Caitlin Clark has been a Nike athlete for around 4 years now. She signed a NIL deal with the sports giant in October 2022 during her junior year with the Iowa Hawkeyes. When she got drafted as the first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, she signed a professional deal with Nike.
The deal is worth $28 million over 8 years. It features equity and lucrative royalty clauses. Nike has also made a signature brand out of Caitlin Clark, where CC makes up the logo. Under that brand, Nike is set to release the much-awaited signature shoe and apparel collection on October 1, 2026.
Analyst Dan Wetzel talked about Caitlin Clark and Nike when he appeared on The Dan Patrick Show on June 18. He had some strong opinions about how Nike has managed Caitlin Clark. He shared why he thinks Nike has failed to market Clark.
“There was just an insatiable appetite for Caitlin Clark, particularly in 2024. I still think there is in 2026. It’s just one of the great marketing failures, sports marketing failures, and it’s from Nike of all places who almost invented sports marketing,” Wetzel said (6:09).
Dan Patrick expressed shock when discussing the upcoming signature shoes. He was surprised that Clark didn’t already have a shoe. Wetzel replied:
“It’s not just the signature shoe, which can take a while to develop, and you want to design it right and construct it and all that. And it’s a big investment. There’s only been one brief Caitlyn Clark, uh, television commercial. There’s very little promotion in stores. There’s very little pop-up events.” (0:26)
He continued to say that there is almost nothing that links Caitlin Clark to Nike. He expressed shock at the failure to seize on Clark, considering she is still one of the most famous athletes in the country.
“Nike built their entire business on seizing people like Caitlyn Clark and, you know, one-name stars, LeBron, Michael, Tiger, Serena, Ronaldo, whatever it is, and marketing the heck out of them. So the shoe is one part of it, but even on their social media, they barely play her. So she has been on the back burner for Nike for most of these four years,” he added.
Dan Wetzel praises other brands for celebrating Caitlin Clark correctly
Wetzel mentioned that Nike did a few things to celebrate Clark in college, but they weren’t enough, according to him. He talked about the two years with NIL deals at Iowa, and now two years in the WNBA. Overall, it was limited exposure for Clark’s generational college career.
Wetzel shared how companies like State Farm, Exfinity, and Gatorade have truly capitalized on Caitlin Clark’s fame.
“She’s selling everything from Wilson Basketball has a whole line. They say it’s the most successful basketball line they had since Michael Jordan. Stanley drink cups, Gatorade’s got towels, Panini America,” he said. “She’s selling everything. She’s everywhere except with Nike, and that’s been the weirdest thing.”
Read more:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in the NBA, WNBA, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
