Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has offered his thoughts on the pay balance between men’s and women’s athletes – specifically about how Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is paid compared to top NBA athletes.
The former President made a surprise appearance on the ‘Let’s Go!’ podcast hosted by Jim Gray and Bill Belichick on the eve of Election Day in the United States.
Among the many topics covered in the episode was the rise to stardom of Clark and how, by comparison, she gets paid less than NBA superstars like LeBron James and Steph Curry.
When asked if something should be done about the gap, Trump said, ‘Well, you’d like to do that, but it’s a very complicated thing. It’s very unusual.
‘She’s incredible, by the way. I watch, too. I think she’s incredible. The shot, I watch this shot go in. It’s like, couldn’t she shoot that way in the NBA? Give her the ball. She’s unbelievable. It’s a phenomena. It’s something that is taking place, and it’s unusual.
Donald Trump has weighed in on the pay gap between men and women athletes
Specifically, he praised Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark who he called ‘incredible’
‘Tiger, when he first went out, remember those days when Tiger went out? Or just a great baseball player in the minor leagues or a first-year football player. You see a running back who’s making like minimum, and he turns out to be a superstar. You have that, and probably there’s no real way to guard against it.
‘It sounds unfair, but somebody agrees to a contract. Hopefully, she’ll keep it going, and probably will. She’s going to make a lot of money.’
When Gray asked if there’s nothing that could be done or if the sports market would eventually adjust, Trump suggested that the WNBA would likely have to play it safe.
‘Well, it’s really you got to rely on the market,’ Trump said. ‘You can’t go in and just say, “Well, we’re going to break this contract because this person did well.” The league could probably go up and give her a bonus. It wouldn’t kill the league if the league is doing okay.
‘But the league could really do something with it because it seems unfair, but you have a lot of that. I see it all the time with football and baseball and even basketball, where somebody comes in, he turns out to be 10 times better.’
Trump then pointed to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy as an example of players defying expectations
Gray then pointed out that it’s not just a pay gap in the WNBA – and that women’s sports as a whole get paid much less than men’s athletes.
‘Well, maybe they’ll have to change that, but it is based on the one player, it seems to be,’ Trump replied.
Clark only made $76,535 in her first season in the WNBA – but makes more in endorsements
‘It’s incredible. It’s a phenomenal thing she’s got going, but very tricky. When you start getting involved with trying to recreate markets, it gets very, very tricky. The downside is greater than the upside, Jim.’
Clark’s rookie contract is for four-years and just $338,056. In her first year, she made just $76,535. The player who earned the most from their contract this last season was the Las Vegas Aces’ Jackie Young, who took home $252,450.
Compare that to the NBA – which has a league minimum of $1,157,153 for a player with no experience.
Clark isn’t exactly struggling financially though – with endorsements by the likes of Nike, Gatorade, State Farm Insurance, and more.
She could even earn more if she decides to change her offseason plans and join the ‘Unrivaled’ basketball league – where reports indicate that she’s been offered one million dollars to play there.
But currently, Clark has publicly stated her intentions to rest and recover in the offseason and prepare for the 2025 WNBA season.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .