Chicago Sky move Fever games, will play first-ever WNBA game at United Center
More Caitlin Clark fans will get to see her play twice in Chicago as both games have been moved five miles away to the United Center, home of the Bulls.
For the second day in a row, a WNBA team has moved its home games against the Indiana Fever to a significantly larger arena.
This time it’s the Chicago Sky — for the first time. (Last season, four teams did: Washington, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.)
The Sky will host the Fever to the United Center for the first-ever WNBA game at the home of the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET.
Then, the second game was pushed back a day to Sunday, July 27 for a matinee at 3 p.m. ET. (The day change was not a big deal for the Fever; it’s their only game over a five-day stretch and between a pair of home games.
Once again, that’s the Caitlin Clark Effect.
Go ahead and plan on both games being shown on national TV too.
The most-watched game during the regular season last year was Fever at Sky on June 23, drawing 2.3 million viewers on ESPN. Then two months later, on Aug. 30, the two teams set ION’s record for viewership. It was one of seven broadcasts on the network to exceed an average of more than one million viewers.
Tickets go on sale at noon ET on March 11 at Ticketmaster.
Last June, before Clark and the Fever’s first visit to Chicago, she joked, “I saw the ticket prices. I guess the only thing is like I'm surprised we're not playing at the United Center. I thought that would have been really good for the game and really good for all the women's basketball fans in Chicago.”
It was a memorable scene outside Wintrust Arena in Chicago, eager for their first chance to see Clark as a pro. She’s a Midwest girl, born and raised in Iowa.
“We were driving by and there's just like so many lines outside of people already trying to get in,” Clark said afterward. “So I think people are just really excited to see this matchup and obviously it's two WNBA teams right in the Midwest where I grew up and I know how much they love women's basketball in this area. So I think people in this area are just really excited about this matchup. And I mean, you can just feel it driving up from the bus.”
The United Center was unavailable then. Now it is available and the Sky are taking full advantage.
“Given the explosive growth in the WNBA, we now have a first-ever opportunity to invite more fans to experience this matchup at a larger venue of the United Center,” said Sky President and CEO Adam Fox. “Chicago Sky fans have consistently shown up for the team and the city, and we want to reward their passion and dedication by bringing this excitement to an expanded capacity.”
This change comes one day after the Washington Mystics moved the two matchups to a venue with nearly four times the capacity of its home arena.
When the Fever traveled to Washington last season, they helped set a new WNBA attendance record with 20,711 fans. The Bulls list a sellout as 20,923 so more history will inevitably be made.
In comparison, Wintrust Arena seats just shy of 10,000 fans.
The Fever and Sky is a matchup between two Midwest teams. However, it’s never been a rivalry despite some pushing that storyline even before they played for the first time last season.
“I'm pretty sure the only people that view this as a rivalry is all of you,” Clark responded. “For us, it's just a game of basketball. That’s what it is. And if it's gonna help move the game forward, absolutely, that's amazing. That's what it should be, people talking about it.”
Both have new coaching staffs and are led by young players. Clark and Angel Reese draw the most attention given their name brand and visibility.
Clark tried to squash Rookie of the Year debate toward the end of last season, saying the focus should instead be on their teams. She received all but one vote; the other went to Reese.
The Sky are led by first-year head coach Tyler Marsh, a former Mad Ants and Pacers assistant coach. And he’ll make his debut back in Indy as the Fever open the 2025 season at home against the Sky on Saturday, May 17.
Before then, the Fever have three exhibition games scheduled. Including one back at the University of Iowa for a special Clark homecoming. Tickets went sold out in 42 minutes on Thursday.
