A WNBA Veteran Says 'Men are HILARIOUS' for Offering Caitlin Clark Millions to Play Basketball With Them

Alika Jenner. Getty Images.

By now you're no doubt aware that Cailtin Clark stands to make a lot more money playing in Ice Cube's 3-on-3 league than she ever could hope to make in the WNBA:

And she's in line for a much, much greater financial windfall to be the by-far most gifted athlete on a team of barely functioning substance abusers with sedentary lifestyles:

And these opportunities are well deserved. She is arguably the most talked about athlete in North America over the past few months. And you could make a case she has gotten more attention than anyone over the past year or so, were it not for a certain tight end dating a certain pop music queen. But when it comes to strictly using athletic skills to generate buzz, she has been the apex predator in the sports ecosystem. 

And the fact she (as Ohio's Tate pointed out) stands to make 131 years worth of WNBA salary in Portnoy Bucks just to dominate a bunch of slobs on the hardwood is something we can all celebrate. 

But just not all of us. Not former Duke and now LA Sparks player Lexie Brown. She appears to be less than thrilled with even Ice Cube's comparatively modest offer:

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Let me pause here to stop anyone from accusing Brown of failing to, as they say, "support all women" here. Because she argues she's complaining precisely because she does "support all women." 

See? She's being supportive. She's offering hella support. All day long kinds of support. To all women. It's just that the support doesn't extend to the most famous and recognizable of them all when she stands to take money being offered to her by rich celebrities. Instead, that money should be spread out among all the other WNBA … um, stars. You know, she's just doing her part to fight for fairness for all members of the sisterhood.

She's not naming names, but it's possible she believes that list of WNBA veterans who deserve the cash CC is being offered includes one whose initials are "Lexie Brown."

Spotrac - Lexie Brown signed a 2 year / $158,340 contract with the Los Angeles Sparks, including an annual average salary of $79,170. In 2024, Brown will earn a base salary of $80,340

Listen, I don't begrudge Brown here. (Which is more than can be said about her attitude toward Clark's opportunities.) She probably missed out on the NIL era in college hoops. She's playing in empty arenas every night in one of the most expensive places in America to live. And making the salary of an elementary school gym teacher. So you can empathize with her frustration to some extent. 

Lexie Brown doesn't need a lecture from me or you about feminism and opportunity and how women are supposed to be sticking up for one another. All she really needs is a lesson from Adam Smith. 

The term "invisible hand" first appeared in Adam Smith's famous work, The Wealth of Nations, to describe how free markets can incentivize individuals, acting in their own self-interest, to produce what is societally necessary. …

The invisible hand is part of laissez-faire, meaning the "let do/let go," approach to the market. In other words, the approach holds that the market will find equilibrium without government or other interventions forcing it into unnatural patterns.

A Duke student surely has studied free market capitalism. But in case they've stopped teaching it, a more simple way of putting the concept is "Supply and Demand." The supply of Caitlin Clarks is one. The demand for Caitlin Clark is high. Therefore the price is extremely high. There is an industry producing an ample supply of average-to-above average female basketball players such as Lexie Brown. It's called the NCAA, and they churn out hundreds every year. The demand for them is relatively low. Which is how the market has achieved the equilibrium of $80 grand a year per player. And not a dollar from the Dave Portnoys or Ice Cubes. 

It's pure economics. It's science. So jealousy isn't going to get anyone anywhere.  Here's hoping the rest of the WNBA players just accept the situation and learn to support their sister. The way Ice Cube supported Ice-T when he needed it:

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Remember that a rising tide lifts all boats. The Sparks wear purple and gold, and in this case, green doesn't look good on anyone.