According to a news release, Iowa basketball player Caitlin Clark has secured an exclusive multiyear collaboration with Panini America that will include trading cards and signed memorabilia—the company’s first with a female athlete.
Clark will be paid more than $1 million in the first year of the agreement, with subsequent payments based on the volume of product developed, according to a source familiar with the details who requested anonymity because the conversations are confidential. Panini declined to respond when asked about the specifics of the agreement.
Panini will be the only officially licensed producer of Clark-signed souvenirs and trading cards.
“We’ll have a range of products and memorabilia featuring Caitlin that we believe fans will love,” said Jason Howarth, Panini’s senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations.
Clark signed the contract knowing she would join the WNBA Draft. The first product will be trading cards depicting various historical moments from her college experience with the Hawkeyes.
“It’s an honor to partner with Panini America as their first multiyear exclusive female athlete, and I’m excited to collaborate with them on my own collection,” Clark stated in an e-mail.
Clark trading cards will be available for pre-order in April. She has an agreement with Topps, which is owned by Fanatics.
The two corporations are fierce competitors and are currently embroiled in a legal dispute. Panini claimed Fanatics engaged in antitrust crimes. Four days later, fans sued Panini, alleging unfair competition, tortious interference, and breach of good faith. The dispute is over Fanatics’ exclusive licensing from the NBA, NBP, MLB, MLBPA, NFL, and NFLPA. Panini and Topps previously had each of those licenses.
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) has experienced a surge in Clark trading card submissions from May 2023, according to statistics released to Sportico. Submissions exceeded 1,000 for the first time in February 2024.
According to PSA, she holds the record for the highest women’s basketball card sold at auction, fetching $78,000.
According to Ken Goldin, CEO and founder of Goldin Auctions, the jersey Clark wore when she broke Kelsey Plum’s NCAA women’s basketball scoring record might fetch up to $200,000 at auction if Clark autographed it.
Clark became the NCAA’s all-time best scorer (men’s and women’s) last Sunday against Ohio State, surpassing “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s mark of 3,667 points. Before the game, she announced her decision to enter the WNBA Draft, where the Indiana Fever are projected to select her first overall.
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