WNBA fans poked fun at one statistic that seemed to be pointing to praise Chicago Sky sophomore star Angel Reese, but many took it as an unintended praise for Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark instead.
Over at X, one post celebrated how the Chicago Sky had more sellout games in the past two seasons alone compared to the thirteen-year span from 2010 to 2023. A photo of Reese was added, but WNBA fans poked fun at it instead of celebrating with the post.
“The Caitlin Clark Effect,” one fan said.
“Clark must have played there 19 times in [the] last [two] seasons,” another fan echoed the same sentiment.
From 2010 to 2023, the Sky struggled to fill Wintrust Arena fairly consistently, even under high-pressure circumstances, as illustrated by our low recording when we sold out the Sky, even in playoff periods. Even after winning the WNBA championship in 2021, we recorded very few sellouts, totaling five for all of these years. The franchise was limited in visibility, and marketing efforts often failed to convert casual interest into ticket sales.
The years 2023 and 2024 represented a radical experience in attendance with the Sky recording 19 sellouts across the two years. This was nearly a fourfold increase in the sellout rate as compared to the previous 13 combined.
Ths surge coincided with a league-wide expansion in viewership, merchandise sales, and digital engagement, partly attributable to the emergence of high-profile rookies such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who were instrumental in enhancing the WNBA’s cultural prominence.
Despite the Sky recording losing records in both seasons, concluding with a 13–27 finish in 2024 and failing to qualify for the playoffs, fan attendance at the arena remained robust.
WNBA Fans Discuss Correlation Between Angel Reese’s Arrival and Sky Sellout Games
Over at X, WNBA fans shared their insights on the possible correlation between the arrival of Angel Reese to the Chicago Sky in 2024 to the rise of the franchise’s sellout games during the same year.
For one fan, the rise is definitely linked to Reese and her impact to the franchise.
“Angel is one of the best and most popular players in the WNBA,” they said. “There is a direct correlation between her arrival and the sellouts in Chicago. It is time for the management of the Sky to make some major moves to improve the team around Reese.”
Others, however, chose the sarcastic way to express their feelings on the numbers.
“People love seeing Angel miss layups,” one fan said.
As Angel Reese navigates her future with the Sky, WNBA fans are looking forward to how the 2026 season would play out for the satr and the franchise as a whole.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
