Angel Reese is once again at the center of controversy, but this time it’s not about a hard foul or a viral quote. It’s about her team, the Chicago Sky, seemingly prioritizing Caitlin Clark over their own star player.
When the Sky announced that both of their 2025 home games against Clark’s Indiana Fever would be moved to the massive United Center—doubling their usual venue’s capacity—Reese couldn’t help but notice that no other Sky games were given the same treatment. And she wasn’t shy about calling it out.
On the surface, her frustration seems valid. She’s a household name, a rookie with a massive following, and someone who brought a lot of attention to women’s basketball during her college days.
But when you dig into the numbers, the real reason for the venue shift becomes crystal clear. This isn’t about favoritism. It’s about business, and Caitlin Clark is box office.
Clark’s games draw record-breaking crowds everywhere she goes. Last season, the Indiana Fever’s total attendance shattered the WNBA’s single-season record by a jaw-dropping 36 percent.
Three of their games pulled in over 20,000 fans each—numbers most WNBA teams haven’t seen in decades, if ever. Compare that to Reese’s Sky, who played their entire season in a venue with just over 10,000 seats and never once moved a game due to overwhelming demand.
It’s not that Reese isn’t popular. She is. But Clark has reached a different stratosphere. When she comes to town, teams see an opportunity to double their profits. That’s why it’s not just Chicago making moves.
Teams across the WNBA—the Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, and more—are all relocating games against the Fever to bigger arenas. It’s the Caitlin Clark effect, plain and simple.
Reese, however, continues to paint herself as equally responsible for the WNBA’s growth. She insists fans watch for her too. She’s stated multiple times that she’s just as much a draw as Clark.
But the reality doesn’t support that. Ticket prices for games featuring Reese without Clark haven’t surged. No additional games have been moved to accommodate larger audiences for her. The buzz just isn’t the same. And that’s not hate. That’s data.
Chicago fans remember how electric the city felt when Clark last came to town. The Sky even threw a Barbie Night in her honor, complete with pink towels and autographs lined around the court.
That wasn’t done for anyone else. The Sky saw what she brought in and made a decision—twice—that it was worth taking the show to the United Center, the largest basketball arena in the country.
Sky President Adam Fox tried to spin the decision as a response to fan passion. But if that were the case, why not move more games? Why not showcase Angel Reese in a larger venue too?
The answer is simple. When Clark steps on the court, she doesn’t just bring skill. She brings dollars. Every ticket sold, every parking space filled, every concession stand visit—Clark fuels it all.
And the numbers keep backing that up. In the 2024 season alone, Clark was responsible for over 25 percent of the league’s revenue.
One analyst even noted that she made the WNBA more money in five days leading up to the draft than they would’ve made in five years without her.
That’s not an exaggeration. That’s an economic impact most leagues can only dream about.
Meanwhile, Angel Reese has faced criticism not just for her complaints but also for her on-court inconsistencies.
While she remains a talented player with clear potential, her stats and game impact haven’t matched the media attention she commands.
Her games averaged about 9000 fans. Clark’s? Nearly 17000. That’s almost double. And it wasn’t just at home—Clark increased road attendance by 36 percent. She’s a traveling stimulus package.
Still, Reese seems determined to push the narrative that she’s on equal footing with Clark. The problem is, her own team’s actions don’t support that.
If the Sky truly believed Reese was generating the same demand, they would’ve moved more than two games. They didn’t. That tells you everything you need to know.
The situation has also highlighted a divide among fans and players. Some believe Clark is being favored unfairly. Others, including league executives, see this as a matter of simple economics.
Clark generates unmatched interest. She moves merchandise. She boosts ratings. She fills seats. Reese may be a star in her own right, but Clark is a phenomenon.
Even Clark’s approach to all this stands in stark contrast to Reese’s. While Reese has taken to social media and interviews to demand recognition, Clark has stayed focused. She lets her game do the talking. No drama. No entitlement. Just buckets and sold-out arenas. And it’s working.
What’s more, Clark predicted this a year ago. After one game, she casually mentioned that women’s basketball could benefit from playing in bigger arenas. It wasn’t a demand. It was a vision. Now, that vision is becoming a reality, with multiple teams following the Fever’s lead and cashing in on her presence.
And let’s not forget what this means for the WNBA. For a league that has struggled with profitability since its inception, Clark offers a real path to sustainability.
Those two games at the United Center are expected to bring in an additional four million dollars. That’s the kind of money that keeps teams afloat. That’s the kind of money that allows for player raises, expanded marketing, and league growth. Not tweets. Not TikToks. Revenue.
At the end of the day, the WNBA is a business. Teams will do whatever it takes to stay financially viable. Right now, that means maximizing Caitlin Clark’s appearances.
It’s not personal. It’s profit. And while it may sting for Reese to see her team favor the opposition, she should take it as motivation. Elevate your game. Prove your value. Let the numbers speak.
Until then, it’s clear who the league sees as its centerpiece. And it’s not Angel Reese. It’s Caitlin Clark—the rookie rewriting what it means to be a star in women’s basketball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N_FlcjpESA
