Why Nike Banned the Caitlin Clark Shoe ???
.
.
.
Full video:
Caitlin Clark is more popular than Victor Wembanyama in the United States. Despite that fame, Nike refuses to give her a signature shoe until 2026/27. This is a look at why the shoe giant isn’t making all the money they can off of their star WNBA player.
The middling offers Caitlin Clark shot down before $28 million Nike deal
Caitlin Clark had offers from multiple apparel companies for a shoe deal before striking a historic eight-year, $28 million pact with Nike, the largest shoe deal ever for a women’s basketball player.
Some of those companies didn’t think Clark was worth anything close to that.
When Clark’s camp informed interested parties during the NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis in February that securing Clark would require a minimum of $3 million a year, Puma immediately dropped out, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Adidas made Clark an offer worth just $1.5 million a year — $6 million over four years, per the report.
Under Armour came the closest to besting Nike, offering the former Iowa superstar a four-year, $16 million contract that was worth more per year than Nike’s while including client Stephen Curry in its pitch.
Caitlin Clark poses with her No. 22 Indiana Fever jersey on April 17, 2024.AP
But Clark, whom the Indiana Fever selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, opted for the greater total Nike offered while getting a signature shoe; Under Armour also offered a signature shoe, the Journal reported.
Nike did not initially offer a signature shoe, according to the report, but was at one point considered being the potential female face of the company’s Kobe Bryant line.
Clark, 22, helped get more eyeballs on women’s college basketball as the Hawkeyes set three straight women’s hoops viewership records in March Madness this year.
Iowa’s Elite Eight win over LSU in a rematch from last year’s national championship game first set the record for the most-viewed women’s college hoops game with 12.3 million viewers, crushing the mark of 9.9 million from LSU’s title win in 2023.
The Hawkeyes’ Final Four win over UConn set another record with 14.2 million viewers, and their championship loss to South Carolina two days later drew 18.7 million viewers, with the broadcast peaking at 24 million.
The interest surrounding Clark is carrying over to the WNBA, which drew a record 2.446 million viewers for this month’s draft, despite the fact it was a fait accompli Clark was going No. 1 to the Fever.
Caitlin Clark (22) with the ball during Iowa’s loss to South Carolina on April 7, 2024.Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
Caitlin Clark wearing Nike’s Kobe 5 Protro Bruce Lee shoes at Iowa practice on April 6, 2024.Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The previous WNBA draft viewership record was 601,000 for the 2004 draft, when UConn’s Diana Taurasi went No. 1 overall to the Phoenix Mercury.
Clark and the Fever open the WNBA season on May 14 at the Connecticut Sun before hosting the Liberty on May 16 and then visiting the Liberty at Barclays Center on May 18.
News
Department of Homeland Security Issues Stark Warning Over Rising Drone Threats as Officials Raise Concerns About Potential Future Attacks
Department of Homeland Security Issues Stark Warning Over Rising Drone Threats as Officials Raise Concerns About Potential Future Attacks ‘MAJOR THREATS’: DHS Secretary Sounds the Alarm on Imminent ‘Drone Attacks’ and National Vulnerabilities WASHINGTON D.C. — In a dramatic and…
Donald Trump and Family Face Intensifying Questions Over Reported $50M Dispute as MAGA Backlash and Brand Concerns Grow, Says Ari Melber
Donald Trump and Family Face Intensifying Questions Over Reported $50M Dispute as MAGA Backlash and Brand Concerns Grow, Says Ari Melber Trump Family Empire Spirals as $50 Million Disappears in “Gold Phone” Scandal PALM BEACH / WASHINGTON — The gilded…
Experts Warn Vladimir Putin’s Grip on Power Could Collapse Suddenly as Analysts Question Russia’s Path to Victory in Ongoing Conflict
Experts Warn Vladimir Putin’s Grip on Power Could Collapse Suddenly as Analysts Question Russia’s Path to Victory in Ongoing Conflict Putin’s Regime Will ‘End Suddenly’ – Why Russian Victory is Now Impossible MOSCOW / WASHINGTON — The gilded halls of…
WATCH: Marco Rubio Delivers Fiery Speech Targeting Barack Obama and Democrats, Earning Thunderous Crowd Reaction
WATCH: Marco Rubio Delivers Fiery Speech Targeting Barack Obama and Democrats, Earning Thunderous Crowd Reaction THE RUBIO RECKONING: GOP Titan Dismantles Obama-Era Legacies as “Failed Experiments” in Scorching Global Address MUNICH, GERMANY — In a political display of raw power…
Brian Kemp Signs Major Tax Cut Bills as Democrats Challenge Legality of Measures, Setting Up Political Showdown in Georgia
Brian Kemp Signs Major Tax Cut Bills as Democrats Challenge Legality of Measures, Setting Up Political Showdown in Georgia THE CAPITOL CONSPIRACY: Kemp Signs “Illegal” Tax Cuts as Georgia Erupts in Constitutional Chaos ATLANTA, GA — In a move that…
Why Experts Say Hantavirus Isn’t “The Next COVID” — Despite Growing Media Frenzy and Public Anxiety
Why Experts Say Hantavirus Isn’t “The Next COVID” — Despite Growing Media Frenzy and Public Anxiety THE RODENT RISING: Hantavirus “Nightmare at Sea” Ignites Panic as Media Braces for the Next Pandemic NEW YORK — The sirens are blaring, the…
End of content
No more pages to load
