While the WNBA and its players battle over salaries in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, Caitlin Clark continues to get the million-dollar bag and according to Forbes is the most powerful female athlete in the world. The WNBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2024 is credited as being the primary catalyst for the explosive growth in women’s college basketball and the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark Places 4th On Forbes 2025 ‘Most Powerful Women In Sports’ List
While her WNBA paycheck ($70,000) falls short of equaling her worth, Forbes estimates that Clark still clocked $8.1 million last season overall.
The Indiana Fever star placed an impressive fourth in terms of most powerful women in sports overall. Gayle Benson (owner of New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans) is No.1 overall. FanDuel CEO Amy Howe was No.2. Amy Montagne (Nike brand president) came in at No. 3 and then Clark (WNBA player). Only two other pro athletes made the Top 10. WNBA legends and Unrivaled League founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart tied for ninth on the list.
Fans Of Angel Reese Can’t Believe She Didn’t Make The List
Only two other pro athletes made the Top 10. WNBA legends and Unrivaled League founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart tied for ninth on the list.
Serena Williams was No. 11 on the list. This announcement went down a few weeks ago, but a recent post highlighting Clark’s dominance has fans of Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson (No. 15 on Forbes) losing their minds. Fans noted that every woman on the list’s Top 10 was white (Collier is bi-racial). They were befuddled why names such as Dawn Staley (No. 20, two spots after Simone Biles at #18) and $90M tennis star Coco Gauf (No. 13) were so low. Reese — who has an enormous social media following and has been busy brand expanding — failed to make the list.
“Caitlin is the most overrated and overhyped player in WNBA history,” said another fan.
“Meanwhile, still ain’t won nothing,” captioned another fan.
“You are confusing Caitlin Clark with Angel Reese,” said one fan on Facebook.
How Is Clark More Powerful Than Serena, Coco, Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss?
Fans were confused that Cailtin Clark was anointed such a high ranking after just 1.5 season sin the WNBA and just $8M in revenue earned last season. Some blamed race.
“How is she more powerful than Jeanie Buss, Coco Gauff, Serena or even Venus lol. I could go on and on,” another disgruntled commenter posted.
“Here come all the black haters,” one Facebook post read.
“No naming of A’ja Wilson who won everything this year. Oh my bad, I forgot she doesn’t qualify because she’s black,” said one netizen.
Why Was Angel Reese Excluded From Forbes 25 Most Powerful Woman In Sports List?
Reasons for Reese’s exclusion from the list don’t seem legitimate. The list’s criteria reportedly prioritize factors like business impact, ownership, and executive leadership. Which are areas considered “not as heavily emphasized in Reese’s portfolio,” according to sources.
It’s not like she’s not making major moves and executive decisions as the face of Reebok. She has her own shoe signature shoe with Reebok that’s dropping. She’s done deals with many brands including, Mercedes-Benz, Reese’s Pieces, McDonalds, Amazon, Airbnb, Beats by Dre, Panini, just to name a few.
In addition, she is the first athlete to walk the Victoria Secret runway, which elevated her into international fame. Sure, Clark has attended a few golfing events, but where exactly does all this power lie in a league that is valued at $1.16B, or the same as one, mid NBA franchise.
She is just as recognizable as Caitlin Clark depending on who you ask. She’s definitely more famous – especially among Gen Z – at this point than Stewart and Collier, who has been a leading voice for the WNBPA’s fight for better salaries and revenue splits during the volatile Collective Bargaining negotiations.
Is Caitlin Clark Overhyped?
Of course, Clark has a large contingent of fans who believe she can do no wrong. They solely credit her for the recent rise in ratings, revenue and casual sports interest and ignore the impact of any other superstar in the league. Reese has been a direct enemy since defeating Clark for the 2023 NCAA title with LSU, so her accomplishments are always downplayed by those who wish to boost Clark’s legacy by ignoring Reese.
One fan summed up the moment, writing, “Didn’t play much this season and still raked all of that in. That’s power.”
Another added, “Caitlin Clark’s impact on women’s sports is undeniable.”
“Caitlin Clark will become the 1st WNBA player to make $100 million income. Probably in less than 10 years!,” another fan exclaimed.
Who knows if there will even be a WNBA season in 2026. There are no recent reports about the progress being made in collective bargaining negotiations. The month extension runs through the end of November. We do know that the Caitlin Clark fan base remains strong and certain that the WNBA is nothing without her presence.
Fans Continue To Blame WNBA Commissioner For Not Promoting Caitlin Clark Enough
Fans continue to blame the WNBA and its players for her injuries and agree with Napheesa Collier that commissioner Cathy Engelbert needs to go. Their anger towards the commish is based in the belief that she hasn’t done enough to protect or promote the league’s golden goose.
“Cathy has no idea what kinda superstar she has. A girl pulling 1.3M views on a NFL sunday is no normal star. Golden ticket right there,” a fan unhappy with the way Clark is promoted said.
Clark earned this honor by playing just 13 games last season.The ratings supposedly reflected her absence this season. Her popularity has only increased. The Fever’s run to the WNBA Finals, with an injured Clark on the sidelines doing the most, kept her fanbase satisfied and provided some fodder for the social media mill. It also seems like her absence created an even larger thirst for her overall brand, and forced her fans and media to focus on things about her other than hoops.
Clark reportedly signed a $28M deal with Nike out of Iowa, before ever stepping foot on an NBA court. She has a signature scheduled for future release that her fans have been craving. The reported numbers vary, but the WNBA supposedly took a huge hit in ratings when Clark got sidelined for good after dealing with several lower body injuries.
Reese surely did her best to keep the WNBA in the spotlight and earn a spot on the most powerful woman’s list, but Forbes didn’t think so.
The saga continues.
