Bachman noted Clark will make $76,535 this season, the “prescribed base compensation for each of the top four picks in the draft” per terms of the league's CBA. Many fans when hearing that were “stunned at the idea that the new face of women’s basketball is now making the same amount as a junior accountant.” However, the WNBA “isn’t subject to the same federal gender-discrimination law as are college sports,” as the "market prevails" in pro sports. Given that women’s pro team sports “generally came along decades after their male counterparts,” that means female athletes “tend to make far less money” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/16).
