“Caitlin is so special, and everybody can see it. I mean, that’s part of what makes her so amazing and interesting and transcendent,” said Erin Kane after her agency, Excel Sports Management, signed Caitlin Clark. Signing with the agency back in 2023 meant that the young WNBA star had someone to manage her brand signings. At the same time, it ensured that she had an ally, as Kane has been quite vocal in the support of her client by saying things like Clark was the “gasoline on those embers” that is the WNBA’s popularity, and that the league should compensate her fairly.

However, recent revelations indicate changes that might, or might not, compel Clark to seek new representation.

According to Reuters and the Financial Times, Goldman Sachs is closing in on a deal to buy a majority stake in Excel Sports Management. Two anonymous sources familiar with the matter have provided information on this, along with the revelation that the valuation for the deal is set at about $1 billion. An agreement could reportedly be announced by next week.

Clark won’t be the only star client affected by this reported deal. After all, the firm also represents NBA guard Jamal Murray, NFL legend Joe Montana, WNBA star Napheesa Collier, and golf icon Tiger Woods. According to Athlon Sports, the sale to Goldman Sachs “likely won’t have a direct impact on Clark”.

However, as the Financial Times highlighted, Excel’s potential majority sale is a reflection of a boom in valuations for talent agencies. Plus, the same comes amid surging player contracts and endorsement values that have elevated revenue for agencies. With a name like Goldman Sachs, soon expected to be connected to Excel Sports Management, Clark will have more trained hands and consultants guiding her during contract negotiations, brand signings, etc.

Having an outside perspective might do wonders for Caitlin Clark. After all, it is no secret that fans weren’t that impressed with Caitlin Clark’s current representation over the last few months.

Erin Kane Faced Backlash Over Catilin Clark’s Nike Deal

Even before she entered the WNBA, it was believed that Caitlin Clark’s presence would have a huge impact on the league. Sure enough, when comparing the change in select league-wide metrics from the 2023 to the 2024 seasons, the league saw merchandise sales increase by 601%, social media views by 436.2%, league pass subscriptions by 366%, and overall attendance by 54.1%.

Ryan Brewer, a finance professor at Indiana University Columbus, stated that Clark’s presence was responsible for more than 25% of the WNBA’s revenue in the 2024 season. In light of this, one would have expected Clark to receive some major dough from the shoe brand of her choosing. Unfortunately, for many fans, that wasn’t the case.

Back in April 2024, Caitlin Clark signed an 8-year $28 million endorsement deal with Nike. Netizens spoke against Erin Kane earlier this year after she said, “We had Caitlin come through and she was just like gasoline on those embers”. After all, according to reports, fans thought that Kane really undersold her client. Kane had to soon deal with comments like “So when do we predict Caitlin fires her?”, and “Get a new agent homie. Your current one has too small of a mindset. She’s thinking ‘locally’, not ‘globally’.”

A few months later, the belief that Clark was not being valued by Nike once again came up after she took the court back in May for the first time since the Indiana Fever were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs by the Connecticut Sun.

Gatorade gave Clark a shoutout on social media by taking to X and writing “Real home court advantage. Welcome back to Iowa Caitlin Clark ⚡️”. However, no similar post came from Nike. Therefore, when Kane discussed Clark later by saying “There’s been slow steady growth for years up to this point …”, she was met with replies like “y’all ever going to ask her about Nike at these summits?” and “Worst agent in the history of talent agents!”

With Goldman Sachs getting involved, Clark might get taken over by new management. Whether that improves things for her and does signings that satisfy fans is something that remains to be seen.