There is an adage in investing, “buy when there’s blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own.” Nothing could be more true for Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the aftermath of Iowa’s championship loss to LSU in the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball tournament. Clark’s supporters’ subsequent virtue signaling, ranging from former WWE wrestler John Cena to first lady Dr. Jill Biden, has created a silo of support for those who feel Clark’s version of competitiveness is classier than her last opponent’s.
Factor in that Clark is playing Division I basketball during the NIL era, and the controversies that she did not start but is an integral component of can only help her financial bottom line. Clark’s deals and camps reportedly have netted the young star around $3 million.
Virtue Signal Balling
And her bankable appeal is only growing. Clark added more than 425,000 followers since last Friday’s Final Four performance with 41 points against the Gamecocks, making her the first player in NCAA tournament history to record back-to-back 40-point games. Since then, Clark’s On3 NIL Valuation has increased to $739,000, a $547,000 increase since last week.
Clark is the real deal. She began her young journey and earned an opportunity to represent the country at the FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup. The event features the world’s top 16 youth men’s national teams, with a 56-game competition. She became a two-time gold medalist and tournament MVP as well. The National Player of the Year’s skills camps, announced last week, sold out in hours, per her website.
Her NIL potential has ranged from local Iowa-based companies to multi-national brands. Clark’s first publicized NIL deal came in 2021, where she partnered with a Des Moines-based company, The Vinyl Shop, to produce a limited supply of custom T-shirts. Then there are her major brands like Topps, trading card companies, Hy-vee supermarkets, Bose, Buick Automotive, and H&R Block.
Clark also joins Bronny James as a young athlete who represents Nike. She is known for wearing Kobe Bryant’s sneakers on the court, a possible nod to the “girl dad’s” unwavering support of women’s basketball. Clark has more than 740,000 followers and is No. 52 in the On3 NIL 100, the first ever NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by On3 NIL Valuation.
Angelic Financial Windfall
Ironically, all the hate LSU’s Angel Reese received after her “you can’t see me” hand gesture on Caitlin Clark’s face has also aided her bankability.
Reese already had partnerships with Coach, McDonald’s, and Sparkling Ice, but her social following has gone up, and it’s stuck, adding more than 1.3 million followers in the last week since Sunday’s national title win. On Instagram alone, she has gained more than 500,000 new followers.
Reese’s On3 NIL Valuation is now $876,000, which is a $485,000 jump since last week. Reese ranks No. 31 in the On3 NIL 100 and is placed at No. 3 overall in the women’s basketball NIL rankings.
By comparison, Caitlin Clark trails her by three spots down at No. 6. They only have time as they are both still young and hungry for another championship in Reese’s purview or the first championship if you are Clark. The more the world blows up their rivalry, the more they can expect to cash in.
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