Panini America, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles companies, signed a multi-year exclusive deal with University of Iowa basketball superstar Caitlin Clark.
The deal marks Panini’s first exclusive partnership with a female athlete for both trading cards and memorabilia. And it would be hard to argue that the company chose their first wisely.
“It’s an honor to partner with Panini America as their first multi-year exclusive female athlete and I’m excited to collaborate with them on my own collection,” Clark said in a release.
Clark has singlehandedly sold out almost every college venue where she’s played. Schools hosting Iowa this year saw a 150% attendance increase compared to their other home games. The Big Ten’s Women’s Basketball Tournament has already sold out – the first time in its 31-year history. And many of those 109,000-plus fans will be there to watch Clark do what she does best.
Clark is the kind of player – male or female – that comes along once in a generation. In her sophomore year, she was the first women's player to lead the Division I in points and assists in a single season. As a junior, she won every major national player of the year awards while leading Iowa to the national championship game. This year, she broke the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I college basketball all-time scoring record, surpassing “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s collegiate record of 3,676 points set back in 1970.
The financial terms and conditions for Clark’s deal with Panini have not been released. But the exclusive deal for her memorabilia will begin immediately, while the trading card deal begins on April 1. The first Panini products featuring Clark will be a collection of cards celebrating many of her career highlights.
“Caitlin is a generational talent, and it is natural she should be our first multi-year exclusive female athlete,” said Jason Howarth, senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations. “We’ll have a range of products and memorabilia feature Caitlin that we believe have will love."
The decision to go pro in the NIL Era
Clark announced on Feb. 29 she would declare for the 2024 WNBA draft. Although a senior, she technically had a fifth year of eligibility, granted to all players who were active during the pandemic. On one hand, her decision was a no-brainer. If anyone is ready for the pros, it’s Clark.
But a few media outlets wondered if it was right for her to give up a lucrative college career for a meager rookie WNBA salary. Of course, this wouldn’t have been a consideration prior to 2021 when college athletes were afforded the right to financially profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
Clark currently has contracts with some of the biggest companies in the world – and even a few small, local, companies.
Clark signed her first deal back in August 2021 – not long after the introduction of NIL. It was with a small female-owned apparel company called the Vinyl Shop, based in Des Moines. A few months later, she signed an endorsement deal with the Hy-Vee grocery store chain.
Since then, it’s been nothing but net for Clark’s NIL partnerships. She’s scored deals with the likes of Nike, State Farm, Gatorade, Buick, Goldman Sachs, Bose, H&R Block and Topps. All toll, Clark’s NIL deals bring in roughly $3 million, according to On3.
It seems like a lot to give up for an WNBA rookie salary of $76,535. Well, except she’s not really giving up anything. While her NIL deals will terminate with her college career, her professional endorsement deals are just getting started. Panini America may be the first. But it will hardly be the last.
