It was a brisk spring evening in Chicago, the kind that hinted at summer but still clung to the last chill of winter. Inside Wintrust Arena, the lights were bright, the court freshly waxed, and the banners of the Chicago Sky hung with pride. Yet as the pregame music thumped and the PA announcer hyped up the crowd, a strange truth echoed off the empty blue seats: there were a lot more of them than there should be.
Angel Reese, the rookie sensation who’d captivated a nation with her swagger and skill, adjusted her headband and glanced up at the stands. She’d played in front of packed houses at LSU, felt the roar of thousands at the Final Four, and even brushed shoulders with celebrities at the Met Gala just days earlier. Now, as she jogged through warm-ups, she counted the faces in the crowd—sparse clusters, scattered families, a few diehard fans waving signs.
She tried to shake it off. “It’s preseason,” she told herself. “People will show up when it counts.” But the whispers had already started—on social media, in group chats, in the press box above her head.
A few rows behind the bench, Ben, a local sports podcaster, set up his equipment. He’d been following Angel’s journey since her college days, rooting for her not just as a player, but as a symbol of what women’s basketball could become. He scrolled through his Twitter feed, where the conversation was less about the game and more about the shockingly low ticket prices. Three dollars for a seat—less than a pack of gum, less than a Wendy’s 4-for-4 meal, less than a gallon of gas.
“Where are all the Angel Reese fans now?” someone tweeted. “They’re all talk. Empty seats, empty support.”
Ben winced. He’d heard the arguments: “It’s just preseason,” “It’s a school night,” “People are saving up for Caitlin Clark games.” Excuses, maybe, but the numbers didn’t lie. Tonight’s attendance barely cracked 4,600 in an arena built for more than double that. And it wasn’t just the seats—TV ratings for Sky games lagged behind other WNBA matchups, even those without the superstar rookie.
The game tipped off. Angel played with her usual fire—diving for loose balls, jawing with opponents, flashing that trademark grin after a big rebound. The fans who were there cheered loudly, their voices echoing in the half-empty arena. But as the Sky built a lead, the energy never quite reached the fever pitch Angel remembered from college.
After the final buzzer, Angel made her way to the locker room, towel draped over her shoulders. Reporters gathered, eager for a soundbite. Someone asked about the crowd.
“I play for whoever shows up,” Angel said, voice steady. “I appreciate every single fan who’s here. I know we’re building something special.”
But later, as she scrolled through her own social feeds, the criticism stung. Memes mocked the empty arena. “Met Gala one night, $3 tickets the next,” one post sneered. “Where’s the love for Angel Reese now?”
She texted her mom, who always knew what to say. “Don’t let them get to you,” her mom replied. “You’re changing the game, one step at a time. Not everyone is ready for that.”
The next day, Ben recorded his podcast. He talked honestly about what he’d seen—the passion on the court, the lack of passion in the stands. He compared the price of a Sky ticket to everything from bus fare to avocados, trying to make sense of why more people weren’t showing up.
“Is this a boycott?” he asked his listeners. “Or is it just apathy? We talk about supporting women’s sports, but when it comes time to put money down, where are we?”
He read out some of the excuses fans had sent in: “It’s too far,” “It’s not the regular season,” “I’ll go when they play the Fever.” Ben challenged them. “If you can find $3 in your couch cushions, you can afford to see Angel Reese play. If you say you love the game, prove it.”
Meanwhile, the Sky’s front office scrambled for answers. They ran promotions, offered family bundles, even gave away free merch. Still, the numbers barely budged. Other teams—especially those with Caitlin Clark, the other rookie phenom—were selling out. Why wasn’t Chicago?
Angel Reese kept grinding. She showed up for every practice, every community event. She took selfies with young fans who waited outside in the cold. She reposted every tag, every piece of fan art. She played her heart out, win or lose.
One afternoon, a group of local high school girls approached her after practice. “We saved up to come see you,” one said, shyly handing Angel a homemade sign. “You’re the reason we believe we can play, too.”
Angel smiled, her heart full. “That’s what matters,” she thought. “Even if the arena isn’t full, if I can inspire just one girl, it’s worth it.”
But the debate raged on. National media picked up the story: “Angel Reese’s fans are all talk,” one headline declared. “Sky games embarrassingly empty despite star power.” Some claimed it was a boycott, a protest against ticket prices or the league itself. Others said it was just the reality of building a fanbase in a crowded sports city.
As the regular season approached, the Sky’s attendance ticked up—slowly. More fans wore Reese jerseys, more kids lined up for autographs. The team started winning. The narrative shifted, just a little.
Ben watched it all unfold, hopeful but realistic. On his podcast, he closed with a challenge: “Don’t just tweet about Angel Reese. Don’t just post her highlights. Show up. Buy a ticket. Bring a friend. If you want women’s basketball to grow, it starts with you.”
Angel Reese listened to that episode on the way to the arena. She smiled, fired up for another night on the court. The seats might not be full yet, but the dream was alive—and she, more than anyone, believed it was only the beginning.
‘Not Just Cause of One Player’: Angel Reese Shades Former Rival Caitlin Clark After WNBA Victory
Source: megaWNBA rookie and former college basketball star Angel Reese appeared to take a dig at her old rival Caitlin Clark after the Chicago Sky beat the New York Liberty 90-81 on Thursday night.
WNBA rookie and former college basketball star Angel Reese appeared to take a dig at her old rival Caitlin Clark after the Chicago Sky beat the New York Liberty 90-81 on Thursday night, RadarOnline.com has learned.
“And that’s on getting a WIN in a packed area not just cause of one player on our charter flight. #SKYTOWN,” Reese wrote in a since-deleted tweet with a blowing-a-kiss emoji at the end, The Daily Mail reports.
Source: megaReese recently pushed back on suggestions that Clark is solely responsible for the recent surge of interest in the WNBA.
Reese recently pushed back on suggestions that Clark, who was drafted by the Indiana Fever this year after her record-breaking college basketball career at Iowa, is solely responsible for the recent surge of interest in the WNBA.
“It’s not just one person, I think people don’t realize that [because] the narrative out there is that just one person changing the game,” she told reporters on Thursday.
“It’s a lot of us. There’s so many great players and it’s been long overdue and just being able to see that our impact has been able to change the game. I love it for us all, and we’re just going to continue to keep going.”
Source: MEGAClark was drafted by the Indiana Fever in the first overall pick this year after her record-breaking college basketball career at Iowa.
On Tuesday, after the Croatian-born Seattle Storm player Nika Mühl was forced to miss several games while waiting for her work visa to be approved, Reese tweeted, “Get Nika her visa NOW, charter flights are HERE, give every team the same PUBLICITY cause it ain’t just one team, online bullying ain’t it AT ALL, and oh the CHICAGO SKY ARE HERE & ON THE RISE!”
Reese has previously spoken out about the availability of charter flights in the league, which the Sky did not have at the start of the 2024 season but Clark’s team, the Indiana Fever, did.
Reese and Clark were rivals during their college basketball careers. In a 2023 game between LSU and Iowa, Reese sparked controversy by making John Cena’s “you can’t see me” hand gesture at Clark before her team claimed their first-ever National Championship victory.
Barstool Stool Sports owner Dave Portnoy was accused of racism after calling Reese’s trash talk “classless,” and Clark leapt to her defense. “I think the biggest thing is we’re all competitive. We all show our emotions in a different way,” Clark said at a press conference. “Angel is a tremendous, tremendous player. I have nothing but respect for her.”
“Like I said, they played an amazing game so I don’t think there should be any criticism for what she did,” Clark continued. “I honestly didn’t see it when the game was going on.”
Source: megaReese has helped lead the Sky to victory in two of their first three outings.
