One conversation of note over the past few years after the expansion of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights in NCAA competitions has been the idea that top women’s sports athletes are losing out on money by going from the college ranks to the pros. There’s been a lot of well-sourced pushback against that, including discussions of how most NIL endorsement deals have wound up transferring to the pros as the player does. But that hasn’t stopped figures like Darren Rovell (currently independent, formerly with Action Network, ESPN, CNBC and more) from claiming that athletes like Iowa Hawkeyes’ women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark will lose money by going pro:
There are plenty of reasons to dispute that take, including past studies from Chantal Jennings of The Athletic last May and Leila MacKenzie of USC’s The Daily Trojan last month suggesting that most NCAA endorsements transfer to the pro ranks. And yes, some particular NIL deals are from local businesses or boosters determined to see an athlete play at a specific institution, and yes, those can go away with a decision to go pro.
However, a move to the pros can also increase the national appeal of an athlete. There are many who are willing to bash the idea that staying in the NCAA is somehow more financially beneficial. And that’s perhaps especially true when this was an idea advanced by Rovell, someone previously known for ESPN, CNBC, ESPN again, and Action Network work, but someone who took criticism at all of those stops. Here’s some of the backlash that Rovell’s post took:
*SLAPS SIGN*
(Clark’s NIL money doesn’t come from a collective; it comes from giant national brands like Nike, State Farm, Buick, Gatorade, etc. Those endorsements are following her to the W, dummy.)https://t.co/Dhn2gV2D2S https://t.co/sXEvWqgSX8
— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) February 29, 2024
Didn’t realize all her sponsorships just go away…. What a dumb tweet. https://t.co/CyIjfjSvQw
— Alex Funderburke (@AlexFunderburke) February 29, 2024
So, offering this take without any level of supporting evidence did not particularly go great for Rovell. And it does seem likely that moving to the WNBA will work out just fine for Clark.
[Darren Rovell on Twitter/X; images from Awful Announcing and Matt Krohn/USA Today Sports]