The price of being a Chicago Sky fan just went up.
It was inevitable. Even a casual viewer this season could see it coming: the sold-out crowds, the back-ordered jerseys, the record-breaking viewership. The popularity of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso — and the 2024 draft class at large — has been undeniable, commanding a wave of demand for tickets and merchandise that was certain to be balanced out by a surge in pricing.
But for many longtime season ticket holders, the change came as a shock this week when the Sky sent out emails detailing next year’s invoices would be doubled — or more — from their original prices. Courtside seats for the 2025 season skyrocketed from $4,500 to $11,000. More affordable 18-game packages for 200-level seats jumped from $270 to $985.
This sticker shock reflects the intricacies of the transitional period the Sky are currently wading through as they attempt to retain their long-time fanbase while expanding to establish a larger footprint in Chicago. As the front office declines requests to speak about a months-old promise to announce plans for a new training facility, a natural question follows: where exactly will all that money go?
In the early years of the WNBA, affordability was a driving force in attracting and maintaining fans. In 2021, the average Sky ticket price was $43. Even after the championship win at the end of that season, ticket prices remained relatively stable in ensuing seasons, jumping to an average price of $88 this year. This made the team uniquely accessible to fans in an otherwise expensive sports market.
But this week’s jump in pricing seems to reflect that the Sky are adjusting to market norms in Chicago. For instance, it cost an average of $276 to attend a Bulls game last season as the team led the league in attendance despite relatively apathetic results on the court.
It feels superfluous to pose the question of what exactly changed to garner this sudden spike. What changed? Everything. The WNBA is riding an unprecedented surge of attention and popularity. As a result, teams and the league are attempting to recalibrate their worth – in ticket prices, media rights deals and even in the valuation of the franchises – almost overnight.
At its core, this is a reflection of success. Women’s basketball has never been a hotter ticket. And players are already seeing the pay-off as they earn major wins like charter flights that the players union had been fighting to achieve for years.
For the Sky, the real issue is what comes next. Fans are clamoring for standard improvements to match those beefed-up ticket prices — including better food and drink options at Wintrust Arena, better perks for season ticket holders and improved in-game entertainment. But for the Sky, investment and revenue is an issue that runs much deeper.
The Sky are still struggling to shake a long-held reputation of being a “cheap” franchise, which is centered around the team training in a public recreation center in Deerfield.
In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this year, Lincolnwood native Jewell Loyd said she passed over the Sky in free agency due to a lack of investment, adding that players across the WNBA are “waiting for Chicago to step up” before the franchise can become a legitimate contender for free agents.
With the promise created by Cardoso and Reese – along with additions like coach Teresa Weatherspoon and crafty guard Chennedy Carter – the Sky have never been better positioned to redefine themselves. But they can’t take that step until they move their players into a more professional training facility — a process that increased revenue could certainly assist.
Sky operating chairman Nadia Rawlinson has declined to speak with the Tribune about these efforts and refused questions until the front office is prepared to make a public announcement about the facility. But that announcement should have already been made in May, when Rawlinson promised the Sky would have a significant update on the training facility before the start of the season.
Two months and 24 games later, the Sky have not provided a timeline or any further updates, other than the fact that their current lease at Sachs Recreation Center runs out at the end of the year. This might seem like a worn out issue, but only because the franchise has been stuck in the same public position for more than a year, continuously stalling with cheery promises that have not been fulfilled.
Inertness is a status quo the Sky can no longer afford. Sure, ticket sales are up this year, but this is an inherited value. The Sky did not make Cardoso or Reese a star. And while drafting one of the most popular women’s athletes in the country – maybe the world – has brought a boom of success for the team this season, that’s not a sustainable business model to replicate in the future.
Rookie contracts are short. Whether they realize it or not, the Sky are already making their free-agency pitches — both to their rookies and to the potential free agents who could join them to chase down another title. And despite an understanding throughout the franchise of their image around the league, the Sky have yet to “step up” to the challenge set by players like Loyd.
Rising ticket prices might be the cost of doing business as the WNBA continues to rise in popularity. But the increase of investment from Sky ownership will have to match it — or the team risks being left behind once again.
