Caitlin Clark Signs History Making Deal With Panini

NCAA women's basketball sensation Caitlin Clark's empire is about to become massive.

The all-time leading college basketball scorer for both men and women has just signed an exclusive memorabilia and trading card deal with Panini in what is expected to be a revolutionary move for the industry and women's sports.

"Caitlin Clark is a true 1-of-1, who we are honored to officially welcome to the Panini family," the company said in a statement. Clark will be Panini's first exclusive partnership with a female athlete. 

WHY THIS MATTERS

The sports memorabilia business has been absolutely BOOMING since Covid.

Last year alone the global memorabilia market brought in more than $32 BILLION, and it's only expected to go up.  Whether it's trading cards, vintage memorabilia or rare autographed items, the industry has transformed into an absolute force thanks to online auctions, live breaks, and bigger names like Logan Paul and Drake getting involved. 

One of the companies that has been at the forefront of the movement has been Goldin Collectibles. I spoke with CEO Ken Goldin about Panini signing Caitlin Clark and what that would mean for the industry and Clark's brand.

"This is a great move by Panini. Clark is a big name in sports and Panini wanted to capitalize on that ASAP," Goldin said. "We have been reading a lot about them [Panini] losing a lot of licenses [of certain athletes] so for them to be able to sign someone exclusively who is in the news every day is great."

THE CAITLIN CLARK EFFECT IS REAL

Clark has brought in absolute SCENES at any arena she's played in this year-just look at the madness when Iowa played Rutgers a few weeks back! She's without a doubt a generational talent that is not only seen as a phenomenal player on the court but has also become a role model for millions of kids across the country.  

That is something Ken believes will only benefit her and Panini and put them both in a unique and profitable position. Clark has that crossover appeal that will bring in both men and women collectors - both old and new.

"This historically has been an extremely male-dominated industry, both in terms of the customers buying the product and the product that is sold. I believe she has the potential to not only attract female buyers, but also to attract a portion of the male collecting community, which has historically shied away from almost all female athlete collectibles with a few exceptions like Serena Williams," the Goldin Collectibles CEO said.

CAITLIN CLARK IS TRANSFORMING WOMEN'S SPORTS

Panini's signing will also have major NIL ramifications (something that Darren Rovell doesn't understand apparently.) . Clark already makes an estimated $3 million from exclusive deals with companies like Nike and Gatorade. Those were signed before she really became Caitlin Clark, meaning that it's to the moon from here on out with her.

Panini's announcement today also included a link to reorder an upcoming card. You can be sure that there will be exclusive and limited cards in the near future as well now that they have the licensing rights. 

I've already predicted that the Kelce brothers will host the upcoming ESPY awards (or hell, maybe even ABC's Time Square New Year's Eve Bash). 

If ESPN was smart it would have Caitlin Clark be a part of the Award show as well. Both the Kelce and Clark brands are booming right now. 

THOUGHTS? Tweet me: @TheGunzShow or email me at Michael.Gunzelman@OutKick.com