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NEAR WEST SIDE — The Chicago Sky are moving their games against the Indiana Fever to the United Center this summer, honoring a fan request to allow more people to watch WNBA superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
The Sky will play the Fever June 7 and July 27 at the United Center, which is about double the capacity of the Chicago team’s home court at the Wintrust Arena in the South Loop, the team announced Friday.
The move comes after last year’s Sky-Fever games at Wintrust saw large crowds and skyrocketing ticket prices as fans vied to catch the Sky’s Reese and the Fever’s Clark, who last year were rookie sensations in the WNBA.
In 2024, some Sky fans petitioned the team to move its games against the Fever to the United Center to allow more people to attend, a move that was not made at the time.
Thanks to the rising popularity of the women’s professional basketball league, such a move was warranted this year, Sky President Adam Fox said in a statement.
“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,” Fox said. “We know Skytown will help us create a special environment at the United Center this summer.”
Wintrust Arena has 10,000 seats, according to its website. The United Center fits 21,000 for Chicago Bulls games.
Tickets for the Sky-Fever games go on sale March 11 via ticketmaster.com and the United Center box office.
Clark, the former University of Iowa Hawkeyes star, has helped catapult the WNBA to new levels of fandom.
After being selected first overall by the Fever in last year’s draft, Clark caused a slate of WNBA games to be bumped to nationally televised broadcasts. The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces last year moved a home game against Clark and the Fever to a larger arena.
Reese, who was selected seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA draft, was a college rival of Clark’s, making their professional tilts marquee events.
In the 2023 NCAA Championship, Reese’s team beat Clark’s Hawkeyes. As the game ended, Reese waved a “You Can’t See Me” hand in front of Clark and pointed to her ring finger, a triumphant moment that sparked outsized outrage and revealed double standards for Black and white athletes.
The Hawkeyes beat Reese’s Tigers squad in last year’s Elite 8 matchup of the women’s tournament.
The Fever won three of four games against the Sky last year. Both Sky home games against the Fever were near sell-outs, with prices just to get into Wintrust Arena June 23, 2024, starting at $225 and running up to $1,700 a seat.
This year’s season tips off May 17 against the Fever in Indianapolis.
Sky season ticket holders will have their tickets transferred to the United Center for the applicable games.
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