The departure of Caitlin Clark for the WNBA has resulted in a significant financial shift for University of Iowa women’s athletics, as detailed in the latest NCAA financial disclosures for fiscal year 2025.
In the first full academic cycle since her exit, women’s basketball ticket sales saw a sharp drop of 27%, going from $3,260,451 to $2,366,160. Additional revenues—encompassing merchandise, parking, and concessions—declined even more steeply, plummeting 40% from $858,548 to $511,960. Team-specific royalties also faced a setback, decreasing 21% from $470,749 to $370,408.
This decline opens the door for Connecticut to reclaim its position as the leading public women’s basketball program in ticket sales. For years, the Huskies were at the top, but Iowa surpassed them during Clark’s senior year. For FY25, UConn reported impressive earnings of $4.25 million in women’s basketball ticket sales.
It’s common for programs to experience such revenue decreases after losing a central figure. A notable example is Deion Sanders, whose move from Jackson State to Colorado saw the Tigers’ football ticket sales drop from $3.2 million to $2 million.
Iowa had previously seen a remarkable surge in ticket sales, fueled by both Clark’s performance and the broader growth of women’s sports. During FY22, her sophomore year, the sales were at $767,000. The following season, they doubled to $1.44 million, and in her final year, Iowa notably outsold its men’s team, an exceptional achievement for a public FBS institution.
In FY24, Clark’s last season with the Hawkeyes, the program not only led the country in ticket sales but also in related game-day income. Clark earned recognition as the top women’s college basketball player for the second straight year, and the team reached the NCAA championship game, ultimately facing top-seeded South Carolina.
Following Clark’s exit and the transition to first-year head coach Jan Jensen, Iowa ended the last season with a record of 23-10 and exited the NCAA Tournament in the second round as a No. 6 seed.
With the revenue downturn, operating expenses naturally followed. For FY25, the program’s operating costs decreased by 17.6%, from $10.3 million to $8.5 million.
