Caitlin Clark being aggressively pursued by women's basketball startup league as WNBA faces potential lockout

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are on a 6-1 run, with Clark seemingly running away with the Rookie of the Year award. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright ask if the WNBA is doing enough to support Clark's rising stardom.

Caitlin Clark's talents are in high demand. 

The women's basketball phenom has carried her sport to historic heights of popularity, both in college and the WNBA. In the same week the WNBA broke its viewership record for a finals game Sunday night when the Liberty beat the Lynx in Game 5, the league faces a major negotiation between players and owners.

The WNBA player's union, the WNBPA, elected to opt out of its current contract with the league this week. The players could seek increases in revenue sharing and other perks as they negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the league. The current CBA expires at the end of next season. 

If no agreement is reached, the WNBA could have a potential player lockout. And while the league did improve its ratings and merchandising sales, it is still reportedly projected to lose money this year. The WNBA has never had a profitable year in its history. 

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If the situation devolves into a mess between the league and WNBPA, Clark will reportedly have other options. 

A new startup women's basketball league, Unrivaled, is scheduled to launch, led by current WNBA players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. Playing in Unrivaled wouldn't prevent Clark from remaining in the WNBA because the league would be played during the WNBA offseason. However, Unrivaled will look to compete financially with the WNBA.

The biggest difference between this new league and the WNBA is Unrivaled would feature a 3-on-3