Fever G Caitlin Clark called out the “desire for better pay for the league’s athletes,” noting the “disparity in the financial rewards” for winning the Commissioner’s Cup vs. the WNBA Finals during the Fever’s Commissioner’s Cup celebrations, according to FIELD LEVEL MEDIA. During a postgame celebration on Instagram livestream, Clark said, “You get more (money) for this than you do if you’re the (WNBA Finals) champion. It makes no sense. Someone tell (WNBA commissioner) Cathy (Engelbert) to help us out.” Each rostered player on the winning Commissioner’s Cup team “earned up to $30,000” as part of the “majority portion of the $500,000 purse, per multiple reports.” For comparison, players on the team that wins the WNBA championship “reportedly receive $20,825.” In another postgame video Tuesday, Clark referred to the in-season tournament final as the “Cathy Cup” (FIELD LEVEL MEDIA, 7/2). SI’s Kristen Wong wrote Clark raises a “fair question as to why the five-season-old Commissioner’s Cup offers more financial incentive than winning the league itself,” something that could be “addressed in the WNBA players’ union’s ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations” (SI, 7/2).
Caitlin Clark calls out Commissioner’s Cup vs. WNBA Finals payout disparity
