Caitlin Clark shoots so the next generation can score

Make more or stay in school? Why not both? [Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, the name, image and likeness of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Must-Reads - What if Clark was [paid to stay](? - Billionaires help [students pay](. - [Overworked](? An illusion at play. - [Services inflation]( better go away. The [Caitlin Clark]( Effect While Nick Saban was busy [complaining]( about how the new wave of money flowing to college athletes drove him to retire, I was admiring [this Caitlin Clark ad]( in Iowa City that spans seven stories and four lanes of traffic. Whatever marketing genius at Nike came up with the idea must be living in another dimension, because no mere mortal could master the space-time continuum like this: 10/10, no notes. Nike’s [clever campaign]( around the three-time Big Ten [title winner]( is evidence that her stardom is very lucrative for the brand. But the [now-viral]( “you break it, you own it” t-shirt would have never been possible if the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball player hadn’t sold her name, image and likeness (NIL) rights to the athletic company. Also riding on her coattails are [Gatorade](, [State Farm](, [Buick](, [H&R Block]( and [others](. But what about the television audiences she attracts and the extra chicken fingers [they sell]( in concession when she’s on the court? Shouldn’t she get paid for that stuff, too? “Clark and other athletes are supposed to be satisfied with scholarships, stipends and the chance to market their NIL elsewhere,” Adam Minter [writes](. But, as he notes, that’s unjust — especially since pro athletes receive a share of television revenues. The fact that college sports haven’t fully professionalized likely factored into Clark’s decision to [go pro]( next year. She’s single-handedly revolutionized the business of women’s college basketball. Iowa routinely sets [attendance records](, TV viewership of the sport is up [60%]( and more households [watched]( the Iowa women’s overtime victory over Nebraska on Sunday than the UNC-Duke men’s game. No wonder executives at Fox Sports [considered]( paying Clark for her NIL rights to keep her in school for [one more year](. Although the WNBA draft won’t happen for another month, [ticket prices]( to see Indiana Fever — the team Clark is expected to sign with — are up 133% from last year’s $60 average. When autumn 2024 rolls around, Adam says “the NCAA, its members and broadcast partners will rely upon a new batch of [rising]( [stars]( to keep the growing women’s college basketball audience engaged.” The future Caitlin Clarks of this world should get paid to stay in school and earn a chunk of the TV revenue they generate. If sports networks are smart, they’ll make sure that vision is not a long shot. Read [the whole thing]( for free. The Cost of College For those of us who do not possess the rare gift of nailing [35-foot three-pointers](, getting paid to go to school is a pipe dream (unless you live in like, [Denmark](). But some lucky souls can at least snag free tuition. Take the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Thanks to a [$1 billion]( gift from Ruth Gottesman, a former professor at the college and chair of its board of trustees, the Bronx-based medical school will be [tuition-free]( in perpetuity. While the incredibly generous donation will no doubt improve the financial standing of Einstein’s students and the [surrounding community](, Erin Lowry [says]( “it also highlights how much US colleges and universities rely on wealthy donors — and raises the question of whether more systemic changes would better serve students and society.” It’s no secret that America’s higher ed landscape is wildly expensive. If it weren’t for Gottesman’s gift, med students enrolling at Albert Einstein would need to fork over $400,000 over the next four years, joining the millions of Americans who are saddled with student loans (some of whom have resorted to [crowdfunding]( their debt on [GoFundMe](). Yet relying on the kindness of strangers is not a foolproof plan, Erin notes. “The sheer proliferation of requests for help is an indicator of gaping holes in America’s social safety nets,” she writes. Although billion-dollar donations can save some students from falling through those holes, federal and state governments must patch up the net for good. Bonus Education Reading: Don’t let China [impose taboos]( on British universities. — Matthew Brooker Working Hard or Hardly Working? “You have to admire how much hard work is going into persuading us that we work too hard,” Adrian Wooldridge [writes]( (free read). Whether it’s a self-help book about burnout or a TikTok about workaholic employees, plenty of content that tells us we’re overdoing it. But in reality, the [lazy girls]( have never had it so good. According to economic [data](, at least: On average, people are working fewer hours than ever, especially in countries with higher GDPs. Although young investment bankers joke that their 9-to-5 stretches from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning, most workers have gained leisure time in recent years. “Let us not allow the current hysteria about ‘overwork’ to distract us, as a society, from the bigger problem of the number of people dropping out of the labor force,” he argues. Telltale Charts I could go the rest of my life without hearing the word “inflation” again, and I know you could, too. But we gotta talk about it, because [date night]( is gouging us and [rent]( is stubbornly high. John Authers [took the liberty]( of charting the composition of the overall CPI over time, using Bloomberg’s trust economic analysis function (a real thing that exists, to my amazement) and found that inflation is now almost exclusively about services. But under the surface, Jonathan Levin [suspects]( “idiosyncratic factors have been keeping core CPI on the high side even while overall inflation is clearly on its way to being licked.” Remember when [everyone]( last year was saying “BUY ALL THE T-BILLS!!” and you opened up an account with TreasuryDirect.gov? Yeah, well, Aaron Brown [is here]( to burst your bubble: “Treasury bills are a terrible long-term investment,” he writes. “The only reasons to hold liquid, short-term, low-risk investments like Treasury bills and money market funds are for cash you might need suddenly, or sitting out risk temporarily.” You’d be wise to consider his pearls of wisdom before, say, putting all your trust in [a year-old ETF]( that uses a longstanding loophole to help individual investors save taxes on returns that closely track short-term Treasuries. Not worth it! Further Reading Britain’s main political parties are [promising]( a fiscal fantasy. — Bloomberg’s editorial board March madness is coming for the [global shipping]( game. — Tim Culpan Too much central bank [worship]( can backfire. — Daniel Moss Google’s [bad Gemini rollout]( could be a blessing in disguise. — Clive Crook The Fed has to shrink its [balance sheet]( enough to rebuild its stimulus arsenal. — Bill Dudley Argentina’s president [can’t whip]( inflation without wooing his opposition. — Juan Pablo Spinetto Food companies must innovate to keep customers interested. [Cheesy beanz](, anyone? — Andrea Felsted ICYMI The House passed the [TikTok bill](. Elon Musk [has beef]( with Don Lemon. 30% of Gen Z women [identify]( as LGBTQ. Denmark adds women to [the draft](. Kickers Ayo Edebiri is [the best](. The ladybug is a [powerful foe](. Zoë Kravitz [torched]( her father. Trump’s [normal hair]( is shocking. Women want [a place]( to watch the game. Someone has [a million]( McDonald’s points. Wildlife center staffers are [pretending]( to be foxes. Notes: Please send cheesy beanz and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads](, [TikTok](, [Twitter](, [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. 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